Baccarat Strategies

In this detailed guide, we’ve prepared everything you need to know about the best baccarat strategies. From different betting strategies to bankroll management tips, which bets to avoid, and much more. Let’s get into it!

Betting Strategies for Baccarat

A baccarat betting strategy provides you with a structured approach for your session. By betting systematically with a strategy, you’re ensuring that every bet is optimal for your specific situation. All baccarat betting strategies can be grouped into one of three common groups. These are:

• Flat betting
• Negative progression betting
• Positive progression betting

The Best Baccarat Strategies

Many players are always looking for the best baccarat strategy that will help them ensure maximum wins. The truth is that there isn’t one baccarat betting strategy that can be dubbed the best one. There are different types of strategies that work in baccarat.

Some players are more risk-prone, while others like to play it safe. Moreover, not all players have the same bankroll size. To find a baccarat winning strategy for yourself, you need to consider your preferences and the specific baccarat game you’re playing. But first, you need to decide which baccarat variation you want to play. This brings us to the next key point of this guide.

Choosing the Best Baccarat Game for Your Strategy

A big part of being a successful baccarat player is choosing the best baccarat variation. The game you pick should suit your gambling preferences and strategy of choice. Which variations of the game you can find will depend on the baccarat casino you’re playing at. Here are some of the most common baccarat variations:

⭐ Punto Banco Baccarat

Punto Banco is arguably the best-known baccarat variation. It uses six to eight standard 52-card decks. It is very similar to the classic baccarat version but has a few unique features. This variation is great for baccarat players of all skill levels. It’s straightforward to follow.

As Punto Banco plays very much like a standard baccarat game, you can play it the usual way. Primarily, this involves avoiding the Tie bet. This leaves you with the Player and the Banker bets as the two viable options. That said, the latter does come with a 5% commission on all winning bets. So, much like in classic baccarat, the Player bet is the best pick.

⭐ Speed Baccarat

Speed baccarat is one of the most exciting variations of this game. This is because it speeds up the game’s pace, making it even more thrilling. In Speed Baccarat, every round lasts 27 seconds or less. For reference, in standard baccarat, rounds can last 48 seconds.

Because of the faster pace of the game, Speed Baccarat is not a good choice for beginners. It requires constant concentration and quick decision-making. Due to its nature, Speed Baccarat is also a better choice for shorter sessions.

⭐ No Commission Baccarat

As you can guess from the name of this variation, the main feature of this game is that you can play the Banker bet without any commission on winning results. However, this does come with a trade-off. Winning Banker bets are paid at 0.5:1.

There are a handful of side bets, most notably the Super 6 bet. If the Banker wins with a total score of 6, you get paid 15:1. Still, even with these changes, your strategy shouldn’t deviate from the standard. The Player bet remains the best option.

⭐ Lightning Baccarat

Lightning Baccarat is a very exciting variation that combines standard baccarat elements with RNG. The most notable aspect is the Lightning Round, which begins after the betting phase is done.

During the Lightning Round, between one and five cards are randomly generated. Each card has a multiplier attached. The more lightning cards there are, the better the multiplier payouts are.

The strategy for Lightning Baccarat shouldn’t differ from the one for standard baccarat. The only difference should be the consideration of the Tie bet. This is because this bet can have a multiplier of up to 262,144x.

⭐ Chemin de Fer Baccarat

Chemin de Fer baccarat is played with six decks and anywhere from eight to twelve players. It’s different from Punto Banco in one key element—players bet against one another. One player acts as the Banker and sets a bet that covers the bets of their opponents.

As this variation involves action against other players, using the right strategy is crucial. As the Banker, you can make a bet of your choosing. That said, the casino will often have a minimal limit. As a regular player, you have more freedom. You can raise the bets as high as your strategy of choice dictates. This is all at your discretion and based on your willingness to risks.

⭐ Baccarat Banque

Baccarat Banque is generally regarded as one of the oldest variations of this popular card game. This game differs from most variations in that it only uses three decks instead of the standard six to eight.

Baccarat Banque shares many gameplay similarities with Chemin de Fer. This includes the same rules for drawing additional cards. Additionally, the total of all players’ bets can’t exceed the Banker’s total. This makes it more suitable for high rollers.

Considering all of this, your Baccarat Banque strategy should focus more on conserving your bankroll. Placing increasingly larger bets and using negative progression strategies is generally ill-advised when playing this variation.

