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Euronext-listed Baccarat is the battleground between Chu’s family office, Fortune Fountain Capital, and its creditors. Including helping the ultra-rich with immigration, overseas study. Baccarat is not a bad game. If you follow these principles, you can have fun and you will not lose too much. Most recreational activities cost something these days, whether you go to the cinema, to the pub, or to the tennis court. Just do not expect to get rich by playing Baccarat. You would have to be extremely lucky to do so.

But what about counting cards in baccarat?

Gamblers who are experienced with baccarat and blackjack sometimes wonder if the latter can be beaten through card counting. Reasons why include that baccarat is dealt from a shoe, and players can track card values as the shoe is dealt.

Baccarat maintains some similarities to blackjack in terms of card counting. The real question, though, is whether you can profitably use this advantage technique in baccarat.

I’m going to look at both sides of the subject, including why card counting is and isn’t worthwhile. But first, I’ll discuss the process of counting cards in baccarat.

As you may know, baccarat features three bets, including the banker hand, player hand, and both hands tying.

The banker wager is the best for basic strategy purposes. Despite the house taking a 5% commission from winning banker bets, this wager only has a 1.06% house edge.

A player bet features a 1.24% house advantage, which makes it a worthy proposition if you ever get tired of the banker hand.

The tie bet carries a 14.36% house edge when 8:1 payouts are offered. This edge drops down to 4.85% if you receive 9:1 payouts for successful wagers.

You can see that the banker and player hands are the only reasonable bets when using basic strategy.

The same holds true for counting cards in baccarat. Your main objective when doing so is to figure out whether the banker or player hand has a better chance of winning.

Before you begin counting cards, you need to find a table with a new 6 or 8-deck shoe. Starting with a fresh shoe allows you to track cards from the beginning and make better informed wagers on the banker or player.

Here’s how the baccarat counting process works:

• Add 1 (+1) to your count when an ace, 2, or 3 are dealt.
• Add 2 (+2) to your count when a 4 is dealt.
• Subtract 1 (-1) when a 5, 7, or 8 are dealt.
• Subtract 2 (-2) when a 6 is dealt.
• 10-value cards (10, J, Q, K) are neutral.

You should bet on the player hand when the count is +16 or higher. You should wager on the banker hand when the count is +15 or lower.

Note that making wagers at these specific points doesn’t mean that you’ll beat the house edge (explained later). Instead, it only increases your odds of winning when compared tousing normal strategy.

Why Counting Cards in Baccarat Is Totally Worthless

Earlier I discussed reasons why blackjack and baccarat card counting are similar. But the key difference is that aces and 10-value cards boost a blackjack player’s chances of winning.

When the deck is rich in these cards, players gain the following advantages:

• Better chance of forming a natural blackjack (21 on first two cards).
• More valuable double down opportunities.
• The dealer has a better chance of busting out when hitting towards a customary hard 17.

Blackjack players want more low value cards to exit the shoe, and more high value cards to remain in the shoe. Subsequently, the Hi-Lo blackjack system involves assigning +1 when 2-6 are dealt; 0 (neutral) when 7-9 are dealt; and -1 when 10-A are dealt.

Blackjack card counters have a clear-cut template on what cards do and don’t help their cause. Baccarat players, on the other hand, have a more difficult task in this regard.

A baccarat natural is a 9 being dealt on the first two cards. But unlike blackjack, baccarat naturals don’t offer a bonus payout for this hand.

Therefore, the reward for knowing when there are higher chances of a baccarat natural being dealt is diminished considerably.

Based on baccarat card counting methods, we know that 2-4 help the player score, while 5-9 help the banker score. But the advantage in knowing this information is so small that few gamblers will find it worthwhile.

Famed advantage gambler James Grosjean once explained that baccarat cards are too symmetric and don’t offer enough of an advantage one way or another.

Gambling author Peter Griffin once wrote that good baccarat countersonly make around $0.70 every hour. Plus, these gamblers must bet $1,000 per hand when the count is at the perfect point.

Considering the massive bets involved and how much work goes into baccarat counting, it’s easy to see why this is such a terrible advantage play method.

The idea of counting cards in baccarat seems ridiculous when considering that it results in so little money. I completely understand if you want to forgo this section and give up on the matter.

It’s true that baccarat card counters don’t earn nearly as much as blackjack pros. But there’s at least a little value to be gained when you keep an accurate baccarat count.

Earlier I mentioned how a +16 count or higher calls for making the player bet, while a +15 count or lower calls for the banker wager. But this only reveals when your chances of winning with one option or the other increase.

To truly gain the edge over casinos, you actually need a count of +235 for the player hand, and a count of -200 for the banker. The perfect scenario also involves only betting when you have the edge, while avoiding wagers when you don’t have an advantage.

The following shows your average profit when waiting for the perfect situations:

• $0.76 per hour (100 hands) when betting $1,000 per hand on the banker.
• $0.95 per hour (100 hands) when betting $1,000 per hand on the player.

Obviously this isn’t a great profit rate. But the alternative is that you theoretically lose money in these same situations without counting.

