How to Win Baccarat at the Las Vegas Sands Casino
Baccarat has long been a glamorous casino game, but as casino patrons shift and new technologies arrive, the old-school table game may be struggling to survive. In a recent interview with GGB, Las Vegas Sands corporate senior vice president Andrew MacDonald addressed how the company’s baccarat product performs.
Players sit at a number around the Baccarat table, and place chips on either the Player, Banker, or Tie bets. The dealer passes out two cards to each spot, and the hand with the highest value wins. While the game is relatively simple, there are rules for the Banker and Player hands that can complicate things, especially when a third card is dealt. The objective is to get as close to nine points as possible, and each digit counts: tens count zero, aces are 1, and other cards have their face value.
The banker has a small advantage over the player by having to draw only when he or she is low on luck or high on variance. However, the player can also win by drawing when the banker is low on luck or high on variance. Players can also place a side bet on the player or banker to have identical cards on the deal, which pays at 11:1 odds.
Regardless of which bet you make, the most important factor is to play within your budget. It’s possible to lose a large amount of money very quickly in Baccarat, and you should always know how much you can afford to spend before you start playing.
A popular baccarat strategy is the 1-3-2-6 system, which helps manage bets and potential winnings. The sequence represents multiples of your unit bet, which can be anything from $10 to $100. In the first round, you bet $10 (1 unit) and if you win, you bet $30 (2 units) in the second round. If you win again, you bet $60 (3 units) in the third round, and if you continue to win, you move up two numbers in the sequence in the fourth round.
In addition to this pattern system, players can also use the Martingale betting strategy, which increases your bet size after each loss and reverts to the original bet amount after a win. This can lead to short-term gains, but it is important to set a budget before you start playing and stick to it.
Baccarat’s popularity has risen worldwide, with Macau casinos making 88 percent of the world’s $33.2 billion in casino profits last year. In Macau and Singapore, it’s not uncommon for high-limit players to bet $100,000 per hand. Baccarat’s glamorous trappings—including a padded bench and high-denomination, oblong chips—make it one of the most visually impressive casino games around. And while it’s not perfect, its simplicity and lack of skill-based risk makes it a popular choice for many. For those looking to give the game a try, there are plenty of Baccarat games to choose from online and in land-based casinos.