The Odds of Baccarat
House Edge
House edge is the term used to describe the amount of money the casino will take from its players over time. For instance, in a game with a 5% house edge, the casino will take about $5.00 for each $100.00 a player wagers. Baccarat offers a relatively low house edge as long as players are knowledgeable about all of the different bets, including which to place and which to avoid.
The Best Bets
The best bets associated with baccarat are always the banker and player bets, regardless of the variation being played. The banker bet offers the lowest house edge at around 1.17%, but players should remember that the house will receive a portion of these winnings as commission--usually between 3% and 5%. The player bet offers a house edge of just 1.35% with no commission on the winnings.
Tie Bets
Tie bets can be extremely fun to place, but players should remember that the game ends in a tie less than a quarter of the time, and it is downright impossible for anyone to predict when this will occur. The tie bet offers a staggering house edge of more than 14% in some instances, but the payout is very lucrative at 8:1 in some venues. Players who are interested in the tie bet should use it very sparingly and be prepared to lose their stakes.
Understanding the odds associated with baccarat is the best way to prepare for large wins. While banker and player bets do not pay as much as a winning tie bet, they are more likely to succeed.