You’d lose $1,060 when risking $1,000 on the banker for 100 hands.You’d lose $1,240 when betting $1,000 on the player for 100 hands.

By keeping an accurate count and only wagering when you have the perfect player (+235) or banker (-200) advantage, you save well over $1k per hour.

Whether or not you should count cards in baccarat is a subjective matter. One player may think that it’s a fun opportunity to make a few dollars on a game they love, while others will see it as a complete waste of time.

I’m personally in the latter category, because I can’t understand focusing so intently on counting cards when the reward is so small. Furthermore, I don’t like waiting hundreds of hands before I can finally bet on a favorable opportunity.

Odds are that the casino will only let you do this for so long before they say something about it. After all, casinos don’t want you lurking around the baccarat tables for hours when you’re only going to make a few bets.

It’s not that gambling establishments actually care about the $0.70 that you can win off them every hour. Instead, it just creates an awkward environment when you’re observing a baccarat game for this long and offering no value to the casino.

I won’t fault you for trying baccarat card counting, though, if you think that it could be a fun experience.

Counting cards in baccarat doesn’t have to be as weird as standing off to the side for hundreds of hands before taking a seat. Instead, you can merely count just to increase your chances of winning.

It’s not difficult to maintain your counting until deciding whether the banker or player is offering slightly more value. You only need +16 or higher to determine a good player bet, or +15 or lower to determine a solid banker wager.

Again, counting to these points won’t help you overcome the house edge. But at least you can trim the house advantage and improve your odds.

Edge Sorting and Cheating Are the Main Ways to Beat Baccarat

Card counting isn’t a viable way to become a professional baccarat player. But there are ways to beat this game that can make you a fair amount of money.

The most-obvious way to beat baccarat is by cheating. Baccarat cheating methods include marking cards, past posting, and false shuffling.

Marking cards is a simple cheating technique where you mark specific card values with ink so that you can later recognize them.

Most players use an invisible ink that only be seen with infrared contact lenses. Keep in mind, though, that casinos have caught on to this method and now use special machines to check for invisible ink.

Past posting is another simple technique, whereby you add chips to a winning wager after the outcome is determined. If you bet on the banker and this hand wins, you can quickly add more chips when the dealer isn’t looking.

The difficulty in past posting with baccarat, though, is that you must be extremely good at sleight of hand so that the dealer doesn’t notice.

False shuffling is a more complicated cheating method that requires a dealer and players to work together. The dealer performs a false shuffle, whereby they leave a certain group of cards (a.k.a. slug) in the same order that they were dealt in the previous round.

The players, meanwhile, track card values throughout each round on a piece of paper. Casinos allow this because some players like tracking cards in order to bet on trends.

But those involved in a false shuffling plot are merely doing so for the sake of tracking any potential slug. Dealers normally leave the slug towards the beginning of the shoe, so that the players have a better idea on when to expect unshuffled cards.

False shuffling can be extremely lucrative. A group called the Tran Organization made an estimated $7million with this cheating technique.

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But they were also caught after trying to bribe an undercover agent. 47people were indicted, with some spending several years in prison after being convicted.

Considering the legal implications of being caught in any casino cheating plot, I don’t recommend that you use any of these methods to beat baccarat.

Edge sorting is the only quasi-legal technique to beat the game. This strategy involves identifying a deck with defective card backs and using this info to guess card values before they’re revealed.

Here’s an example on how you could pull off edge sorting:

• Gemaco manufactures a purple deck with inconsistent patterns on card backs.
• You study the card backs to find what values the inconsistencies reveal.
• You look for a casino baccarat game that uses the same purple Gemaco deck.

The main problem with baccarat edge sorting is that it’s extremely hard to identify card back patterns from any sort of distance. You need extremely good eyesight just to have a chance of identifying irregularities on defective card backs.

Professional gamblers Phil Ivey and “Kelly” Sun won over a combined $20 million through edge sorting. But they needed to use other sketchy methods to successfully pull off their plot.

The duo requested a mandarin-speaking dealer, allowing Sun to speak to them without the other casino staff understanding what was being said.

Sun used this advantage to tell the dealer to rotate cards 180 degrees, because Ivey is a superstitious player. But the real reason for this request is that it makes spotting defective card backs easier.

Neither Atlantic City’s Borgata casino nor London’s Crockfords casino caught onto what Ivey and Sun were doing until it was too late.

The Borgata lost $9.6 million to the pair, while Crockfords lost over $11 million. However, both gambling establishments fought Ivey and Sun in court and won.

Judges in both cases noted that they didn’t think Ivey and Sun did anything illegal to win. But their plot was deceptive enough to where the judges didn’t think they used fair advantage play methods to win.

I think that had the duo would’ve kept their money in both instances had they won entirely through edge sorting. But requesting the Mandarin-speaking dealer and cards being rotated 180 degrees are what lost both cases for Ivey and Sun.

Is it worth the effort to count cards as a baccarat player?

My final thoughts are that it’s okay to casually count cards and boost your odds. But don’t waste your time trying to earn profits with this advantage play method.

