How to Play Baccarat

Bet on the player, the banker or a tie before the deal. Each side gets two cards; the one closer to 9 wins. Tens and picture cards count 0, aces 1, and only the last digit of a total counts, so 7 + 8 = 5. Whether a third card is drawn is decided by fixed rules, not by you.

The banker. It wins 45.86% of hands against 44.62% for the player in an 8-deck shoe, so even after the 5% commission its house edge (1.06%) is lower than the player bet's (1.24%).

No. A tie comes up 9.52% of the time; at 8 to 1 that is a 14.4% house edge, more than ten times the banker bet. Some tables pay 9 to 1, which cuts it to 4.84% — still far above banker or player.

If either side has 8 or 9 in two cards (a natural), both stand. Otherwise the player draws on 0–5 and stands on 6–7. If the player stood, the banker draws on 0–5; if the player drew, the banker’s choice depends on its total and the player’s third card — the drawing table on this page shows every case.

A version with no 5% commission, where a banker win on a total of 6 pays only half. In 8 decks that puts the banker bet's house edge at 1.46% instead of 1.06%. EZ Baccarat, which pushes a banker win with a three-card 7 instead, comes to 1.02%.

No betting system changes the house edge. Following streaks, betting against them or raising stakes after losses only changes how sessions end: many small wins and occasional large losses, or the reverse. The table on this page runs six systems on the banker bet to show it.

A player or banker pair (the first two cards of that hand share a rank) pays 11 to 1 at most tables. In 8 decks it comes up 7.47% of the time, a house edge of 10.36%.