Baccarat requires no skill. Luck is the dominant factor and nothing at all can be done to affect the outcome of the hand after you place your bet. All decisions are automatic. You cannot reduce the inherent house advantage by altering your betting strategy or even counting cards. It’s simply not possible.
A mathematical study of the game reveals that the Banker hand wins 45.8 per cent of the time, the Player hand wins 44.6 per cent, and the Tie wins 9.6 per cent. By ignoring the tie bet, we find that the Banker hand wins 50.7 per cent of the bets and the Player hands win 49.3 per cent. The house charges the five per cent commission because it would simply not be fair to give this Sort of advantage to the baccarat player.
Like the toss of a coin, the hands in baccarat have no memory. Just as whether the previous coin toss came up heads or tails, it doesn’t matter whether the previous baccarat hand is won by the Banker or the Player. You could toss ten heads in a row, and there’s no guarantee the 11th would come up tails. The same is true in baccarat, but the “streak” of the same winning hand is what makes the game so fascinating.
Every casino provides a scorecard to its players to keep track of the winning hands. While this is a very useful tool, it’s important to remember that it is simply a reflection of the history of the game. Many players believe that it is an indication of future trends, but many other players have gone broke trying to chase patterns or streaks.
Because baccarat offers simple decisions – odd-even, up-down, heads-tails – it is a game that has long intrigued systems sellers.
A simple system with a fancy name is the “Gargante Marche” system. In fact, this system is simply one that takes advantage of streaks. The theory is to latch on to a streak and ride it until it fizzles out. It sounds simple, but is actually difficult. While you’re waiting for the streak in baccarat, you’re going to experience what is known as a “chop”, where the winning hand alternates between the Banker and the Player irregularly. You’ll be there for the streak, but you may have a long wait. In the long run, this system is no more effective than simply guessing which side is going to win.