Baccarat is a casino game with centuries of history which was somewhat overshadowed by Blackjack in the Western casino world while being a firm favourite with Eastern audiences. In recent decades thanks to the development of online casinos more and more players have discovered the simple fun of Baccarat, leading to a surge in popularity of baccarat across the globe.
Betting strategies have also been around for many years, with some bettors swearing by them, others using them to track their sessions, and others still never using one at all. In today’s article, we’re taking a look at the top Baccarat betting systems, revealing what they are, and how they work so you can make an informed decision whether you want to use them in your baccarat gameplay.
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1. Martingale Betting System
The Martingale betting system is known as a negative progression betting system, and has a history spanning over 100 years having been popularised by casino owner John H. Martindale (with the name changed to martingale over time do to pop culture mispronunciation), who encouraged his roulette players to double their wagers after a losing outcome. Since then, the Martingale strategy has become one of the most well-known and can be applied to any game with even money wagers such as blackjack and, of course, baccarat.
How it works
As mentioned, the Martingale system is a negative progression system, which means that players increase their wager after a loss (a negative outcome). The Martingale system is so popular with players because it is exceedingly simple. All players need to do is set a base wager, and then double it after each losing outcome, before resetting the value to the base value after a winning outcome.
For example, say your base wager is $2. If you win the next hand, your wager will stay at $2. However, if you lose the hand, you will double your wager to $4. Lose again and you’ll double your bet once more, making your wager now $8. If you win the next hand, then your wager will reset from $8 back to the original $2, but if you lose again you’ll continue to double (to $16) and continue to do so until a winning outcome is achieved.
It is thought that this system helps players keep track of and maintain their bankroll while mitigating the impact of losses. However, this system requires a larger bankroll to utilise and can make it easier for players to slip into irresponsible gambling practices such as chasing losses.
2. D'alembert Betting System
The D’alembert betting system was first presented as a mathematical formula in the late 1700s by a French mathematician of the same name. During the 1800’s the formula started to be taken up by gamblers and became popular for use when playing roulette. Naturally, as more and more casino games rose to popularity the system started to be applied to them too.
The D’alembert betting system is a negative progression system similar to the Martingale system, as it has players increase their wagers after a losing outcome, and reduce their stake when a winning outcome is achieved.
How it works
The D’alembert system is viewed as a less aggressive negative progression betting system than the Martingale system because, instead of being required to double their wagers on losses, they increase their wager by a predetermined unit. This means that the D’alembert system can be utilised with smaller bankrolls.
To provide an example of the D’alembert system in action, let’s say you decide on a starting wager of $5 and decide on a unit value of $1. As long as you win hands your wager remains at $5, but if you lose the hand, you increase your wager by 1 unit, aka $1, making your total bet $6. Lose again and you increase the bet by another unit making $7, and so on until a winning combination is achieved and your wager reduces by one unit. In this case, your wager will reduce from $7 to $6.
While less taxing on a player's bankroll, the D’alembert system can still cause players to focus on their losses, which can make chasing losses a lot easier to slip into.
3. 1-3-2-6 Betting System
Inspired by the Paroli betting system, the 1-3-2-6 betting system is a positive progression betting system. This means that players increase their wagers after a win and reset them when they lose. The 1-3-2-6 betting system is designed to be played over four winning hands, with players moving on to the next number in the sequence when they win. However, as it resets after every loss, it can take players far longer than this to complete the sequence.
How it works
Like the D’alembert system, the 1-3-2-6 betting system requires players to define their bet as a unit. For our example let’s say the player has picked $3. This means that each unit in the system is worth $3. Each number in the 1-3-2-6 system represents the number of units required for each step. Therefore, using our example, the ‘1’, which is the first number in the sequence, equates to a total wager of $3. If the player wins this hand they move on to ‘3’ which requires three units so $3 x 3 which equals $9. Win again, and your next bet will be 2 x $3 ($6), and win again and you’ll wager $18 (6 x $3). If you complete the sequence you can call your session there, or run through the sequence again.
If you don’t win a hand, then you return to the first number on the sequence, no matter if you were on the fourth number or the third. You cannot proceed to the next step in the sequence unless you win, as the 1-3-2-6 betting system requires you to reset your bet to the start of the sequence when a loss occurs.
This betting system is designed to manage your bankroll by varying the values of wagers with the aim of countering losses with conservative bets and making the most of wins with larger stakes.
4. Fibonacci Betting System
The Fibonacci sequence forms the foundation of the Fibonacci betting system. The sequence, which bears the name Fibonacci after the Italian mathematician, consists of a growing sequence of numbers. Every number in the series, starting at 0 and 1, represents the total of the two numbers that came before it. For example, in this longer snippet of the system; 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, you can see that the values presented increase at a faster and faster rate, with the sequence going from 0-5 in 5 steps of the sequence, but it only takes another three steps to increase to 21.
The Fibonacci Betting system is a negative progression system where players advance along the sequence each time they lose a baccarat hand.
