The market for betting in India has grown a lot in the past few years. Especially during the COVID lockdown, people started playing casino games online to pass the time. There are many casino games like poker, blackjack, baccarat, etc. In this article, you will read about mini-baccarat and how to place bets in it. But first, you need to understand a little bit about the game.
Mini baccarat is an old game; you play it with eight decks. A maximum of seven players can play in the game. Like any casino card game you can play solo, mini-baccarat also has a shoe. The dealer first shuffles and places the eight decks in the shoe.
Unlike in baccarat, in mini-baccarat, players don’t become bankers; in casinos, the Banker would be the casino staff.
The game starts when the Banker places two cards for themselves and two for the players. Then, they announce the hand counts obtained by adding the value of the two cards. For example, if the player’s hand is Jack of clubs and a nine, the player’s total is nineteen (10 +9). But in baccarat, you only count the one’s place. So the hand value of the player is nine. Nine is the maximum value you can have, like 21 in blackjack. However, unlike blackjack, there is no bust. And there, the dealer will place more cards only if either hand total is not an eight or a nine. It is not up to the player. The hand with the higher hand value wins.
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How to place bets in a mini-baccarat
The mini-baccarat is a straightforward game with straightforward betting rules, more than poker or blackjack. A player can place bets on three options: the player wins, the Banker wins, and the game ties. If you win a bet on the player’s or the Banker’s hand, you will win the same amount as you bet. However, the casino will take a five percent commission for betting on the Banker’s hand. It is because, in baccarat, the Banker always wins more hands.
Standing and Drawing Rules
Players draw on 0-5 and stand on 6-9. However, the player stands if the Banker has a natural (8 or 9), even if the hand value is only 0-5.
However, the Banker’s drawing and standing rules are a little more complex.
- For hand value 0-2, the Banker draws.
- if it is 3, and the player doesn’t have an 8, the Banker draws.
- for a hand value of 4, the Banker draws if the player has a hand value of 2-7.
- If the player has a hand value of 4-7, the Banker draws if their hand value is 5.
- If the Banker has a card value of 6, and the player has a card value of 6-7, the Banker draws.
- The Banker stands if they had a seven.
- The Banker will always stand on six if the player doesn’t have a third card.
Strategies For Placing Bets In Baccarat
No Tie Bets
Tie-bets pay a lot if you win; however, the chances of winning it are meager. Its house edge is 14.36%. You could lose INR 1436 if your total wager is INR 10,000.
Prefer Banker Bets
The banker bets have a more favorable house edge of 1.06 %. Therefore, for every INR 10,000, you will lose only INR 106. Even if you have to pay a five percent commission on banker bets, it is the safest one. Then the house edge becomes 1.17 %, meaning you will lose INR 117 for every INR 10,000.
Betting Strategies
Mini-baccarat is a simple game for betting in India. And besides the above ones, there are no other strategies for winning. However, you need to manage money, which means you need to raise and lower your bets in a structured way. Even if such techniques do not improve your winning probability, they will save you from being emotional while changing your chances. A few of the popular betting systems are below.
- Martingale Betting System is very popular. In this system, you double your wager if you lose a bet and return to the original after winning. This way, you will ensure that one win will cover all your losses and get a profit equal to the first bet. However, you must limit the number of times you double your wager as you lose your entire bankroll if you have a long losing streak.
- Another strategy is the Fibonacci system. You also increase your bet after losing; however, instead of doubling, you increase according to the previous two bets. You can write the Fibonacci sequence as 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. After losing, the next bet would be the sum of the previous two bets. For example, if your initial bet was INR 100, after losing, you will bet INR 200, then INR 300, and so on until you win. It is safer than the Martingale strategy as the bets do not increase as quickly.
In conclusion, mini-baccarat is a simplified form of baccarat where there is a fixed banker. All the other rules are the same; you bet on Player, Banker, or a tie. You will get even money if you win the player or banker bet and 8:1 odds if you win the tie bet. But you have to give a five percent commission.
