| Simple Strategy
Tips for Playing Baccarat and Mini Baccarat
Online |
When it comes to Baccarat, most people tend to think
of "high roller" betting, exclusive casino service and
perhaps a little James Bond himself. And while these
sentiments are correct to a certain extent, there is
more to Baccarat, especially of the online variety.
When playing Baccarat at the online casino, there's
no high stake limits, dress code, and unfortunately, no
beautiful women serving free drinks. And with online
Mini-Baccarat, which imposes even lower stakes and does
not have the Banker hand rotation rule (as is the case
with regular Baccarat), the accessibility of this
classic casino game to the general public is even
greater nowadays.
Incorporating strategy into a game of Baccarat is
quite simple. In fact, the rules of Baccarat are simple
in themselves. There are only three types of bets you
can make, and quite frankly, you should being making one
of the them the majority of the time.
The tie bet should be avoided at all costs, for it
delivers a Casinos Edge of 15%. Even though it pays out
a heftier chunk of change on a winning wager (when the
Banker and Player hand have the same value), the Tie Bet
is merely a lottery-style bet that only serves to
decrease your chances of taking home some profit in the
long run.
As for the other two bets - the Banker and the Player
- it is the Banker bet that offers a lower Casinos Edge,
albeit a slight advantage. While it is strategically
fine to bet on both the Player and Banker hand (not on
the same hand of course!), if you plan on sitting at the
baccarat table indefinitely, some players espouse the
majority of your bets should be on the Banker hand
(according to long term probability). But I'll be the
first to tell you that I've been through long Baccarat
sessions in which the Player hand dominated the board.
Go figure. Remember, gambling is ultimately about having
good luck and a good time.
Also, if you can find a game of Baccarat with fewer
decks, this helps to lower the Casinos Edge even
further, albeit minimally. Most online casinos offer
Baccarat with 8 decks, but it's not unheard of to play
with 6 decks, especially at land-based casinos. As for
mini-baccarat, this is played with one deck. However,
the lowered Casinos Edge is offset by the lack of Banker
rotation.
Also, pay attention to the vigorish taken on winning
Banker hands. Since the actual House Edge for the Banker
hand is lower than that of the Player's hand, all
casinos charge a vig on winning Banker hands to offset
the difference. The vig is almost always 5%. But again,
it's not unheard of for a casino, especially a
land-based casino, to offer 4% vig. Obviously, playing a
game of Baccarat with lower vig is in your favor.
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