Baccarat Principles
Punto banco is enjoyed with eight decks of cards in a dealer’s shoe. Cards below 10 are counted at their printed value while at the same time Ten, Jack, Queen, King are zero, and A is 1. Bets are made on the ‘bank’, the ‘player’, or on a tie (these aren’t actual people; they simply represent the 2 hands that are dealt).
Two cards are dealt to both the ‘house’ and ‘player’. The score for every hand is the total of the two cards, but the first digit is ignored. e.g., a hand of 5 and 6 has a value of 1 (5 plus six = eleven; ditch the first ‘one’).
A additional card may be dealt using the following rules:
- If the gambler or banker achieves a value of eight or nine, the two players hold.
- If the gambler has five or lower, he hits. Players stands otherwise.
- If the gambler holds, the bank takes a card on 5 or lower. If the player takes a card, a table is used to determine if the house holds or hits.
Baccarat Odds
The greater of the 2 totals wins. Winning bets on the house pay out 19:20 (equal money less a 5 percent rake. The Rake is tracked and cleared out when you leave the game so make sure you still have cash left before you depart). Winning wagers on the player pays out at 1:1. Winning wagers for tie usually pay 8 to 1 but occasionally 9:1. (This is a awful bet as ties occur lower than 1 in every ten hands. Be cautious of putting money on a tie. Although odds are substantially greater for 9:1 versus 8 to 1)
Wagered on properly baccarat chemin de fer offers relatively decent odds, aside from the tie bet of course.
Punto Banco Strategy
As with all games Baccarat has a handful of accepted misunderstandings. One of which is the same as a misconception in roulette. The past isn’t an indicator of future actions. Keeping track of previous outcomes at a table is a poor use of paper and an insult to the tree that was cut down for our paper needs.
The most familiar and possibly the most favorable strategy is the one-three-two-six method. This technique is employed to maximize earnings and limit losses.
Start by wagering 1 dollar. If you succeed, add another to the two on the table for a sum of 3 dollars on the second bet. If you succeed you will retain six on the game table, remove 4 so you keep 2 on the third round. Should you succeed on the 3rd wager, put down two on the four on the table for a total of 6 on the 4th wager.
If you do not win on the initial bet, you take a hit of one. A profit on the initial wager followed by a loss on the second causes a hit of 2. Success on the 1st two with a hit on the third gives you with a profit of two. And wins on the 1st three with a hit on the fourth means you break even. Succeeding at all 4 rounds leaves you with 12, a take of 10. This means you are able to not win on the 2nd bet five times for each favorable run of four wagers and still balance the books.