Improving Your Baccarat Skills

With not much skill involved in baccarat, you can’t do many things to become a more proficient player. However, there are some things you can do to be more successful. Here’s how to become better at baccarat:

• Find the most suitable baccarat variation
• Practice the game regularly
• Never play or practice under the influence
• Track your results
• Always have a long-term focus

Baccarat Bankroll Management

How you treat your baccarat bankroll will directly impact how successful you’ll be. For this reason, it’s essential to implement proper bankroll management practices. Here are a few tips that will help you manage your bankroll responsibly:

⭐ Set Win/Loss Limits

Arguably the most important bankroll management tip is to set a limit on how much you can afford to lose. In the same breath, setting a win limit can help you preserve your money. Having a win/loss limit will make it easier for you to quit and avoid unnecessarily losing money.

Also, you need to make sure that you stick to the limits no matter what. This is easier said than done. During losing streaks, you might think that a win is around the corner, and you will want to push onward. On the other hand, when you’re riding a wave of big wins, you’ll feel that it can go on forever. In both cases, playing too much will have the same outcome—you lose your bankroll.

Additionally, when you’re winning, it’s crucial to know when to withdraw money. A good rule of thumb is to maintain your standard bankroll balance in your online casino account. Withdraw anything over that. By doing so, you’ll ensure that your gambling continues as usual and won’t be tempted to increase your bet sizes.

⭐ Extend Your Bankroll With a Baccarat Bonus

You can claim online casino bonuses to increase your bankroll and get more value from it. A baccarat bonus reduces your overall risk. Not only that, but it might directly help you build up an even bigger bankroll and be a winning player in the long run. Of course, remember that these bonuses will often come with certain wagering requirements.

With that in mind, there’s one more vital aspect to watch for. Not all online casino bonuses will include baccarat. Moreover, even those that do will generally have unfavourable wagering requirements. Baccarat will typically contribute only 5% to 15% to wagering requirements. This makes clearing the bonus very difficult.

Lastly, a particular bonus might not be suitable for your chosen betting strategy. If you use a risky strategy that requires substantial bet raises, the maximum bonus bet might limit the strategy’s effectiveness. If you keep all of these aspects in mind when picking a baccarat bonus, you’ll ensure that you’ve made the right choice.

Common Betting Systems & Baccarat Strategies

For as long as the game of baccarat has been around, there have been players trying to find the best winning strategy. Here are some of the best-known and most common baccarat betting strategies:

⭐The Martingale Betting Strategy for Baccarat

The Martingale betting system is the most popular baccarat betting strategy. It’s a negative progression betting system with a very straightforward premise. To use this strategy, you need to double your bet after every loss.

When you win, you revert to your initial bet size. It’s a great bet for baccarat, as it makes the most out of even-money bets. The main advantage of the Martingale system is that you can instantly recoup your losses. That said, it is a risky betting strategy. This is because you might end up placing large bets if you lose a number of rounds in a row.

⭐ The D’Alembert Strategy for Baccarat

The D’Alembert strategy is also a negative progression betting system. But, unlike the previous one, this strategy focuses on using fixed bets units. In other words, you’re not doubling your bets. You’re adding one fixed unit after every loss.

For example, if you set a $10 unit, you increase your bet size by $10 after every loss. Additionally, the D’Alembert strategy adds that you should decrease your bet by one unit instead of reverting to the base bet.

With all of this in mind, it’s a safe system that’s not very volatile. On the other hand, it doesn’t promise huge wins with just one win. But, if you’re a casual player or a beginner not willing to risk a lot of money, it’s one of the best you can pick.

⭐ The Fibonacci Strategy for Baccarat

The Fibonacci strategy is based on the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. At first glance, this negative progression betting strategy seems complicated and hard to follow. But, all you need to do is memorize the numbers in the sequence.

In the Fibonacci sequence, each following number is the sum of the previous two numbers. In practice, it looks like this: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on. To use this strategy in baccarat, you need to create a base unit size.

For example, $5 can be one betting unit. Then, you multiply this number with the corresponding number in the sequence to know how much you should bet. After every loss, you should move one place in the sequence. After every win, you should move two places back in the sequence.

⭐ The Labouchere Strategy for Baccarat

The Labouchere betting system is one of the most complex baccarat betting strategies out there. The basic system behind this negative progression betting strategy is creating your own sequence. You can use any logical sequence of numbers.

This flexibility and freedom make the Labouchere system great for baccarat players who want to have room to improvise with their bet sizes. However, they also open up players to making more mistakes. For this reason, we don’t recommend using it unless you’re an experienced baccarat player.

Besides the Labouchere system, there is also a Reverse Labouchere system. This is a positive progression system. While the Labouchere emphasizes increasing bets after every loss, this one focuses on increasing bets after a win.