Given that you can’t even make a dollar per hour under perfect circumstances, it’s just not worth spending the time on baccarat card counting.

The truth is that there’s no really good way to beat baccarat. Your choices include either cheating or using edge sorting.

The latter is legal in a sense, but edge sorting is so difficult to pull off that you may must use unsavory tactics to win. Considering that Ivey and Sun have already exhausted these questionable tactics, your chances of successfully using them are almost zero.

If you really want to become an advantage player, then you should choose a more worthwhile pursuit like blackjack card counting, hole carding, poker, or sports betting.

None of these games and advantage gambling techniques are easy. But at least you can be assured of profits if you master any of them.

Baccarat Rules

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What is Baccarat?
Pronounced as 'bah-cah-rah', this is not a very complex game. Like any game, Baccarat does have its quirks, but once you get used to them, this game is quite a lot of fun. The word ‘baccarat’ is used for cards or hands worth zero points. Baccarat is a card game played at casinos in several different versions. The most popular one provided by most casinos is called puntobanco. PuntoBanco is played with four, six or eight decks shuffled together. It can be played with up to twelve or fourteen players, but one player can play alone against the casino.

Why is Baccarat a smart and popular choice?
Just because James Bond played it in one of the movies does not mean that you have dress up in a sophisticated manner or be rich to play this game. This is a game for all players with big or small bankrolls.
This game is best for beginner players as there are no advanced strategies and the house edge is smaller than most other casino games. One of the reasons this game is extremely popular is its uncomplicated nature.
The rules of baccarat are very simple and fixed. The outcome is never affected by other players like in other games such as blackjack. Unlike blackjack, baccarat allows you to bet with the dealer, i.e. the players or the bankers. For educated and serious gamblers, baccarat is a great choice that will help you fulfil the purpose of going to the casino that is to make money.

Main Types of Baccarat Bets:
There are only three main bets to make the player that are as follows: punto which is the player, banker or banco and tie which is a stand-off. The tie is not recommended because of its high casino advantage. In the event of a tie and no one bet on a tie, the hand is considered a ‘push’ and all wagers are returned.

Baccarat Card Values:
It is important to know the card values in baccarat. Cards from two to nine are worth face value. Tens and face cards are worth zero. Aces are worth one point. Also, hand values are a bit different to other card games but not complicated. The score of a hand is the sum of all cards. Any sum that reaches two digits drops the left digit.
For example, a hand consisting of 6 and 7 would be 13, but by dropping the left digit, the hand value is 3. Similarly, a hand consisting of 2 and 4 is 6, and there is no digit to drop so the hand value is 6. In case of hand consisting of 3, 7 and 10, the sum is 20, but it is worth zero points.
The best possible score in baccarat is 9. This is also known as ‘natural’, and it stops all play.

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Baccarat Betting:
Before the cards are dealt, you can place the bet on either the player, banker or tie. The payoff for player and banker bet is 1 to 1, however, if you win a banker bet the casino keeps a 5% commission from your bet. Because banker bets have a lower casino advantage, the payoff tie is usually 9:1 or 8:1 depending on house rules. This bet has the highest casino advantage of over 14% and thus is not recommended in the long term. If you bet on a player, you receive a house edge of 1.24%, and if you bet on a banker, you get an edge of 1.06%, so betting on the banker is the wisest baccarat play.

What is the objective of this game?
Such card games either make you a lot of money or bankrupt you. Both the dealer and the player are dealt two cards. In some cases, an additional third card is needed to determine the outcome of the game. The hand that is closer to 9 wins. The winnings are then paid on corresponding bets. The purpose of the game is to bet on a winning outcome.

Third card rules:
The third card is dealt according to ‘third card’ rules. These rules are compulsory and therefore automatically applied by the dealers.

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Rules for the Player hand:
If a player’s hand has a value from 0 to 5, he must draw the third card. If the player’s hand has a value of 6 or 7, he must stand. If the player’s hand has a value of 8 or 9, both hands stand, and this is called ‘natural'.
After the player's hand receives a third card, the banker’s hand receives a third card according to the following rules.

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Rules for the banker hand:
If the banker’s hand has a value from 0 to 2, he must draw a third card. If the banker’s hand has a value from 3 to 6, he draws a third card or stands depending on the player’s third card value. If the banker has a hand value of 7, he stands without drawing a card, and if he has a hand value of 8 or 9, that’s known as a ‘natural’ and both hands stand.

Rules of conduct in a casino:
Since the dealer is not allowed to take money directly from the player’s hands, you should ask the dealer for change by buying the chips with the cash you have placed on the layout.
Do not look at the player cards if you are the bettor with the largest wager on them, until both the player and banker cards have been dealt with. If you hold the banker’s card, do not peak at your cards till he dealer has turned the player hand face up.

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The casino usually provides score sheets and pencils so that baccarat players can easily keep track of their results. There are no strenuous strategies involved, no deciding whether to hit, raise or stand. It is perfect for people who are graduating from slots and want a better chance at winning and making money.