How to Decrease the House Edge in Online Baccarat?

Online baccarat is one of the most popular games in just about any casino. No matter it is a brick-and-mortar establishment or an online casino, players flood to this incredible title. It is easy to see why; it offers one of the lowest possible house edges out there. If you just stick to banker bets, your house edge will be just 1.17%. The only release that can beat that kind of return to player is blackjack!

However, experienced punters are all about optimisation. That is how we came to understand things like the basic blackjack strategy or blackjack dealer bust odds. This raises an obvious question; can we do the same for baccarat? Is there a path that allows us to lower its available house edge even further? Not in the traditional sense. However, you can do some things to optimise your gameplay.

Do Not Bet on Ties

One of the biggest mistakes new baccarat players make is trying to bet on ties. After all, it is the only wager that can produce rewards better than a 1:1 payout. The reason why you should skip has to do with the tie bet’s low odds of being won. As we mentioned earlier, banker bets have a house edge of 1.17%. Tie bets have a house edge of 14%, which is higher than many video slots!

What should you do instead? Well, the answer is rather obvious; stick to banker bets! Even with a 5% commission applied, it is the most profitable bet you can make in baccarat. You can also opt for no commission baccarat, which removes the extra charge on banker bets. However, it makes back the house edge using alternative means.

Searching for Patterns

If you are playing an online baccarat game, which uses RNG software to produce results, do not try pattern searching. Each result is entirely random because of the decks being virtual. That said, the story is somewhat different if you choose to play a live casino baccarat game. Here, cards are dealt by a dealer and are not reshuffled after every round.

Live dealer games even have road maps built in them to help you keep track of emerging patterns. Just remember, this is not an actual baccarat strategy. There is no guarantee these patterns will continue. Always keep a cool head, and do not bet more than you can afford.

Look for Fewer Decks

Most baccarat tables nowadays are played with eight decks. However, there are rare cases of tables that offer with six or fewer decks. This does not seem like a big deal at first, but it does add up over time. Fewer decks means a lower chance of a tie occurring. This lowers the house edge, meaning you get more opportunities to win!

Of course, finding such a table is easier said than done. It is a rare treat in the world of Online Casino, Online Gambling & Variations but it can be done. If you want to optimize it as much as possible, we suggest doing this step. If you want to just enjoy a round or two of baccarat in peace, you might want to skip this in favour of a standard baccarat table.