Baccarat Card Counting Instructions
added 06.11.2011, 7:03PM
It's important to start this baccarat strategy article off by stating right away that baccarat card counting won't gain you any significant edge over the house. At the most, you'll gain a very minimal edge over the house by keeping an accurate baccarat count, and possibly win a few dollars from the casino by the end of the night. To most people, this just isn't worth the time and effort when you could win much more money through blackjack card counting.
However, it's also worth noting that casinos frown upon blackjack card counters much more, so you have a little more freedom with baccarat card counting since casinos generally don't care as much about this. That said, if you're looking to try baccarat card counting for fun, you might be interested in learning the practice.
One of the simplest ways to count cards in baccarat is by using the following counting method:
K, Q, J and 10 = -2
A = 0
9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 = +1
Start betting big on the banker at a count of +8
As you can see, the actual process of this particular baccarat card counting method is not too difficult. The math is easy, and you want to make larger wagers on the banker when the count gets to +8 or higher. But the difficult part comes with trying to keep up with the count. After all, you're dealing with a pretty fast-moving deal (in most cases), and you have to count all of the cards accurately to gain any kind of edge. In short, you need to get plenty of practice in if you're going to be a good counter.
One of the best ways to practice involves dealing cards to yourself and keeping count the entire time. At first, you can go slow in order to develop counting skills, and as you get better, you can increase dealing speed since this is more in line with casino baccarat.
Once you've mastered dealing to yourself, the next step is to visit a casino and try to count along with the game. Luckily, you don't have to actually take a seat because this could make it much harder for you to keep up in the beginning. But as you improve, you'll be able to sit down and start playing/counting. When you feel comfortable with your baccarat card counting skills, you can begin spreading your bets more to capitalize on favorable counts.
