BUCKING THE BACCARAT IMAGE
Part 2
In Part 1 of your baccarat education, you learned about the banker and player bet plus the card count. We now continue with this fun game and include mini-baccarat.
Mathematically, the banker hand has a slight edge over the player hand, because of the third card rules. This would mean that you should always bet on the banker hand. However, the casinos have come up with a neat solution to this: they charge players a 5% commission each time they bet on the banker to win. The dealers are responsible for keeping track of how much commission is owed in dollars.
In front of each dealer is a row of numbered boxes. Each time you have a commission payable, it is noted at your corresponding box number with token chips.
When you are finished playing, make sure you have enough money in front of you to cover this debt.
Besides betting that the player or banker will win, you could bet that there will be a tie. With a casino advantage of 14%, the tie bet is the only bad bet on the baccarat layout. A tie is always a push, so the banker or player bets stand when a tie is dealt.
Most casinos will provide a score sheet and pen if you ask. Use these to track trends, patterns and streaks in the making.
In baccarat, unlike blackjack, you can sit out or skip hands; just tell the dealer "no bet". Use this break to analyze your scorecard for your next strategy move. Some gamblers keep these scorecards for a running history of their play.
Now, about that mini-version model of baccarat. I strongly suggest that you 'test drive' a mini-baccarat table, especially if you are a low-limit or novice player.
The only difference between mini-baccarat and the full-size version of the game is that, in mini-baccarat, all hands are dealt by a dealer--not the players.
When you approach a mini-baccarat table, note the posted minimum bet and commission. The usual is minimum bet $5, with a 25 cent commission when the banker hand wins. You may have noticed that I have not gone into a lot of detail about the third-card rules for standing or drawing. As you become more educated, you will learn these rules, but I don't want to overwhelm new baccarat players at this time. You can certainly play baccarat without knowing these rules.
For now, I want to encourage educated gamblers to observe and participate in this game because of the low house edge and the possibility of profits. That road to profits in baccarat is definitely with progressive betting after each win.
The baccarat "strategy" I recommend is to bet on the hand that won the last game, because streaks are legendary in this game. A banker or player can win 10, 15, or even 20 hands in a row after the shoe opens up.
You now have enough knowledge to join the baccarat club, adding yet another game toward your gambling degree.
Gayle Mitchell is the author of Casino Gambling Made Easier books, Ebooks, booklets & the Slots Trilogy. | 
