Baccarat is one of the oldest and most widely played casino games. Its history is disputed, but it was very popular in casinos across Europe in the 1800s.
It’s a straightforward game where you bet on the banker, player, or a tie – and it’s this simplicity that makes it so much fun to play.
Players in China are particularly fond of this game, and here we focus on what baccarat is, how to play it, and Chinese Baccarat strategies.
Understanding Baccarat
The basic rules of baccarat are the same across most variants. The goal of the game is to bet on whether the banker or the player will get a hand value equal to or closest to nine.
Basic Rules of Baccarat
The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. The ace has a value of one, while the face cards have zero value. All other cards from two to nine take their face value. If the hand value exceeds nine, the last digit is taken as its value, so a two-card score of 16 is 6.
The player has a choice of three bets, which come with different odds and house edge:
- Banker bet – the chance of a banker win is 45.8%
- Player bets – if you bet player, the chance of winning is 44.6%
- Bet on a tie – the chance of winning is 9.6%
Once the bets have been made, the croupier deals two cards to the banker and player positions. Depending on the game variant, a third card can also be dealt – but don’t worry if it sounds complicated, because the croupier does everything for you.
Once the cards are dealt, the hand closest to nine wins.
Variations of Baccarat
There are several notable variants of Baccarat play. Let’s take a look at two of them.
Punto Banco
Played with six decks. Each player bets on the Player (Punto), the Banker (Banco), or a tie. The player can’t decide if they want a third card; a strict set of rules predetermines this.
No Commission Baccarat
This version of Baccarat doesn’t take the 5% commission with every winning bet on the banker. Instead, the banker is paid at 1:1 odds.
The Chinese Baccarat Strategy
Baccarat is hugely popular with Chinese players. Although there is no distinct Chinese variant of baccarat, when Chinese play the game, they tend to prefer playing Super 6 Baccarat tables.
Over time, baccarat players have devised many strategies. However, it’s a game of chance so that no strategy can guarantee a win.
Origin of the Strategy
Gambling is only legal in the province of Macau in China. This is partly because the territory was under Portuguese rule from 1557 until it was handed back to China in 1999. Gambling was legalized in the territory during the 1850s and has remained legal under Chinese rule.
Macau is often referred to as the gambling capital of the world. In fact, the famous professional gambler Phil Ivey has often played at Macau’s casinos.
There are many baccarat strategies, but a couple are very popular with Chinese gamblers: the Gold Eagle and Silver Tiger strategies.
Core Principles From Chinese Gamblers
The Chinese-born mathematician Ri Chang devised the Gold Eagle and Silver Tiger strategies.
The Gold Eagle strategy capitalizes on winning steaks and patterns while trying to minimize losses. It has two modes: offensive and defensive.
The Silver Tiger strategy involves unique placements and betting sequences. It even has an exit plan, which lets you exit the strategy’s betting sequence when you’re ahead to minimize losses.
Implementing the Strategy While Playing Baccarat
In both Gold Eagle and Silver Tiger, there are several factors that you need to keep in mind. When playing baccarat, implement the strategies correctly to reduce the house edge.
Game Preparation
One of the most important factors in the Gold Eagle strategy is to start by buying 22 chips. In Silver Tiger, you need to buy 16 chips.
Betting Techniques
In Gold Eagle, it is vital to keep records of your bets. Two modes can be employed. So, you need to know the sequence of your bets and wins to know which mode to use and when.
Silver Tiger works differently. For example, you should use the exit strategy if you win six chips or more. Then, you use your chips to buy-in another 16 chips and start the sequence again.
Strategy Benefits and Risks
As with all casino gambling strategies, there can be advantages, but there are also some risks.
Chinese Play Baccarat: Advantages
By using both of these strategies, you do have a way of structuring your playing. Strategies generally give you a way of monitoring your progress and judging whether to keep playing or walk away.
Risks
The biggest risk of using any baccarat strategy is to assume it will lead to big wins. Baccarat is a game of chance, so using strategies can’t guarantee wins.
Experience Baccarat at EVO.io
You’ll find an excellent selection of interesting and exciting baccarat games at EVO.io. We have table games and live dealer versions for you to choose from. You can enjoy many immersive games while playing online with cryptocurrencies.
Game Selection
In our casino’s table games section, we stock several excellent random number generator (RNG) versions of baccarat. We have titles such as Golden Wealth Baccarat First Person, Mini Baccarat, and Baccarat.
Evo’s Live Casino has lots of variety from top software providers. You can access the Pragmatic Live lobby for many live baccarat tables. There are plenty of unusual tables to join, like Emperor Speed Baccarat and Korean Baccarat.
Promotions And Bonuses
There are lots of exciting and potentially rewarding bonuses and promotions at EVO casino. We have a new player bonus that can reward you with up to 1BTC and 150 free spins. You can also claim a 3% weekly rebate of up to $500. So, it’s well worth checking our ‘Promotions’ sections regularly.
Play Chinese Baccarat Today
You can play a wide variety of baccarat games at EVO.io. If you aren’t ready to take a seat at a live table, you can play one of our baccarat table games, where you can perfect your Chinese strategy. Visit EVO.io today and start honing your baccarat skills.