Baccarat Strategies to Help You Win in 2024
Baccarat is a casino game that quite a few UK players try their luck on regularly, with 10% having spent money on it in the last 12 months, according to the UKGC. It’s a luck-based, card-comparing game involving two hands: the ‘player’ and the ‘banker’. Your aim is to guess which of these gets the closest to 9, and to help you with this, you may want to use a baccarat winning strategy. In this guide, we’ll take an in-depth look at 5 of them, suitable for beginners in 2024, so you can decide which works best for you.
Key Baccarat Terms Explained
Here are some key terms that you should know before reading up on how to play baccarat and win:
- Profit — The total winnings you earn from a bet minus the initial bet you placed.
- Player/Banker Bet — A bet that pays out if the player or banker wins.
- Player Pair/Banker Pair Bet — A bet that pays out if the player or banker’s first two cards are a pair.
- Even Money Bets — A bet with a 1:1 baccarat payout. The player bet is the only example of an even money bet in this game; the banker bet technically has the same payout, but with a 5% commission taken off it in most games.
- Recoup Your Losses — This is where a bet’s payout cancels out all your previous losses and either returns your balance to 0 or gives you a profit.
Baccarat Strategies for Beginners
We’ve summarised 5 schemes for you to learn how to beat baccarat. However, none of these affects the outcomes in any way; they have more to do with adjusting your bets. Once you have mastered the basics of baccarat, give them a try.
Bet on the Banker
There are three main bets in baccarat: the player’s hand wins, the banker’s hand wins and the tie bet. The payouts for these are as follows.
| Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| Player | 1:1 |
| Banker | 0.95:1* |
| Tie | 8:1 |
*Most UK online casinos take a 5% commission on banker bets because it has a high chance of winning.
Even though the banker bet has the lowest payout of the three, it actually has the best long-term returns. Its RTP rate is 98.94%, whereas the RTP for the player bet is 98.76%, and for the tie bet, it’s 85.64%.
- Pros
- A simple strategy that players of any level can understand.
- Gives you the best returns over long-term play.
- Cons
- Some players might find it boring to place just one bet.
The 3–2 System
The aim of the 3–2 system is to let you place two different bets, one of them safe and the other a bit risky:
- To start, take your bet and split it into 5 units of equal value.
- Then, place 3 units on the player/banker bet…
- …and the remaining 2 on the corresponding player pair/banker pair bet.
Most of your money will go towards the player/banker bet with better odds. Since 2 units are going on the corresponding pair bet, the 3–2 system gives you a shot at winning the riskier.
You can switch between player and player pair, and banker and banker pair at any time. Also, you can swap the 3 and 2 units, so you could place 3 units on the pair bet and 2 on the main one, for example.
- Pros
- It gives you a chance to win a riskier bet while offering some safety.
- It can be adjusted to suit your betting style.
- You can change your bet sizes however you like.
- Cons
- Pair betting strategy doesn’t have the most favourable baccarat odds.
A top-winning baccarat system that many players use is the 1–3–2–6. This involves choosing a base bet and increasing it by certain amounts whenever you win. There are 4 stages, and you move to the next stage after a win. Here’s its run-down:
- Set up a base bet.
- Place a wager equal to 1× your base bet; if you win, move forward.
- Place a wager equal to 3× your base bet; if you win, proceed.
- Place a wager equal to 2× your base bet; if you win, continue.
- Place a wager equal to 6× your base bet; if you win, start all over again.
If you lose at Stage 1, 2 or 3, you should go back to Stage 1. Should you make it to Stage 4 and win, you’ll have a profit equal to 12× your base bet. Here are some more detailed calculations…
| Stage | Bet | Result | Overall Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1 | Win | +£1 |
| 2 | £3 | Win | +£4 |
| 3 | £2 | Win | +£6 |
| 4 | £6 | Win | +£12 |
…and the main advantages and drawbacks of the 1–3–2–6 baccarat betting strategy.
- Pros
- It limits your losses.
- It doesn’t encourage you to chase your losses.
- You can end up with a 12× win.
- Cons
- Not the best if you have a long-winning streak.
The Martingale Strategy
The Martingale Strategy is one of those baccarat systems that you can use along with other casino games, such as roulette.
