Big casinos can cheat at baccarat games, but that rarely happens, and that’s because baccarat players can bet on either the Player or the Banker’s hand. The most common way small casinos cheat is by removing some low or high cards, depending on players’ betting patterns.
Casinos typically cheat in the Electronic Table Game (ETG) versions of the game.
These variants use an electronic card shuffle, meaning that the casino can alter the size of the baccarat deck in use. This rarely occurs in big casinos because of the nature of the game.
When it comes to online baccarat, most casinos use Random Number Generators (RNGs) to determine the outcomes of each round of the game. RNGs are computerized algorithms that make sure each outcome is random and unpredictable. Unfortunately, RNGs can be changed so that the odds always favor the casino.
The only way to ensure you’re not being rigged out of money is to register and play baccarat at a trustworthy online casino. Ensure the casino’s RNG systems are inspected regularly by third-party fairness testing labs like:
- eCOGRA
- Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)
- iTech Labs
- Software Quality Systems (SQS)
- Technical Systems Testing (TST)
- NMi
- BMM Testlabs
- Gaming Associates
Online Casinos
Regulated and licensed online casinos are also less likely to cheat because they are being watched. They must also submit their RNGs and games for routine inspections. For this reason, look for online casinos licensed by trusted gambling commissions, licensing bodies, and regulatory agencies like:
- UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)
- Kahnawake Gaming Commission
- New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE)
- Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner (GGC)
- Nevada Gaming Commission
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
- Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC)
How do you cheat at baccarat?
You can cheat at baccarat by using a number of ways. These include:
Card swapping: Some casinos allow baccarat players to handle cards at the gaming table. This gives them a chance to swap cards. Cheaters usually remove cards from the deck when they are told to cut the bundle. As such, they can put it in either the banker’s or the player’s hand when it gives them an advantage over the casino.
False shuffling: This baccarat cheating method typically involves collaboration with the dealer. It was first popularized by a casino cheater named Richard Marcus. It is done via unshuffled cards, and to make it appear fair, the dealer pretends to shuffle the cards but leaves them in a pre-arranged order.
Using electronic false shuffle devices: The cheating equipment tracks the order of the cards. It also allows the cheaters to communicate with the rogue dealer. In this way, they can know when and where to place their bets.
Marking cards: Card marking is an old cheating method still used in baccarat. It involves placing marks on the exposed backs of the cards.
Usually, the cheaters focus the markings on 9s and 8s. This means the cheaters can use the markings to know what’s coming next.
Card cutting: This cheating technique involves the use of a concealed camera to read the sequences of the cards in the shoe. This usually happens when the player is cutting the deck. This trick can be done by one person or a group of cheaters.
Past posting: This is a cheating trick that some casino gamblers use on most table games that use chips, including roulette, blackjack, and craps. It is simple: just add more chips to your winning bet. The dealer is usually part of the scam.
Chip dumping: Chip dumping works much like past posting. The only difference in this cheating technique is that the dealer is involved in chip dumping. For instance, you place a $20 bet on the Player’s hand, and it wins. The dealer will discreetly add another chip (say $20) on top of your winning chips. That means your win will become $40 instead of $20.
Edge sorting: All of the cheating techniques mentioned above are illegal in all casinos. That’s because they give the player some advantage. But, edge sorting isn’t illegal. It involves all about the details.
The player just needs to identify abnormalities and irregularities found on the edges of the cards. If a 9 has a scratch or abnormal pattern on the edge, you can use this to predict when it’s coming up.
Is Baccarat rigged?
Baccarat is rigged since the game is designed to favor the casino so that it can make a profit from their tables. The same is true of most casino games, including blackjack, slot machines, roulette, and video poker.
Remember the theoretical return to player (RTP) percentage of the standard game of baccarat is 98.8%. What about the 1.2%? That is called the house edge, meaning the casino will technically take an average of $1.2 for every $100 you bet on baccarat.
Another way to think is that the game of baccarat is rigged to profit the casino 1.2%. This isn’t illegal. It’s part of how casinos work.
However, if you ask casinos, they will say baccarat is not rigged. And they would be partly correct because baccarat offers players a fair chance of winning money.
Baccarat players win every day. In fact, one player named Akio Kashiwagi is thought to make around $100 million in profits playing baccarat every year.
In conclusion, some players feel baccarat is rigged, while other gamblers feel it’s not.
Why Baccarat is dangerous
Baccarat is dangerous for the casino because it has one of the lowest house edges of around 1.2%. Another reason is that baccarat tables tend to have high betting limits, which makes the game attractive to high-stake players and high rollers.
The banker’s hand has an even lower house edge of 1.06%. The rule is that a tie has a high house advantage of 14.36%, but you win more money. That’s because tie bets pay 8 to 1.
If you bet $10K per hand in the game of baccarat, you can potentially win more than $1 million.
That’s why casinos fear the game. For instance, some Las Vegas casinos take baccarat wagers as high as $150,000 a hand, while some in Singapore have bet limits as high as $750,000.
