Designed by Greg Fletcher, Baccarat Attack is a betting progression strategy. It provides a structured betting plan through what’s called Attack and Retrench phases, but requires an increased stake no matter your previous result. As it is an aggressive strategy, it will not suit all playstyles, but it could add discipline and structure to your play. What it won’t do is guarantee wins, change odds or reduce house edge, which is the same with any baccarat strategy.

What Is the Baccarat Attack Strategy?

The Baccarat attack strategy is a betting system designed to maximize your results during a session playing baccarat, whether online or at land-based casino venues. However, it is not a method for predicting the results of a hand, such as the banker or player winning or the hand ending in a tie.

At its core, the strategy is pretty straightforward:

(Attack Phase) During favorable runs: You jump into an ‘Attack’ phase, increasing your stakes to maximize hot streaks.
(Retrench Phase) During losing runs: During losing runs: You follow a separate progression designed to minimize potential losses and recover previous losses.

Some of you might think that sounds similar to the approach used by other baccarat strategies, such as the Martingale or Paroli. However, while there are similarities, the Baccarat Attack uses more complex bet types and sequences. It is also considered an aggressive strategy because it often involves increasing your stake regardless of the previous outcome.

However, those against betting strategies such as this one rightly claim that no progression system is capable of consistently beating Baccarat’s built-in house edge.

Where it Comes From – Greg Fletcher and his ‘Attack, Retrench and Win Book

Greg Fletcher created and popularized the Baccarat Attack betting system through the release of an 183-page PDF and his book called ‘Attack, Retrench and Win’. Its release came after years of discussing the strategy on various forums and testing it across different iterations.

Backed by bold marketing claims we recommend you ignore, such as promises of a 93.75% win rate, the final system at launch was described as a detailed framework. It came with guides on bankroll management, tracking methods to follow the strategy accurately, and even separate tools, such as the BAT Bet-Tracker.

How the Baccarat Attack Strategy Works – Attack vs Retrench

As with most betting strategies, two separate phases of Baccarat Attack are used depending on whether you’re enjoying a winning streak or suffering a run of losses.

However, while the book and PDF breakdown of the strategy is quite complex and details different approaches to how bets are increased and decreased, you’re always taking an aggressive stance with bigger stakes each time.

This dual-progression structure is the strategy’s biggest differentiator, but it is also considerably riskier than most alternatives. Especially as it is all designed around timing and discipline. One wrong move could prove expensive.

The Attack Phase

When the strategy identifies a winning sequence of results, you’re put into ‘Attack’ mode, which, for all intents and purposes, is to gradually increase your wagers to take advantage of the positive momentum.

You’re not required to make significant betting jumps each time, with the mode instead requiring a more controlled progressive approach. With each successive win, a slightly larger follow-up stake is required, allowing your potential profits to increase the longer the winning streak continues.

The Retrench Phase

You enter the ‘Retrench’ phase once an inevitable loss comes along. However, it is the part of the strategy that often confuses players, simply because, unlike other strategies, you’re not always reducing your initial stake. In fact, you’ll make even bigger stake increases than in the Attack phase.

What does change is the purpose of the mode. The aim switches from maximizing profits to attempting to recover your previous losses. Rather than relying on emotionally driven loss-chasing behaviour, it is done in a structured manner as part of the Baccarat Attack’s progression rules.

The 4 Baccarat Attack Bet Types Explained

Four bets come into play at certain stages of your baccarat playing session:

Starter Bet: The starter bet is the first bet you’ll place and, in the beginning, at least, should be the lowest possible stake on the table. It needs to be small enough to sustain lots of progression cycles and also represents winning bet increases.
Trigger Bet: This is the bet placed to determine which phase you’ll enter first. Most players make this double the size of the Starter bet.
Attacking Bet: If you win the Trigger Bet, the Attack phase begins. Typically, players increase their bet by half the value of the trigger bet with every successive win.
Retrenchment Bet: This bet kicks in following a loss. What may surprise you is the fact that it involves bigger bet increases. With every losing hand, the value of your previous two bets is added up to determine your new stake.

Here is a quick example of a bet sequence that could happen using the Baccarat Attack strategy:

Step	Mode	Bet ($2 Minimum Example)	Outcome
Starter	Neutral	$2	—
Trigger	Attack Setup	$4 (2x Starter)	Win
Attacking	Attack	$6 (Increases by half the trigger bet – $2)	Win
Attacking	Attack	$8 (Increases by half the trigger bet – $2)	Loss
Retrenchment	Retrench	$14 (Last two bets combined $8 + $6)	Lose
Retrenchment	Retrench	$22 (Last two bets combined $14 + $8)	Win
Attacking	Attack	$24 (Increases by half the trigger bet – $2)	Continue the cycle

Does the Baccarat Attack Strategy Actually Work?

While the Attack system may add organization and structure to your baccarat sessions as well as potentially minimize losses and maximize winnings, it doesn’t help you win.

The reason comes down to the game’s mathematics, specifically its house edge and payout structure.

