Betting Ties in Baccarat

By John Grochowski on Friday July 8, 2011

baccarat, gaming, gaming-strategy, tourism, tunica

Baccarat is a game with a low house edge — 1.06 percent if you’re betting on banker, 1.24 percent if you’re betting on player. No skill is required. Extra cards are drawn or not drawn according to a chart. Players have no strategy options — this is strictly a guessing game over whether the player hand or banker hand will win.

The combination of low house edge and no complicated strategies to learn leave a game that is a favorite among high-rollers. Some of the biggest bets you’ll ever see cross the table are made in high-limit baccarat rooms, where big players trust to fate and luck in a slow, ceremonial, almost superstitious atmosphere..

For those of us with more down-to-earth bankrolls, play is usually on the main casino floor at faster-moving mini-baccarat tables. Some casinos try to spice up the guessing game at a bit by adding a side bet, with the most popular being the Dragon Bonus.

You can bet the Dragon Bonus on either banker or player. You’re wagering that your side will either win with a natural — 8 or 9 — or that your side will win by four or more points. The widest margin 9-0, brings a 30-1 payoff.

Though the player hand wins less often than banker, it wins by WIDE MARGINS more often. House edge on the Dragon Bonus is 2.7 percent on player, but 9.4 percent on Banker. If you’re riding the Dragon, avoid the banker side bet.