Perfect strategy I: the lowest edge
Bet Banker, flat, every hand. That's the whole optimum.
Open this lesson in baccaratton — free, play money
Here's the good news: perfect baccarat strategy fits on a sticky note.
Bet Banker. Every hand. No side bets.
Every bet on the table has a fixed price. Nothing you do after betting can change it, because there are no decisions. "Strategy" is just picking the cheapest bet, and that's Banker:
| Bet (default table) | House edge | Rating | $10 for an hour (72 hands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banker | 1.06% | Good bet · lowest on this table | $7.62 |
| Player | 1.24% | Good bet | $8.89 |
| Dragon Bonus on Player | 2.65% | Fair | $19.09 |
| Dragon Bonus on Banker | 9.37% | Sucker bet | $67.49 |
| Player Pair / Banker Pair | 10.36% | Sucker bet | $74.60 |
| Tie 8:1 | 14.36% | Sucker bet | $103.39 |
Two things often sold as strategy make no difference to the edge:
- When you bet. Without counting cards, every hand costs the same per dollar (lesson 17). Skipping hands only means you play fewer of them. That cuts your hourly cost (lesson 14), but not your edge per bet.
- Switching sides. Mixing Player and Banker gives you a blend of 1.06% and 1.24%. Any Player bet just costs a little more than the same Banker bet would.
The Banker-vs-Player difference is small: at $10 a hand it's $1.28 an hour. If you prefer Player for some reason, that's not a disaster. But Tie and most side bets cost ten times as much, and that's where the real money goes. Lesson 17 covers card counting: the one way the edge can move, and why it almost never helps.
Quiz
What is the lowest-edge strategy at a standard baccarat table?
- Follow the streaks
- Bet Banker every hand
- Alternate Player and Banker
- Bet Tie after a long gap
Show the answer
B: Bet Banker every hand. Banker has the lowest edge, and nothing else changes the price of a hand.
Quiz
You sit out ten hands, then bet. What happens to the house edge on your bet?
- It goes down
- It goes up
- It stays the same
- It depends on the streak
Show the answer
C: It stays the same. Per bet it's the same 1.06%. Sitting out only lowers your cost per hour.
Quiz
Which costs more per hour at $10: Player instead of Banker, or Tie instead of Banker?
- Player instead of Banker
- Tie instead of Banker
- They cost the same
Show the answer
B: Tie instead of Banker. Player costs $1.28 an hour more than Banker; Tie costs $95.77 more.