What is a Baccarat System and How do they Work?
Baccarat is a game of chance. However, there are many useful betting systems that can help players manage their bankrolls better, in anticipation of sizeable winnings in this centuries-old casino card game. One such baccarat system is known as D’Alembert, invented by the notable French mathematician Jean le Rond d’Alembert. Predicated on a ‘tweaked’ version of the Martingale system, D’Alembert is an equilibrium-style betting system.
It is typically used in the game of roulette, where even-money bets like red or black, odd or even, 1-18, 19-36, and other selections are available. Be advised that while these appear to be 50-50 betting options, the inclusion of the green 0 and/or the green 00 preclude evenness and give the house a slight edge in these games.
This particular baccarat system – D’Alembert – is a negative progression system. If you win, you lower the bet by one unit and if you lose, you increase the bet by one unit. Assuming a mini baccarat table with a starting bet of $5, a loss would increase your bet by 1 unit ($5), while a win on the first hand would simply result in your repeating the same size bet until you lose in which case you increase the bet.
Unlike the Martingale system, you don’t have to double your bet –instead you raise it by a single unit. The beauty of this system is evident in the small size of bet raising that takes place – just a single unit. Recall that with Martingale systems, the bet size doubles when you lose in order to help you recuperate your losses. Unfortunately, the Martingale system is inherently flawed for several reasons, and does not necessarily work well on baccarat games for that matter. Here are the reasons why:
- With Martingale, you have to carefully watch your bankroll. If you are doubling your bets when you lose, you can quickly run out of money. There is no telling when a losing streak will turn around, if at all.
- Every casino table game – online and at land-based casinos – has a table maximum. If you exceed a certain number of losses, you will already have reached the table maximum and will not be able to recuperate your losses with a doubling of your bet size.
- The potential winnings you can generate from the Martingale system are essentially breakeven plus a small number, it’s simply not worth it trying to chase your losses.
- The Reverse Martingale System (Paroli) is the reverse of the Martingale System – you simply double your bets after you win – essentially riding your winning streak to the max. The challenge is knowing when to walk away when you are winning – the doubling of the bets can leave you without cash if you lose. If you do lose, then you simply bet the same amount. If you started with a $10 bet and you lost that bet, you bet $10. If you win with a $10 bet, you double that bet to $20, and so on and so forth.
While mention of Roulette is common with betting systems, it is just as easy to use Martingale, Reverse Martingale (Paroli), and D’Alembert with baccarat too. Why? You may be thinking that there are no odd and even, red or black, 1-18, 19-36 selections in baccarat, and you would be correct. However, baccarat is probably the most evenly poised casino card game of them all with a house edge on the Banker hand of 1.06% and a house edge on the Player hand of 1.24%.
The tie bet has a 14.46% house edge. Other additional side bets include the Player pair and Banker pair with a house edge of 10.36%. While these other side bets are interesting to a degree, they are irrelevant for the purposes of baccarat systems. We need to focus on bets that can be regarded as ‘even-money’ bets:
Recall the following baccarat statistics:
The banker hand has a win rate of 45.8%
The player hand has a win rate of 44.6%
A tie hand has a win rate of 9.6%
As stated, baccarat betting systems should only be used on bets where you have as close to a 50-50 chance as possible. Clearly this is not the case in any casino game, since the edge has to be slanted in favor of the house. Having said that, banker bets offer players the best possible chance with 45.8%.
Now, if you remove the tie bet from consideration – theoretically – banker bets have a 51% chance of winning. There is commission on a Banker hand that wins, and that amount will be paid to the casino at the end of your gaming session when you cash out. Some online casinos offer zero commission baccarat, which makes it even more enticing to use a baccarat system.
With so many different baccarat systems out there, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. The simplest is as follows: Always bet on the banker hand in baccarat.
How Effective Is the 1324 Baccarat System?
This baccarat system was created by an online casino for use on 50-50 betting options. As such, it is somewhat effective in roulette and baccarat. It is predicated on the 1326 system by betting 4 units on bet #4, allowing players to continue winning if luck is on their side. The system works as follows:
- Bet on the Banker hand – if the bet wins, you bet 3 units
- Bet on the Banker hand – if the bet loses you begin again (1 unit)
- Bet on the Banker hand – if the bet wins 4 times, you have made 10 units of profit, after which point you start at 1 unit again.
What makes this system particularly exciting for baccarat players is that it is a relatively low-risk baccarat system. Provided you win your first 2 bets – banker bets both times, you should come out ahead. If you win or 4 bets in a row i.e. 4 x Banker bets, your winnings are 10 units. If you start with a $100 bet and each unit is $100, you come out ahead $1000. If you win your first two bets with this baccarat system, you have $400 in profit, if your second bet loses, you are down $200, if your third bet loses, you’re up $200, and so forth. If you win your first three bets and lose the fourth which is 4 units, you still come out ahead by 2 units or $200. This is how it works:
- Bet #1 – $100 – win 100 -> cumulative winnings $100
- Bet #2 – $300 – win $300 > cumulative winnings $400
- Bet #3 – $200 – win $200 > cumulative winnings $600
- Bet #4 – $400 – LOSE $400 > cumulative winnings $200
These are some of the most popular baccarat systems available to players today. There are many others that you can attempt to use, some are more complex than others such as Labouchere, Fibonacci, James Bond, 1326 Baccarat System, and the like. It is always a good idea to read our baccarat strategy guide and baccarat rules to familiarize yourself with this exciting casino card game.
