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How to Play: Live Baccarat Tips

If there is anything that can help you to be successful in baccarat, it’s certainly your luck. Knowing some general baccarat tips and tricks will help a lot, though, which is what this page is for.

Baccarat is a game where very little skill is needed, but strategy still plays a part. Our baccarat strategy guide covers the basics pretty well, and we suggest reading it as well. However, most baccarat tips and tricks are just that – advice and good practices to help you have a better time. They won't necessarily make you win every round or get millions in profits.

With that out of the way, we should also point out that you should know the rules of baccarat before reading any further. Our live baccarat tutorial is a great first step for any beginner.

Anyway, if you want to play baccarat live online and be good at it, here are 5 important tips.

NEVER BET ON TIE!

Table of Contents

Baccarat - Best Tips and Tricks to Win

Let’s not waste too much time before getting to the point. Here are the Live Casinos top 5 tips for playing baccarat:

Avoid the Tie Bet No Matter What
Avoid Live Zero Commission Baccarat
Betting Systems Only Get You So Far
Use Live Baccarat Bonuses
Don’t Follow Trends, Patterns, or Roadmaps

1. Avoid the Tie Bet No Matter What

Every tie bet in baccarat has just under 10% probability of winning. That would have been fine if the payout was, say, 10:1. The payout would match the risk, which leads to solid expected value and a decent RTP.

However, that’s not the case. Tie bets typically pay 8:1, which is abysmal compared to the risks involved. This comes out to a 14.4% house edge which is unreasonably high by any measure.

Of course, there are baccarat tables that pay 9:1 for Tie. The situation here is a bit better, but it still doesn’t work out. Tie bets on such tables have a house edge of 4.8%, which is much better than 14%. However, it’s still not quite good enough compared to just over 1% for Banker bets. Even with the best rules available, it’s still not worth it.

In short, the tie bet strategy in baccarat is quite simple – don’t play it, ever. Some players might want to place it for the same reasons they have for playing side bets – just to keep things interesting. There’s some merit to that, but we still don’t recommend doing so unless you’re getting a 9:1 payout. Even then, only bet on tie while keeping in mind that you’re not playing optimally.

2. Avoid Live Zero Commission Baccarat

Our strategy guide goes in-depth about picking the best live baccarat games. There are more ins and outs to be found on this topic, but the gist is simple. No commission tables remove the 5% commission on Banker bets. To compensate, any Banker bet that wins with a total hand value of 6 only wins 0.5:1. That sounds great, but the math doesn’t check out.

No Commission Baccarat is strictly worse than baccarat with a 5% commission on banker bets. The reasoning is simple – regular Banker bets boast an RTP of 98.94%, and playing without commission drops this down to 98.56% RTP. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, it’s worth noting that this only affects the Banker side. Player bets have the same RTP either way, as do Ties and any side bets.

Find incredible baccarat tables with optimal rules and odds at the Leo Vegas live casino!

Note

Most baccarat players are afraid to bet on the banker because of the 5% commission that is applied. Don't be like most Baccarat players.

3. Betting Systems Only Get You So Far

Using the Martingale in Baccarat is sometimes presented as a great strategy. That’s not completely false – betting systems in Baccarat do have their merits. However, we have to note some important things.

First of all, Martingale is nowhere near the best strategy for baccarat. It’s not even the best stake system. In short, it puts you in a lot of danger, often called ‘Risk of Ruin’. Essentially, Martingale works really well until it suddenly doesn’t. A string of losses can exponentially increase the stake needed to cover for them. The chances of this happening are quite low, yes. But if you play baccarat regularly, it will happen sooner or later. Instead, try finding safer systems that leave more room for error.

Secondly – and this is important – baccarat systems do not increase your chances of winning or losing. In fact, the RTP of baccarat stays the same no matter what. These systems were intended to stay one step ahead of your losses. In the long run, however, those losses always catch up with you. You end up with the same profits (or losses) as you would without a system.

On the bright side, there is a point to using them. Live casino money management is very important, and systems are one way of doing that.

Our baccarat tip is to just use flat betting. It achieves as much as any other system, but it’s easier and more reliable.

4. Use Live Baccarat Bonuses

Live casino bonuses are great for players because they’re one of the ways in which players can overcome the house edge. Not literally, of course, the house is always at an advantage. But if you use a bonus the smart way, you’ll end up walking away with an actual profit.

Winning baccarat tips are not necessarily about winning more rounds. They’re all about turning an actual profit with baccarat at a casino. That’s why systems exist as well.

As such, getting free funds with a baccarat casino bonus can result in a solid profit. The idea is to get the cash, and keep a part of it after you complete wagering requirements. At that point, the bonus turns into pure profit. This isn’t always easy to do, but it’s possible with a good bonus and optimized baccarat strategy.

So now you need a good bonus. Luckily for you, we have some great casino baccarat offers just waiting for you to pick them up:

5. Don’t Follow Trends, Patterns, or Roadmaps

The Gambler’s Fallacy is a myth that can be found in any form of betting. For one reason or another, though, baccarat players are more likely to believe it. Just look at all the roadmaps you can find in most games!

Despite what some baccarat tips and tricks may claim, roadmaps don’t tell you anything useful. In a fair and properly shuffled shoe of cards, there is no way to determine what the next card will be.

That’s the Gambler’s Fallacy in baccarat in a nutshell – trying to predict the outcome of future rounds based on the previous ones. The probability of your Banker or Player bet winning is just under 50%. Technically speaking, the odds may slightly favor one side based on the cards that were already played through. Specifically, high cards favor the Banker, which is what card counting in baccarat is all about. However, counting cards in live casino games is nearly impossible due to low deck penetration. Moreover, actually applying the card count to win baccarat takes a lot of effort with minimal payoff. You may, potentially, be able to shave off a few fractions of a percent off the house edge.

Either way, chasing trends is a poor strategy as far as baccarat tricks go. You can do so, of course – it doesn’t really make your chances any worse either. But don’t think for a second there’s an actual statistical or strategic advantage to following baccarat roadmaps.

FAQ

Is there any skill in baccarat?

Yes, but it only gets you so far. Knowing how to play baccarat and win is all bout understanding which moves are better and why. You should also understand the limits of your actions in baccarat. Be wary of myths surrounding this game. If you can distinguish between working baccarat strategies and myths, you’re already good at the game.

How do you get rich in baccarat?

If you’re playing casino games to become rich, you’re in the wrong business. Like all casino games, playing baccarat is about having a fun time. No casino game will turn you into a millionaire (unless you have a lot of luck), and anyone claiming otherwise is lying. The only way to get rich in baccarat is to consistently have great luck, which is not something you can control.

Is there a baccarat system with guaranteed profits?

No. Baccarat systems can ensure you’re winning more than you’re losing when they work. When you run out of luck, however, things will turn in the casino’s favor. This will happen sooner or later due to the house edge. You can profit for a while, but you can’t beat statistics.

What are the best baccarat rules?

The best baccarat games have a 5% commission on Banker bets and 9:1 payouts on Tie bets. Try to look for tables with these rules whenever you play. Also, the fewer decks per shoe the game uses, the better.

Live Casino Editor

Our Chief Editor is a live casino aficionado with years of playing casino games online under his belt. His vast knowledge of the industry’s ins and outs makes him a great leader of our LC team, while his penchant for learning new things has made him a great strategist. This has come particularly handy with our in-depth articles and editorials, where his expertise can shine to the fullest.