Baccarat Betting Strategies – How to Win Big in Baccarat
Baccarat is a game of pure chance, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to win. The card game is a staple in high-limit casino environments and drives a substantial amount of revenue. In fact, in 2017 Macau casinos generated 88 percent of their $33.2 billion in gross revenues from the game, which is a favorite among wealthy Asian players and the world’s elite.
The game originated in the 1500s, when it was invented in Rome by Felix Falguiere. He called it baccara, which means “zero” in Italian, due to the value of cards. The game quickly gained popularity in neighboring France, where King Charles VIII was a big fan. He spread the craze, and baccarat became the rage among the French nobility for several centuries.
Nowadays, baccarat is played slightly differently. Instead of four dealers dealing cards and allowing players to bet against each other, there is one dealer and the house acts as banker. But the game still attracts wealthy players and the elite, and it continues to generate more revenue than any other table game in casinos around the world.
The rules of the game are simple, but it’s easy to make mistakes and lose money. That’s why some baccarat players use betting strategies to improve their chances of winning, such as the Martingale system, which involves doubling your bet after every loss. The strategy works best when you have a large bankroll and the discipline to stick with it.
Another popular baccarat betting strategy is the Big Player bet. This is a bet that you place on the hand that will get closer to nine than the other two. To calculate the hand value, you add the values of all the cards in your hand and drop the first digit if it’s higher than 9. Tens, jacks, and queens count as zero, while aces are worth one. The game is not for the faint of heart, though. It’s possible to bet up to $100,000 per hand, and high-rollers aren’t afraid to do so in order to improve their odds of winning.
Many American casino-goers are unfamiliar with the game, but baccarat is rapidly growing in popularity and is currently the second most popular table game in the United States. The game is easy to learn and plays like a cross between blackjack and roulette, with the biggest decision being whether to bet on the Player or the Banker hand.
If you’ve ever watched a tuxedo-clad James Bond break the bank in Monte Carlo, then you’ve seen baccarat. The iconic card game has long held a fascination for casino-goers, who dream of making a hunch that pays off with a hefty jackpot. While the odds of hitting a big payout are 15-to-1, that doesn’t stop some players from laying down money on the long shot. This is a sure sign of a gambler’s addiction to the thrill of winning.