One topic that's quite popular in the gaming world is blackjack card counting. As many people know, skilled card counters can actually beat the long-term house advantage and make big profits. This being said, it's no wonder why so many people like to talk about card counting in blackjack.

But one thing that some bettors are surprised to know is that it's also possible to count cards in baccarat. And the first question that many of these people have is why baccarat card counting isn't discussed more. The truth is that baccarat's exclusion from the card counting realm actually comes down to its effectiveness, which we'll discuss below.

Slimmest of Margins

The reason why there are so many card counters in blackjack is because players can make a very good living through the game, provided they're good of course. Some counters make upwards of $100-$200 an hour, which definitely provides some incentive to learn this practice. But baccarat is an entirely different story. Sure you can improve your long-term chances of winning through counting; however, it's only by the slimmest of margins.

The standard baccarat house edge is 1.06%. And players can actually tilt this figure into a slight long-term edge for themselves through big, well-timed bets. However, the truth is that these opportunities show up so infrequently that it's not worth the effort.

Even with a complicated system and a great understanding of baccarat card counting, you're only looking at earning a $1 profit or less per day over the long-run. Taking this into account, it's hardly worth spending hours learning the counting practice and bringing a big enough bankroll to survive variance.

Still a Great Game

Just because you can't count cards in baccarat doesn't mean that it's not a worthwhile game. As mentioned before, the house edge is just 1.06%, which is better than just about every other casino game. What's more is that baccarat features really simple strategy because you can just wager on the banker hand every time. Betting on the Player hand isn't such a bad prospect either since this wager carries a 1.24% house edge.

So if you're looking for an easy casino game where you stand a decent chance of beating the house, baccarat is definitely something worth playing!