Understanding Baccarat Odds
Find out all that's needed to know about baccarat odds in our guide to understanding the odds of baccarat.
Baccarat is a fun game to play but the thing that makes it truly popular among casino fans is the low house edge. Punters can bet on the banker, the player or a tie and each bet has different odds of winning.
How Do You Calculate Baccarat Odds?
The math behind baccarat makes it so exciting for veteran players and those willing to invest time and research to improve the odds of winning. Betting on events that carry the lowest house edge is the right thing to do and banker bets stand out from the crowd with a house edge of 1.06%. Player bets have a house edge of 1.24%, while those who bet on the tie must deal with a crushing house edge of 14.4%.
A game of baccarat uses between six and eight decks of cards which have the value inscribed on them, with few exceptions. Aces are worth one point, while 10s and face cards are zero. For a hand total ranging from 0 to 5 players draw a third card while they stand at six and seven. There’s no possibility of drawing a third card when the first two amount for eight or nine and no need either since this is a great hand.
When playing live baccarat games, the return to player was calculated for the most popular types of bets. They can differ slightly based on the number of decks used and specific rules of play, but overall fall into thse five categories:
- Banker Pairs – 89.64%
- Player Pairs – 89.64%
- Either Pair – 86.29%
- Banker Bonus – 90.63%
- Player Bonus – 97.35%
Beginners and casual punters can use baccarat odds charts with great success to improve the odds of winning. These help them make an educated decision of when to stand and when to hit, based on the banker’s score and the player’s third card. Specific rules apply, such as the one stating that bankers must draw for hand totals of three or less unless the player is dealt an 8 as the third card.