How it works
Like many of the other betting systems we’ve mentioned, the Fibonacci betting system also requires players to set a unit value before playing. As this is a slightly more complex system, for the aim of clarity, we’ll state in this example that the unit value is $1. Therefore, the first step in the sequence, 0, will require a $1 bet (as you can’t wager nothing). If you lose the hand, you proceed to the next value in the sequence, which will also be $1. Lose again and you move along the sequence again making your wager $2 (2 x $1), and lose more times, and your wager will be $3, then $5, then $8. If you then win the hand, unlike other systems where you’d return to the start of the system, in the Fibonacci system you instead move back two numbers in the sequence. Therefore, if you win on an $8 wager, your next bet will be $3 as you move back two stages in the sequence.
The aim of the Fibonacci system is similar to that of the 1, 3, 2, 6 system, to minimise the impact of losses on your bankroll and capitalise on winning hands.
5. One-Sided Betting System
The One-Sided betting system is a system that is unique to baccarat as it relies on the player wagering on one specific baccarat outcome for their entire session. This system relies on the law of averages, as baccarat games can only have one of three outcomes; the banker wins, the player wins, or there’s a tie. The first two outcomes are the most likely, with a tie being a rating. Therefore by consistently wagering on one outcome; either the player or the banker, the bettor relies on the law of averages to achieve consistent winning outcomes.
How it works
The one-sided betting strategy is incredibly simple, all players need to do is decide on their wager value, and make the same bet for the entirety of their session. Many players will set a win-and-loss limit when wagering in this way as well as a session time limit to make sure they don’t overspend or blow through any winnings they may have gained.
Why Betting Systems May Not Be the Best Way to Play Baccarat
Remember at the start of this article we said that many baccarat players don’t use a betting system, and never have. That’s because most of the time having a betting strategy isn’t going to benefit your gaming experience. While playing in an optimal way (such as not placing ‘sucker’ wagers, or making rookie errors) maximising your odds, there is no way to increase those odds above that of the RTP (return to player) statistic. The saying goes the house always wins, and that is true as the RTP of a game is never 100% with the remaining percentage being called the house edge.
You may see articles out there that promise a ‘sure-fire’ method to win, and you should steer clear of any content promising this, as the fact of the matter is, there is no way to predict the outcomes of any casino game. Casino games are subject to chance, meaning there is no way that the casino or the player can predict what the outcome of a hand will be.
Betting systems are useful tools used by some players to manage their bankroll, track their spending or their outcomes, or simply as a way to try something different to their usual betting approach. The fact of the matter still remains, though, you do not need to use one to play baccarat and there’s no way to improve upon the house edge.
Our Baccarat Top Tips
At Spin Genie we have three simple top tips that we think all baccarat players should use:
- Always Practice Responsible Gaming: Responsible gaming practices are an essential part of playing casino games safely. Choose your budget and choose how long you want to play before you sit down to play baccarat. End the session early if you start to feel impatient or hasty with your decisions, or if you start to chase losses. Also set yourself a win limit, so you don’t end up playing through any winnings you’ve accrued.
- Betting Systems Are Optional: Some players like using a betting system because it makes managing their bankroll easier or they want to switch up how they play baccarat. Remember that you don't need a betting system to enjoy yourself or get favourable results.
- Have Fun!: Of all the tips, this one is the most crucial! Playing baccarat is supposed to be enjoyable, and winnings are just icing on the cake. There is a huge range of exciting online and live baccarat variants to explore, so don’t be afraid to experiment. The following top baccarat games can make for a great place to start:
Baccarat Squeeze - This live game from Evolution is all about the suspense, with their live dealers expertly squeezing the time before outcomes are revealed for ultimate excitement.
Speed Baccarat 3 - If you’re looking for live casino gameplay, at a speedier pace, then the fast-paced fun of Speed Baccarat 3 from Pragmatic Play is a great place to start.
Lightning Baccarat - Lightning Baccarat is an entry in Evolution’s smash hit ‘lightning’ live casino game series which sees classic baccarat gameplay infused with randomly added multiplier values.
Disclaimer
Using betting strategies can be entertaining, but it's simple to become engrossed in the action or become overconfident since you think you'll have an advantage over the casino using that technique. When playing casino games like roulette, you should be aware of the following crucial information:
- Using a betting strategy can make you feel more in control or like you're "beating the system". However, as roulette and all other casino games are games of chance, it is impossible to predict outcomes or have a 100% success rate.
- In the long run, the house really does always prevail. The house-edge statistic was created for this reason. The advantage the casino has over the player is known as the "house edge," and it is represented as a percentage. The remaining % is known as the "return to player," or RTP. While some factors can reduce the house edge, such as selecting a game with more favourable RTP statistics, the house edge cannot be lowered below its stated amount.
- Betting techniques are helpful for players who want to go deeper into the more technical parts of the game, but they are not necessary to play (such as tracking expenditure, maintaining bankrolls, understanding RTP and optimal wagers, and so forth). Whether or not you want to utilise one is totally up to you.
- When gaming, always proceed with caution. This is the ultimate in casino gameplay, thus it ought to be the foundation of your whole gaming experience. Set a time and money limit for your session, don't pursue losses, and terminate it early if you're not enjoying yourself. For more information and resources, see the links regarding responsible gaming located at the bottom of every page on our website.
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