Baccarat Odds Guide
Whether you’re an experienced player or a newcomer who’s still getting to grips with the basics of baccarat, you’ll need to know all about the game’s odds.
Odds in baccarat represent the chances of winning that are associated with every available bet type. Understanding these odds is crucial to making informed decisions whenever you play. Whether you’re betting on your hand, the banker’s hand or even taking the route of the tie bet, knowing exactly what these odds mean helps you minimise risks and maximise your chances of winning.
It’s not an exact science, so there’s no way to guarantee any wins, but through this guide, you’ll get a better understanding of baccarat odds.
Baccarat Odds vs Payouts vs House Edge
It’s important to emphasise the difference between baccarat odds, payouts, and the house edge. All three statistics are tied together and are linked very closely. But they all refer to a different aspect of the game.
None of these statistics guarantee any sort of outcome, but by understanding them, you can make more informed decisions and hopefully increase your chances of winning.
Baccarat Odds
When discussing Baccarat odds, we are specifically referring to the probability of a particular outcome happening in the game. At the end of the day, there are three potential outcomes in baccarat. Either your hand wins, the banker’s hand wins, or the hands are a tie.
So, each outcome carries different baccarat odds. The chances of the player's hand winning are 5/4, while the odds of the banker’s hand winning are a bit more favourable at 6/5. This is mostly due to the commission that is applied to the banker’s bet. It’s typically around 5% and accounts for the higher chances of winning. Last but not least is the tie, where both you and the banker draw equal hands. Ties are much rarer than straight wins, and their odds reflect this, typically sitting at around 9/1.
Odds reflect the casino’s assessment of an outcome’s probability and always give the house a slight advantage. Understanding them can help you plan your betting strategies and help you make more informed decisions.
Baccarat Payouts
As opposed to odds, which strictly speaking simply describe the probability of a certain outcome in the game, baccarat payouts refer to the actual money you stand to win. They’re ultimately based on the odds themselves and so the payout you win from a wager is based on its odds of success.
So, you get three traditional baccarat bet payouts. If your hand wins, you get a payout that is slightly below, which effectively means that if you wager €100 and win, you get another €100. The total payout here would be €200, combining both your wager and winnings.
The payout of the banker’s hand is slightly higher than 1:1, which as we previously mentioned includes the 5% commission that is commonly applied to this wager. In this case, betting €100 and winning will earn you €95, for a total payout of €195.
On the other hand, ties offer the best payout possible, but they’re also the riskiest bet in the game. Their payout tends to sit somewhere between 8:1 and 9:1, so if you wager and win with €100, you’re looking at winnings of around €800 or €900. Combined with the original bet, these give you a payout of €900 and €1,000 respectively.
Although the tie payout is the highest of all three, most players tend to steer clear of it as it carries the highest house edge and can end up costing you quite a bit in the long run. Betting on your hand or the banker comes is generally more favourable, which is why most baccarat strategies are based on them.
Baccarat House Edge
House edge is yet another critical statistic in baccarat. It’s a percentage that reflects the casino’s advantage over you, indicating the bets that the casino expects to win over time. Again, different odds in baccarat have their respective house edge.
On your hand, the casino tends to have a house edge of around 1.24%. So, for every €100 you wager, the casino expects to get around €1.24 in profit in the long run. The banker’s hand gets a lower house edge, because of the 5% commission that applies to it, sitting at 1.06%. With the game’s lowest house edge, many players prefer betting on the banker’s hand to increase their chances of success.
The highest house edge comes with the tie bet. This generally has an edge of over 14%. From a player's perspective, it’s the least favourite one. You stand to win a much bigger payout with a tie bet, but the chances of success are significantly reduced.
It’s important to bear in mind that these statistics are calculated over millions of bets and look at a long-term average. The house edge is not a precise indicator of exactly how your bets will turn out. Short-term results will vary significantly, so take house edge and other statistics as general indicators, rather than exact representations of what you can potentially win in a game of baccarat.
Baccarat Odds vs Blackjack
Despite the fact that both baccarat and blackjack are popular casino games, the two are quite different in terms of gameplay and odds.
In Baccarat, you have the three betting options we’ve covered above. The player's hand and the banker's hand are the most favourable in terms of odds but come with a lower payout. While the tie bet has a very slim chance of success, it comes with the best in-game payout. House edge in baccarat is quite low, ranging between 1% and 14%.
Odds in blackjack depend on many more factors, including the specific rules of the blackjack variation you play, the number of decks in use, and your strategy. Blackjack boasts one of the lowest house edges in casino games, with a value ranging between 0.5% to 2%.
Conclusion
Understanding baccarat odds gives you the know-how to make more strategic decisions with regard to your bets. By evaluating the risks associated with each bet and setting realistic expectations, you can make more informed decisions at the baccarat table.
With all of this in mind and with the right tools to increase your chances of winnings, it’s time to head over to your next game of baccarat.