Banker House Edge: Approximately 1.06%
Player House Edge: Approximately 1.24%
Tie House Edge: Approximately 14.4% (with standard 8:1 payouts)

The house edge remains unchanged regardless of the strategy used. They can affect the distribution of your wins and losses, but they’ll never be able to change the expected value of your wagers.

Across thousands of bets on the Banker, your expected loss will always remain around 1.06% of the money you’ve wagered. It’s a negative long-term expectation built on maths.

That’s why claims of a 93.75% win rate in the book or around forums are simply hyperbole. That does not mean you shouldn’t use the system, just that you should understand it’s not a magic recipe for beating the game.

Attack Strategy vs Other Baccarat Systems

While the Baccarat Attack strategy shares similarities with some other well-known betting systems, there are some key differences in terms of their complexity and how they work.

Strategy	Increase After Wins	Increase After Losses	Complexity	Beats House Edge?
Martingale	No	Yes	Low	No
Paroli	Yes	No	Low	No
1-3-2-6	Yes	No	Medium	No
Baccarat Attack	Yes	Yes	High	No

Probably the best-known strategy is the Martingale, which simply requires doubling stakes after a loss. While it can help to recover from losing streaks, when they get too long, they can put real pressure on your bankroll.

As for the 1-3-2-6 and Paroli systems, stake increases follow wins instead, a bit like the Attack mode of the Attack Baccarat system. However, the Attack is more complicated than any of the above, simply because there are progressive betting systems to follow for both losing and winning streaks.

One thing they all definitely share in common is that none can beat the house edge of Baccarat. Do not use any strategy believing it is a sure-fire way to improve your results.

Pros, Cons & Risks

As with any betting system, some pros and cons apply to the Baccarat Attack.

Pros of Baccarat Attack

The strategy focuses on bankroll management
Can remove the emotional tie to results
Your betting sessions have more structure
Encourages you to set pre-session win and loss limits
Could improve your enjoyment of baccarat sessions

Cons & Risks

Is a more complicated strategy than most other baccarat betting systems
It’s an aggressive system – stake increases required during winning and losing streaks
Is not a guarantee of short or long term success
Mistakes can occur easily as results tracking is required
May encourage chasing losses if used irresponsibly
Long losing streaks could require expensive stakes

Like any progression system, the biggest risk is assuming that structure equals an advantage. The two are not the same thing.

How to Try It Sensibly at mBitCasino

If you understand the risks of playing baccarat and the Baccarat Attack betting strategy but want to give it a try, we recommend taking a sensible approach.

Start with free-to-play demos or use the smallest stakes possible as you get comfortable with the strategy’s betting phases and progression. By doing so, you’ll be able to focus on the specifics without putting much of your bankroll at risk.

Before you start any real money session using the strategy:

Choose a baccarat table with a low minimum bet limit
Set a fixed bankroll (never increase it)
Establish a stop-loss limit (always quit if reached)
Put in a profit target (stop once met)
Follow the strategy’s progression to the letter

Once you’re ready to get started, take a look through our baccarat collection featuring tables in both a virtual and live format. We suggest picking out a standard variation of the game for the purpose of testing the strategy. Go for a table with the lowest stakes possible, at least initially.

Just remember that responsible gambling starts with accepting that each bet comes with a house edge and is therefore a risk.

Baccarat Attack Strategy FAQ

What is the best strategy to win baccarat?

No baccarat strategy can consistently generate profits or overcome baccarat’s house edge. Many experienced players believe the best strategy is simple, and that’s to stick to Banker bets, which have the lowest house edge.

Is baccarat actually 50/50?

No, as ties can occur, baccarat does not give you a 50/50 chance of winning. Player bets win approximately 44.6% of hands, while Banker bets win approximately 45.9%, and the Tie bet will win 9.6% of the time.

Is baccarat more luck or skill?

Baccarat is a game of chance that gives the house a mathematical edge over long-term results. Skill or strategy comes through a player’s bankroll management choices rather than by influencing outcomes.

Is there any pattern to baccarat?

Each hand is random and independent, so it is impossible to pick out any reliable patterns from a session. All you can go by is the odds of each hand winning when deciding your next bet.

What is the 1-3-2-6 strategy in baccarat?

The 1-3-2-6 strategy is a positive progression system with similarities to the Baccarat Attack, but is simpler in design and does not have a Retrenchment phase.

Should you always bet Banker in baccarat?

The Banker bet is the safest as it has the lowest house edge and typically wins slightly more often than the Player Bet. Having said that, it does not guarantee you’ll enjoy profitable baccarat sessions.

How often do people win at baccarat?

Players win frequently playing Baccarat unless they place the Tie bet, which has smaller odds of winning. The Player and Banker bets win 44.6% and 45.9% of the time, respectively.

Is baccarat better odds than blackjack?

Blackjack has a slightly lower house edge if played optimally. However, Baccarat offers simpler gameplay due to fewer actions, which suits players looking for faster gameplay.