Baccarat is a game of chance where the player and dealer each try to get a hand that totals closest to nine. The object is for the player’s hand to win against the banker’s hand, or to tie. The game is played in banks and other casinos around the world. In addition to standard betting on the Banker, Player and Tie, players may place side wagers called Dragon 7 and Panda 8 that pay different amounts of money depending on the outcome. This article discusses a technique known as “known-card play” against these two side bets.
EZ Baccarat is an exciting variation of the traditional baccarat game and includes a number of additional betting options such as the Dragon 7 and Panda 8. These new wagers eliminate the 5% banker commission by barring one specific winning Banker hand. This method is trademarked as EZ Baccarat and is currently available at Barona, Commerce, Red Rock and Station Casino properties in California.
The basic rules of baccarat are as follows: The game is played in a fixed-limit betting area with three different types of bets: Banker, Player and Tie. The player’s and the dealer’s hands are then compared, and whoever has the hand that totals closest to nine wins. The rules of baccarat also allow players to place bets on whether the player’s hand will be higher than the dealer’s or vice versa. The game is easy to learn, and the croupiers can usually answer any questions that a customer might have.
While card counting isn’t as profitable against baccarat as it is against blackjack, it can help reduce the house edge and maximize your chances of winning. There are several different methods that you can use to count cards in baccarat, but it is important to remember that this technique is not foolproof and will still require practice.
A common strategy among APs is to know the rank of exactly one card in the shoe, which is known as known-card play (see this post). The AP patiently counts down the shoe until the single card that they know the rank of arrives. Once they have this information, they will then apply a fixed baccarat strategy that tells them which wager to make to maximize their profits.
Known-card play against the Dragon 7 and Panda 8 side bets in baccarat is possible because these bets often have severely restricted maximum wagers. This makes it difficult to defend against APs who know the rank of a particular card in the shoe. By carefully inspecting the shuffle procedure, the AP can determine the location of the card in the six-card window and then make the appropriate side bets to maximize their profits. Until the maximum wagered is increased, it is unlikely that this type of AP play will be stopped.
