Learn the table the way it actually plays. Bet Player, Banker, Tie, or a Pair, then watch a guided walkthrough narrate every card, the third-card rule, and each payout. Flip guided mode off any time to just play.
Place your betsPick a chip, tap Player, Banker, Tie, or a Pair, then deal.
Banker
Player
Chip value
$1,000
Bankroll
$0
Net
0
Hands
0
Best streak
Bead road · last 30 outcomes
Play a hand to start the road.
Red is Banker, blue is Player, green is Tie. Real tables display this too, but it only shows history. Baccarat has no memory: each shoe reshuffle is independent, and no pattern here changes the odds of the next card.
Recent Hands
Played hands show up here with the cards, the totals, and the result.
Keys: B bet Banker P bet Player T bet Tie C clear bets Enter deal / next G toggle guided mode
Baccarat has no decisions to make once your bet is down. Every card after that follows a fixed rule, called the third-card rule. This page explains the rule the dealer follows, the payouts, and why Banker is the bet with the smallest house edge, so the guided walkthrough makes sense the moment you turn it on.
How a hand plays out
1Bets are placed on Player, Banker, Tie, and/or a Pair before any cards are dealt.
2Two cards go to Player, two go to Banker. Tens and face cards count as zero, aces count as one, everything else at pip value. Drop the tens digit if the total runs over nine.
3If either hand totals 8 or 9, that is a natural. Both hands stand and the higher total wins.
4Otherwise the Player hand draws a third card on a total of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7.
5The Banker hand then draws or stands by the rule below, which depends on the Banker's own total and, if the Player drew, the value of the Player's third card.
6Whichever hand is closer to nine wins. Bets are settled, including the 5% commission on a winning Banker bet.
Every bet, ranked by house edge (8-deck shoe, worst to best)
Bet
Pays
Edge
Tie
8 to 1
14.36%
Player Pair / Banker Pair
11 to 1
10.36%
Player
1 to 1
1.24%
Banker (5% commission)
0.95 to 1
1.06%
Best play if you must play: Banker, at a 1.06% house edge even after the 5% commission. It is the lowest-edge bet on the table, and one of the lowest-edge bets in the casino.
On a Tie, Player and Banker main bets push (returned, no win or loss). The Tie bet only pays out when the hands tie.
The Banker third-card rule
Read this only when the Player hand did not stand on 6 or 7. If the Player stood, the Banker follows the same 0-5 draw, 6-7 stand rule as the Player. Columns are the Player's third card.
Banker total
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Banker on 7 always stands. Banker on 0, 1, or 2 always draws, no matter what the Player drew.
The words that matter
CoupOne round of baccarat, from the bets going down to the payout.
NaturalA Player or Banker total of 8 or 9 on the first two cards. No third card is drawn when a natural is on the table.
ShoeThe dealing box holding all the decks in play, usually eight decks in a US casino.
CommissionThe 5% the house holds back on winning Banker bets, since Banker wins slightly more often than Player.
Punto BancoThe formal name for the fixed-rule version of baccarat played in almost every US casino. Punto is Player, Banco is Banker.
Common mistakes
Betting the Tie for the payout. Eight to one looks good, but a tie only lands around 9.5% of the time, which is why the house edge runs over 14%. It is the worst regular bet on the table.
Forgetting the commission. A Banker win pays 0.95 to 1, not even money. A $20 Banker win pays $19, not $20.
Reading the bead road for a pattern. Real tables keep a scorecard too, but every coup is independent. A run of Banker wins does not make Player more likely next hand.
Chasing the Pair side bets as a main strategy. They run over 10% house edge. Fine for a single unit of fun, not a betting plan.
Rules, payouts, and house edge figures from Michael Shackleford, based on an eight-deck shoe.
About this baccarat trainer
Baccarat looks intimidating at the table because of the French terms and the fast dealing, but the game itself asks nothing of you except a bet. You back Player, Banker, or a Tie, and a fixed set of rules called the third-card rule decides everything that happens next. There is no hand to read, no decision to second-guess, and no strategy chart to memorize. This trainer exists to make the mechanics click before you ever sit at a real table, so the dealer's moves stop feeling arbitrary.
How the trainer works
Place a bet on Player, Banker, Tie, or either Pair, then deal. With guided mode on, the trainer pauses after every step, the opening two cards, the natural check, the Player's third-card decision, and the Banker's, and explains in plain language why the rule applied the way it did. Turn guided mode off and the same hand plays out in quick staged beats with no pauses, so you can run hands fast once the rule is familiar. Either way, every payout including the Banker commission is shown in full when the hand resolves.
Why Banker is the standard advice
Because the Banker hand acts after seeing the Player's result, it can react to information the Player hand never had. That positional edge is small, but real, which is exactly why the house charges a 5% commission on winning Banker bets. Even after that commission, Banker keeps the lowest house edge of the three main bets. The How It Works tab lays out the exact third-card rule table and the published house edge for every bet on the layout.
Practice only
This is a free learning tool that uses play money and keeps nothing between sessions. There is no signup and no real-money wagering. Use it to learn the flow of the table, then treat what you see here as education, not a system. No pattern in the bead road, no streak, and no betting progression changes the fixed odds behind Player, Banker, or Tie.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play baccarat?
You bet on Player, Banker, or a Tie before the cards are dealt. Two cards go to the Player hand and two to the Banker hand. Tens and face cards count as zero, aces count as one, and everything else counts at pip value, dropping the first digit if the total runs past nine. A third card is dealt to one or both hands under a fixed rule, never by choice, and whichever hand is closer to nine wins.
What is the baccarat third-card rule?
If either hand has a total of 8 or 9 on the first two cards, that is a natural and both hands stand. Otherwise the Player hand draws on a total of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. The Banker's third-card decision depends on its own total and, if the Player drew, the value of the Player's third card. The dealer applies the rule automatically.
Why is there a commission on the Banker bet?
The Banker hand acts after the Player hand and reacts to the Player's third card, which gives it a small edge in how often it wins. Casinos charge a 5% commission on winning Banker bets to offset that edge, so a winning Banker bet pays 19 to 20 instead of even money.
What is the lowest house edge bet in baccarat?
Banker, at 1.06% even after the 5% commission. Player is next at 1.24%. The Pair side bets run about 10.36% and the Tie bet runs about 14.36%, making Tie the worst regular bet on the table.
Is roulette or baccarat better odds?
Baccarat. The Banker bet carries a 1.06% house edge and Player 1.24%, both lower than every standard roulette bet: 2.70% on a European wheel and 5.26% on an American wheel. Even a European even-money bet with the La Partage rule, at 1.35%, does not beat Banker.
Is the baccarat trainer free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with play money, needs no signup, and is free to use. It is a practice and learning tool only.