Baccarat Strategy

Riding trends

Every baccarat table will have plenty of scorecards and pencils for baccarat players to keep track of the outcome of every hand. Most baccarat players will do so religiously and carefully analyze their card for trends as the winning hand switches back and forth from the banker to player. This is a big waste of time! The smart baccarat player will bet on the banker every time and leave the scorecards alone.

Where to play baccarat

The game baccarat is becoming a hard game to find. In Las Vegas only the largest casinos generally offer the game. Of the four megacasinos at the intersection of Tropicana and the Strip (MGM Grand, New York New York, the Excalibur, and the Tropicana) only the MGM Grand offers baccarat. In downtown Las Vegas only the Golden Nugget offers baccarat and only on weekend evenings. Many places that do offer baccarat only deal it at night (the Luxor and Hard Rock for example).

The baccarat table minimum is usually very high. During my last Vegas trip I inquired about the minimums at the MGM Grand: one table was $500, one was $1000, and another was a private game. A sign at the baccarat room at the Stardust indicates they have a $25 minimum game (nights only) which is the least I have ever seen. I believe the Las Vegas Hilton has a $100 minimum. The Silver Legacy in Reno offers big table baccarat in the main casino for a $10 minimum. While I was there nobody was playing baccarat other than myself.