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How to Play: Live Baccarat Strategy

Baccarat is one of the simplest table games found in land and online casinos. There's still the best way to play baccarat, though, and your choices aren't irrelevant. Our live baccarat strategy guide takes a look at these choices and how to make the most of them.

With this game, one will enjoy fast-paced betting and returns, but the game is almost exclusively based on luck. However, live dealer Baccarat allows players to make use of some strategies and playing tips that will help them win more and win more money and more often at the table. Even the best baccarat strategy doesn't overcome the house edge, of course. But playing well can save you both money and headaches in the long run.

Before we dive into baccarat strategy, make sure you already know how to play. The rules are pretty simple, but our strategy tips and advice won't make a lot of sense unless you have a firm grasp of the basics.

Playing baccarat according to winning strategy guidelines does not guarantee victory or profits. It's all about minimizing the house advantage to swing things into your favor.

Betting on the Banker

Whether playing a live dealer version or a standard online version of Baccarat, it is always best to bet on the dealer. This is universally true in all cases unless you play no commission baccarat. More on that later. However, one important question still remains. Why does Banker have an advantage in baccarat?

Banker bets win 45.8% of all baccarat rounds, compared to Player winning 44.6%. Since Tie results return the stake, they don’t really come into this equation. If we disregard Ties, we see that the odds of winning Banker in baccarat are about 51:49.

That doesn’t seem like a lot, especially considering the 5% commission on Banker bets. This is where the notion of expected value comes into play. In short, bets in baccarat are compared not just by their payout or their chances of winning. Instead, you’re looking for the best ratio between the payout and the probability of winning. That’s how RTP is ultimately calculated.

And when we calculate the baccarat Player and Banker RTP, we can see that Banker is strictly better. Banker has 98.94%, while Player offers 98.76%.

It’s not the biggest difference ever. But if you want to play baccarat optimally, you’ll stick to Banker bets.

Why do Banker bets win more in Baccarat?

We covered this in our basic baccarat guide, but it helps to understand how this advantage works in the first place. The two hands look almost perfectly balanced in most regards, after all. Why is Banker more likely to win, then?

It’s because of third-card rules. This rule is the only major difference between how the hands work. Essentially, Player draws additional cards regardless of how strong the Banker hand is. For instance, having a total of 5 is not really bad. It’s not great, but you still have a decent shot at winning. If Player draws the third card, they are more likely to draw a card that has a value of 5 or more because there are more such cards than 1-4. This will actively make their hand worse in this scenario.

Banker hands in baccarat have no such issues. Banker only draws if it’s favorable in the current situation, based on both Player and Banker cards. Hence, Banker wins more. We can compare this to blackjack. In blackjack, the dealer has a house advantage because they get to play last and react to the player’s cards. That’s pretty much why the Banker has an advantage in baccarat, too.

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Manage Your Money

Remember to keep an eye on your bankroll as you play. Baccarat is a fast-paced game, which is why tight money management is a must.

Commissioned vs No Commission Baccarat - Which is Better?

As you can see, picking the right bet in baccarat is easy. Picking the best baccarat games is another matter entirely, and it matters a lot.

Some people really do not like the 5% commission on Banker bets. It’s there for a good reason, but it’s understandable that you want to get 1:1 odds in baccarat. That’s why No Commission baccarat tables were invented. This variant of the game removes the commission, but introduces a new rule.

In No Commission Baccarat, Banker bets that win with a hand total of 6 pay 0.5:1 instead of 1:1. All other Banker bets win the full 1:1. That’s the only difference compared to standard rules, including third card rules.

As a result, Banker bets still win more rounds. However, the payout cut is actually worse than it seems. Winning with a 6 is one of the most common outcomes in the entire game. In short, it’s much easier to get a 6 with a baccarat hand than, say, a 9.

Remember what we said about RTP and the ratio between probability and the payout? Due to all of this, Banker bets in no commission baccarat have 98.56% RTP. This makes them strictly worse than Player.

In short, if you want to play according to the best baccarat strategy, stick to 5% commissions and Banker bets.

