Card Counting in Baccarat - How It Works?
Such a strategy as card counting had begun its journey to the gambling world in 1962 when the book of Edward O. Thorp "Beat the Dealer" had been published: Thorp described there the techniques of how to beat casinos playing blackjack, and this book had become a real phenomenon in the field of gambling because everybody considered it to be impossible - to beat a casino.
Card counting became popular very fast and many gamblers began to use it in casinos though, first, it was believed to be the way of cheating and casinos did not allow players to use such a method. Anyway, it developed and, finally, such a phenomenon as baccarat counting appeared: the method of counting cards had been tried to the game of luck. Does it really work?
How does it work?
The strategy of card counting is created to determine whether a player has some advantages to win a game: depending on card values which are left in a shoe, it is possible to predict the result of a game.
The fact is that some cards are good for a player (Aces and 10's for example) and other cards are profitable for a dealer (4's, 5's and 6's for example). Well, it does not mean that you should sit at the table and try to remember which cards have been already dealt and which ones are still left in a shoe. The system is the following:
Each card has its own value: positive, negative or zero value; depending on a card taken out of a shoe a player gives it +1, 0 or -1 value. The higher values a player has - the bigger bets s/he can make during a game and the better chances for winning are.
Baccarat Counting
As we already know, baccarat is the game of luck and chance; so, how it is possible to use card counting during the game of baccarat when you sit at baccarat table and everything you should do is to guess which hand will win: Player or Banker?
Edward Thorp, mentioned above, called baccarat counting to be a strategy which does not work at all and which is very unpractical: together with one more card counting expert, Peter Griffin, Thorp developed the system of card counting for baccarat and it showed the following results: it was very and very difficult to detect the results for the bet on Tie; as for Player, it did not have almost any advantages before Banker.
Anyway, gamblers continue attempts to use baccarat counting and their researches tell the following:
- the best bet is 7,8% of your bankroll: if you make a bet of such a sum, you have less risk to lose everything
- you can count odd cards: give +1 to every odd card; and when your result will be 160 it means you have 62% of advantage (unfortunately, such an occasion can happen very and vary rarely).
Maybe it would be better just to follow some baccarat tips which really work to get some tips on blackjack and other casino games, and not to try the system which his rather controversial?
This variation is often use for playing baccarat online: Punto Banco is considered to be American Baccarat.
This baccarat variation is believed to be the classical one: it was the first variant of the game.
It is played preferably in Europe and it is difficult to find in land-based casinos of America.