Baccarat has a reputation for being a high rollers only casino game played behind velvet ropes and in VIP areas, but in reality it’s actually one of the simplest card games in any casino and one of the best for players. Once you understand how Baccarat works, you’ll see why it attracts everyone from first time players to professional gamblers looking for a low house edge game with a fast pace.
On this page we cover everything: the rules, the bets, how hands are scored and evaluated, what the banker’s advantage actually is, and which version of the game is likely to suit you best.
Baccarat is a card game played between two hands: the “Player” and the “Banker.” Despite the names, neither hand actually belongs to you – they’re just the two different sides of the game.
Your job as the player is to simply predict which hand will have a total closer to nine – or whether the round will end in a tie.
That’s pretty much all there is to it! You pick a side, the cards are dealt, the totals are calculated, and the winning hand is then paid out. You never need to touch the cards, or make any playing decisions, unlike if you were playing, for example, blackjack.
Baccarat uses its own point system, and here’s how the card values break down:
The key thing to be aware of: totals only ever go up to 9. If a hand’s total goes over 9, the first digit gets dropped, so it’s not like blackjack where you lose. For example, a hand of 7 and 8 totals 15, which becomes 5, whereas a hand of 9 and 6 totals 15 – which is also worth 5.
Before any cards are dealt, players place their bets on Player, Banker, or Tie. Once bets are locked in, the dealer draws two cards for the Player hand and two cards for the Banker hand, and these are all dealt face up.
If either hand totals 8 or 9 from the first two cards, it’s called a “natural” and the round ends immediately. The higher natural wins, but if both are equal, it’s a tie.
If neither hand is a natural, a third card can be drawn according to a fixed set of rules – which are as follows:
The Player hand draws a third card if its total is 0-5. If the Player totals 6 or 7, it stands – that’s all there is to it.
The Banker’s drawing rule is a bit more complex, and it all depends on what the Player’s third card was, if drawn:
Now, yes, it looks pretty complex on paper, but in practice, the dealer handles it all automatically, so you never need to make any decisions. The action is never on you like it would be in blackjack or poker card games.
There are three different betting options in Baccarat, each with a different payout and house edge percentage:
The Banker bet wins slightly more often than the Player bet. This is why casinos charge a 5% commission on any winning Banker bets. Even with that commission, however, the bet carries the lowest house edge in the game of around 1.06%. Statistically, it’s the best bet you can make at a baccarat table.
The Player bet pays even money with no commission and carries a house edge of around 1.24%, so it’s slightly worse than Banker, but still very good in terms of casino game standards. Many players prefer the Player bet because there’s no commission to take into account.
The Tie bet pays slightly differently depending on the casino you’re playing at, but most sites pay at around 8:1. That can sound tempting – but it’s actually a very bad bet to place, because the house edge sits at around 14%!
Compared to a lot of casino games, baccarat’s house edge on the main bets is incredibly low. Compare the house edges of 1.06% and 1.24% to slot machines, for example, which tend to have a house edge of between 4% and 15%, or even American roulette, which has a house edge of 5.26%, and you’ll quickly see why baccarat’s favoured with experienced and high-staking players.
The low house edge in baccarat is because the entire game was built around near-even odds, and the drawing rules were mathematically designed to keep the player and the banker competitive.
In fact, the only reason why the banker bet has a slightly lower house edge is because the banker always acts second, which allows the hand to play with more information, similar to why the dealer wins long term in blackjack.
There are a few different types of baccarat you’ll encounter when playing online, or in a land-based casino:
This is the version of the game played at virtually every online casino in the majority of land-based establishments too. In Punto Banco, all drawing decisions are fixed by the rules, so there’s no player input or choice required. Punto Banco also happens to be the game I’ve described in this guide.
Mini Baccarat uses the same rules as Punto Banco but is played on a smaller, blackjack-sized table with lower betting limits. Mini Baccarat offers faster rounds and less time, as there are simply fewer cards to deal.
The original European version of baccarat, and it’s most commonly found in French casinos. Here, players take turns acting as the Banker, and there’s some limited player choice on whether to draw a third card. It’s less common to see online, but it’s worth knowing if you do see it offered.
Online casinos offer live baccarat with real dealers streamed from custom-built studios, or even live dealer casinos. In live baccarat, the rules are the same as standard Punto Banco. Live baccarat, however, often includes side bets and, sometimes, progressive jackpots, to make the game more exciting.
If you’re new to baccarat, here’s a look at what actually happens when you begin playing:
If you’re playing online, a round of baccarat takes around 30 seconds, making it one of the faster-paced games and ideal for those who just want to get on with their gambling.
For many players, Baccarat’s simplicity is probably its greatest appeal. That’s because there are no complex decisions, no memorising strategy charts and no need to try and bluff other players. You simply pick a side and watch the cards as they’re dealt. For a casino game involving cards, that’s quite rare.
When you factor in the low house edge on the main bets too, you can see why it’s one of the more player-friendly options you’ll find in a casino. Whether you’re trying Baccarat for the first time or coming over from a more complex game, the mechanics thankfully are very easy to pick up. It takes most players just a few rounds, usually, to get to grips with how it all works.
Generally speaking, stick to Banker bets, ignore the Tie bet, and enjoy one of the oldest card games in the casino.
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