It’s worth pointing out that this strategy is best with even money bets, even though you can still apply it with any stakes.
To use it, double your wager after every loss. After winning, you’ll recoup your losses and will have a profit that’s equal to your first bet. You then reset your stake to its original value.
The table below shows the strategy in action:
| Round | Bet | Result | Overall Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1 | Loss | −£1 |
| 2 | £2 | Loss | −£3 |
| 3 | £4 | Loss | −£7 |
| 4 | £8 | Win | +£1 |
| 5 | £1 | Loss | £0 |
| 6 | £2 | Win | +£2 |
| 7 | £1 | Win | +£3 |
As you can see, there have been three wins, securing the player a profit of £3, which is equal to 3× their starting bet of £1.
For a detailed look at the strategy, this video is worth watching:
- Pros
- It’s easy to learn, which makes it suitable for beginners.
- It recoups your losses with just one winning bet.
- Cons
- You need a large bankroll because you have to double your bet after each loss.
The d’Alembert System
The d’Alembert System is suitable for even money bets, so in that respect, it’s similar to the Martingale Strategy. However, there’s a bit more to it.
To use this baccarat system, first you have to set a base value, i.e. £1. Whenever you lose, you increase your bet by the base value. For example, if you bet £1 and lose, your next bet would be £2. And vice versa, whenever you win, you decrease your bet by the base value. So if your bet is £2 and you win, your next bet would be £1.
If trying the d’Alembert baccarat strategy to win sounds convincing enough for you, give one more look to its summary in use to make sure you took in all:
| Round | Bet | Result | Overall Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1 | Loss | −£1 |
| 2 | £2 | Loss | −£3 |
| 3 | £3 | Loss | −£6 |
| 4 | £4 | Win | −£2 |
| 5 | £3 | Loss | −£5 |
| 6 | £4 | Win | +£1 |
| 7 | £3 | Win | +£4 |
| 8 | £2 | Win | +£6 |
And here are some key fors and againts of the d’Alembert system.
- Pros
- Suitable for players looking for a series of small wins.
- Doesn’t require a large bankroll.
- You can end up with a 12× win.
- Cons
- You might not recover all your previous losses with a single win.
- Reducing your bet after each win may cause you to miss out on winning streaks.
Before we conclude everything, we’ll leave you with the last of our baccarat tips and tricks: try strategies in free demo versions before using them in real money games. By doing this, you can learn how they work and see which ones you prefer without having to risk your money.
Conclusion
We’ve looked at the 5 baccarat strategies suitable for beginners in the United Kingdom. Each meets the following criteria: it’s suitable for players who only start experimenting with the game; it focuses on making you lose less rather than win more; and it’s less risky than the strategies high rollers typically use. Remember that none of our baccarat tips can guarantee a sure victory. You may prefer this or that baccarat strategy to win, but there’s always a risk of making a loss—even expert players don’t make profits all the time. Use whichever of these strategies appeals to you. When you’re done, consider researching more baccarat secret patterns at Gamblizard, including some that are for more advanced players—our blog has all the resources you need for mastering baccarat.
References
- “d’Alembert System.” BaccaratSystem.org, https://baccaratsystem.org/baccarat-systems/dalembert-system/. Accessed 11 April, 2024.
- Daniel Smyth, The Best Baccarat Strategy Guide – Learn How to Win at Baccarat, ReadWrite.com, https://readwrite.com/gambling/guides/baccarat-strategy/. Accessed 11 April, 2024.
- “How to Play Baccarat.” PokerStars.com, https://www.pokerstars.uk/casino/how-to-play/baccarat/. Accessed 11 April, 2024.
- “Key Findings.” UKGC.co.uk, https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/about-us/guide/page/online-casino-games-excluding-slots-key-findings, Accessed 17 April, 2024.
- “Should You Always Bet Banker in Baccarat?” FortuneGames.com, https://www.fortunegames.com/blog/should-you-always-bet-banker-in-baccarat. Accessed 11 April, 2024.
- “1326 Baccarat System Explained.” FortunePalace.co.uk, https://fortunepalace.co.uk/1326-baccarat-roulette-gambling-strategy.html. Accessed 11 April, 2024.