If you want to know more about different variations of the game and how good/bad they are, check out this article.

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Using Baccarat Bonuses as a Strategy

Baccarat is one of the best games to play at live casinos in terms of RTP. Blackjack is the only better option, but it’s much harder to play due to the complex basic strategy.

What makes baccarat so good? The low house edge, of course! Playing optimally you won’t lose much money in the long run.

But can you actually win more than you lose? Yes, in some ways. You can’t really win more rounds than you lose – that’s not how baccarat strategy works. Instead, you can end up with more money than you started with. This can be achieved in one of two ways: card counting and live casino bonuses. Bonus offers give your bankroll a boost for free. Your goal from then on is to lose as little of the bonus as possible before meeting the wagering requirements.

For that, you’ll need a low requirement and high contribution from baccarat. Baccarat bonuses are not easy to find, but we managed to dig up some amazing offers below:

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Card Counting in Baccarat and Bet Spreads

Live Baccarat offers an opportunity for players to count cards. It’s tough to argue for this baccarat strategy in live casinos, but we’ll give you the basics.

Since the deal is live and not computerized, it is possible to keep track of the cards that have been dealt in previous hands. Every count will start with 0 when first playing the game. When a 10, J, Q, or K is dealt, players will add one to the count. With an Ace, 2 or 3, two is added to the count. With a 4 being dealt, five is added to the count. On the flip side, every 8 will subtract 1 from the count, and 5, 7 and 8 card values will subtract 3. Sixes will get the same special treatment of 4s and will subtract five from the count.

The purpose of the count is to determine how favorable the rest of the shoe is. The higher the count, the bigger the advantage of the Banker. Once you know the shoe is good, you can increase the stake to push the advantage. OF course, this strategy for baccarat also uses Banker bets.

The problem here is that most live casino baccarat tables use 6 or more decks with a penetration of 50% or less. Deck penetration refers to the fact that the shoe is shuffled after roughly half the cards have been played through. This means it will be very hard to spot an advantage and act on it while playing at a live dealer casino. Baccarat card counting is generally best left for brick-and-mortar casinos.

You can find more information about the baccarat card counting strategy here.

The Importance of Finding Top Casinos to Play Baccarat

If there’s one lesson that we can learn from this baccarat strategy guide, it’s that your choice of casino and table is the key to winning. The game itself is straightforward, but some tables are better than others, and some casinos are better than others. You want 5% commission tables, and you definitely want good baccarat bonuses. Ideally, you should also find tables with small card shoes and high deck penetration.

All of that seems like a tall order, but don’t worry. That’s why Live Casinos is here to help you find the best casinos to play baccarat. Check out these incredible offers and start playing today!

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FAQ

Does baccarat have strategy?

Baccarat is almost entirely based on luck. However, there are still some basic baccarat strategy tips and guidelines you should follow. These are not necessarily winning strategies, but they can help you make the most of the game – especially long-term.

What is the best strategy for baccarat?

If you’re following statistics, the best strategy is to flat bet on Banker repeatedly at a table with 5% commission. Your chances can be improved by using live baccarat bonuses or even counting cards if you’re playing at a brick-and-mortar casino.

Is there a baccarat sure win formula?

No, there isn’t. There is no “sure” way to win any gambling game. If there was, the casinos would have fixed it a long time ago. However, sticking to basic baccarat strategy principles will make your bankroll go a lot farther. Just keep in mind that there is no real way to overcome house advantage. You can only hope to circumvent it with baccarat casino bonuses.

What is a good Lightning baccarat strategy?

Evolution Lightning Baccarat does not change the basic formula of the game too much. Repeatedly betting on Banker will get the same solid results as always. The game itself doesn’t really give players more control, though, and there’s no real way to target multipliers. You can find some Lightning Baccarat strategy tips in our review of the game.

Is baccarat the best odds in casino?

No, baccarat is generally second best after Blackjack. If you play baccarat optimally, you get an RTP of 98.94%. Blackjack can reach RTP of more than 99.5%, assuming you’re playing with good strategy. However, blackjack is also much harder to learn and play well.

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.