A Review Of Several Types Of Baccarat Systems

Baccarat is a card game that originated in France. It has gone to be featured in James Bond movies. There are several scandals involving baccarat. The most recent scandal involved Phil Ivey who was denied an multimillion dollar payout while winning at baccarat. He stated using manufacturing defects in cards gave an advantage that allowed him to win. This is called edge sorting and can provide an advantage from strict observation of the cards. In addition to edge sorting , the Martingale , D'Alembert and Fibonacci strategies are additional types of baccarat systems.

Edge Sorting

Edge sorting is a technique where players will ask a dealer to separate low cards from high cards and reverse them upside down. Players say it's for good luck. They often have something else in mind. Most playing cards have a particular pattern. This pattern is from the manufacturer and not any trick. However, when the card is reversed, the pattern changes. By sorting the low cards from the high cards when they are reversed , it becomes possible to see if the next card to be dealt is low or high. This gives an advantage to the players and allows them to win big money. In Phil Ivey's case the amount was $9.6 million(US). He also won $11 million(US) in London. Edge sorting can be a very lucrative baccarat system. But since this information is now public, card manufacturers are redesigning cards to be identical even when reversed. There are other popular baccarat systems.

Martingale System

The Martingale strategy is a popular strategy for baccarat. In this strategy, the gambler will double a losing bet with the hope of recouping losses. For example, if a player bets 100 and loses, the next bet would be 200. The win will recoup the loss of 100 if the player wins. This gambling strategy assumes the player has an extremely large bankroll and that the player wins. Since there are often cycles of great hands and cycles of poor hands, if a player is on a poor cycle, they will probably go bust, losing their bankroll all together. There are additional flaws in this system. For example, you may only be able to bet up to a certain fixed amount at a table. Many tables allow betting up to $500 , in which case , you won't be able to bet and follow the Martingale system. The Martingale system can be fully applied in a high roller games.

D'Alembert System

The D'Alembert system is one of the baccarat systems based on the theory of equilibrium. As it applies to baccarat, the theory is that if there is a long losing streak, then there should be an equally long winning streak. The betting sequence is for each win you subtract a bet unit and for each loss you add a bet unit. For example, if you bet 100 and lose, you then double the bet to 200. When you win 400, you will next bet with 300. It's a graduated betting system that in theory covers losses and hedges wins. The D'Alembert system doesn't call for all-in bets at all and the wins and losses are kept in check.

Contra D'Alembert System

The Contra D'Alembert is a more aggressive baccarat gambling system. In the Contra D'Alembert when a player wins they increase the betting unit by one. This somewhat coincides with the theory that a winning streak needs to flourish till a losing streak starts. For example, if you bet 100 and win, the next bet would be 300. The next bet after that would 700. If you win again the next bet would be 1500. It allows for winning streaks to continue and reap rewards of these periods. This theory seems to have a better flow with real results since often a player has streaks of winning or losing and this system capitalizes the winning streaks. The downside is baccarat tables often have betting limits of $500 and that would be the maximum bet a player could make. As with the Martingale system, a high roller environment is the best place to apply this theory.

Fibonacci System

The Fibonacci baccarat system uses a fixed sequence of numbers as a guide to place bets. The numbers are results of addition. For example, 1+1 =2 1+2=3 3+2=5 5+3=8 8+5=13 13+8=21 and up to 275. The numbers are 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 233 and 275. In the Fibonacci betting system when you win, you subtract the previous two number sequence and bet with that amount. For example, if you win 21, you remove the 21 and 13 and bet the next bet with 8. Over time this strategy has limitations like table limits. Also, distractions can make it easy to forget the sequence to count and bet with.

In summary, there are several types of baccarat systems. While no system is perfect, they each provide a strategy that will act as a guide while you play. Edge sorting seems to give the most advantage but there is no guarantee casinos will allow this method anymore. No matter the game, it's important to have a strategy while playing any game in a casino. Along with a strategy, it's important to take notes to use as a reference point and find a system that works best for your game. Strategy and experience create better outcomes .