⭐ The Oscar’s Grind Strategy for Baccarat

Oscar’s Grind is a simple positive progression strategy that works great on baccarat even-money bets. This system doesn’t increase bet sizes dramatically for each round. Due to this, it’s one of the safer baccarat betting systems.

It’s more suitable for players who want to slowly grind their way to a bigger bankroll. It’s not aggressive like the Martingale or some other popular strategies. To use the Oscar’s Grind system, you first need to set a bankroll and a winning goal.

You start by making a one-unit bet. If you lose the bet, you use the same bet size. If you win, you increase your next bet by one unit. You repeat this until you either reach the winning goal you’ve set or lose all of your money.

⭐ The Paroli Strategy for Baccarat

If you’re an absolute beginner looking to pick up a baccarat betting strategy, the Paroli system is the perfect pick. It’s a positive progression betting system with a very simple premise. Like with the Fibonacci strategy, the first thing you need to do is set a base unit size.

When you have a unit size, you increase your bets by one unit after every win. Whenever you lose, you return to your base unit. No matter how many wins you have in a row, the next loss resets you to one unit. Additionally, if you keep losing several times in a row, you should remain at your base bet. That’s all there is to the Paroli system.

Positive Progression Betting Strategies

A positive progression betting strategy focuses on increasing bets when winning. The basic idea of these systems is to capitalize on win streaks. At the same time, positive progression systems protect your baccarat bankroll against any damage prolonged losing streaks can cause.

⭐ Advantages of a Positive Progression Baccarat Strategies

• Great for short-term sessions
• Low-risk betting
• Simple and easy to follow

⭐ Disadvantages of a Positive Progression Baccarat Strategies

• Not effective during long baccarat sessions
• Typically not very exciting

Negative Progression Betting Strategies

Negative progression betting strategies work oppositely to positive progression ones. With these strategies, you increase your bets after a loss. In this sense, negative progression strategies involve more swings. You can recoup losses easier. But, prolonged losing streaks can cause you to lose a lot of money.

⭐ Advantages of a Negative Progression Baccarat Strategies

• Efficient tool for recovering losses
• Great for players with a bigger bankroll
• Exciting to use

⭐ Disadvantages of a Negative Progression Baccarat Strategies

• Requires a sizable bankroll to be sustainable
• Riskier than positive progression strategies

Bets to Avoid When Playing Baccarat

Baccarat is primarily a game of luck. But, the types of bets you place can directly impact your success at the baccarat live casino table. With that in mind, some bets are worse than others and should be avoided.

One of the worst bets in baccarat is also one of the three main bets in the game. Of course, we’re talking about the Tie bet. Unfortunately, many baccarat players fall for this bet. The main reason for this is that it promises a rewarding 8:1 payout. But, despite this tempting payout, this bet is not worth it.

This is because the Tie bet has a huge house edge of slightly over 14%. In other words, you’re giving the casino over $14 for every $100 you bet. This is a lot of money to give to the casino. Even more so when you consider that the other two baccarat bets offer some of the lowest house edge percentages you can find.

Besides avoiding the Tie bet, we also recommend ignoring all of the side bets. These additional bets can be fun and exciting. But, if you’re aiming for the best returns, they’re not smart bets to place. Again, the reason for this is the unreasonably high house edge these bets come with.

Online Baccarat Strategies vs. Land-Based Casino Strategies

Whether you’re playing online or in a land-based casino, your strategy won’t differ that much. It primarily depends on the type of game you’re playing and the table’s betting limits. Using betting strategies in baccarat is allowed in both online and brick-and-mortar casinos.

The only discernible strategy difference between the two is when it comes to advantage play strategies. For example, when playing in a land-based casino, you can utilize various advantage play methods, such as edge sorting. This isn’t possible in online baccarat. That said, the majority of baccarat players don’t engage in edge sorting. So, this factor isn’t very important to consider.

Practice Your Baccarat Strategies for Free

When testing what baccarat betting strategy works best for you, it’s beneficial to play for free online. In most of the best online casinos, you will have the option to play baccarat for free in demo mode. Keep in mind, this will only be available for classic online baccarat. You can’t play live casino baccarat for free.

Practising your baccarat strategy for free has many perks. Firstly, you can play for as long as you want without risking a single cent. In other words, you can play until you’re confident that you’ve improved your understanding of the game and your skills sufficiently.

Additionally, you can try out different baccarat variations and combine them with various strategies. Practising your baccarat strategy for free is the best way to become a more successful player. Once you find the best game and strategy combination, simply switch to real-money baccarat games.

Baccarat Strategy FAQ

Written by Ivan Potocki
Proofread for quality assurance by Eve Luneborg