Baccarat Odds

Baccarat Odds & Probabilities

There is an old saying that you can’t judge a book by its cover. We’re here to parse that statement as it relates to the ever-popular casino game of online baccarat.

When most people think of baccarat, they conjure images of women dressed in their finest and men in sharp suits and tuxedos playing baccarat in a secluded area of a casino. The game was invented by the French in the 1500’s and, for years, was played exclusively by the aristocratic class, a fact that likely contributes to its noble association. While this association may have been true in the past, the same cannot be said today.

Baccarat is no longer a game reserved for the rich and famous. In the era of the online casino, all players are equal. Anyone who has money and wishes to play baccarat is welcomed. Baccarat odds are fair and the baccarat probabilities of you leaving with money in your pockets are strong.

Baccarat Odds-A Simple Chart

Your odds of winning at Baccarat vary greatly depending on the number of decks in use. Below is a simple chart displaying the probability and standard house edge for bets placed in an 8 deck game.

Bet On…	Baccarat Odds	Probability	House Edge
Banker	.95: 1	45.86346%	1.01%
Player	1:1	44.61371%	1.29%
Tie	9:1	9.52283%	15.75%

Online Baccarat Starting Hand Valuation

There are very low baccarat odds in favour of the house, whose advantage hovers around 1.25%. Therefore, the probabilities for winning are good. In baccarat, there is really not much strategy involved. Most players perform at their best when they listen to their intuition and play on hunches.

There are only three types of betting protocols in online baccarat. You may bet on the dealer, on the player, or on a tie between the two. Both player and dealer receive two cards face up, and whomever’s hand comes nearest the number nine is declared the winner.

With regard to card value, an ace counts numerically as one, and all tens and picture cards count as zero. If a hand has a cumulative value greater than ten, you simply drop the one before the total to arrive at the value of your cards. For example, a 7 + 9 = 16. Drop the 1, and the total value of your hand is 6.

Baccarat is for Everyone

In some circles, it is believed that you can gain an advantage by tracking the number of times the dealer wins as compared to the number of times the player wins. In truth, this practice is senseless. Like most casino games that rely heavily on luck, the preceding win has no bearing on the game that follows. Baccarat probabilities are fixed, and your betting protocols are limited.

However, with a small house advantage on the baccarat odds, it is easy to understand why the game of online baccarat has experienced such a sharp increase in popularity. The best strategy at the online baccarat table is to wager only what you can afford to lose on each hand and, of course, to enjoy yourself.