Baccarat: the complete strategy guide
Everything you need to play baccarat well, in one place. Every number on this site is computed from an exact combinatorial engine that enumerates every deal from a full shoe. Nothing is guessed.
Short answer
Baccarat is a house-banked card game with no player decisions after the bet is placed. You bet on Banker, Player or Tie, two hands are dealt, and fixed rules decide whether either hand takes a third card. In an eight-deck shoe the Banker hand wins 45.86% of deals, the Player hand wins 44.62%, and 9.52% are ties. That makes Banker the best bet at a house edge of 1.06% after the 5% commission, against 1.24% for Player and 14.36% for a Tie paying 8 to 1. The whole of correct baccarat strategy is to bet Banker, skip the Tie, and skip the side bets.
Use this guide as a map. Start with the rules, learn the third-card rules so the dealing stops looking like magic, then see the math behind the odds and the edge. When you want to build the habit, the trainer walks you through a hand step by step or lets you play a full shoe on your own.
Common questions
Is baccarat beatable?
No. Every bet on the layout has a negative expectation and there are no player decisions to optimize, so no betting pattern can turn the game positive. The best you can do is pick the cheapest bet, which is Banker at 1.06% per hand.
Why does the Banker bet pay a commission?
Because the Banker hand acts last and sees the Player third card before deciding, it wins more often than the Player hand. The 5% commission on Banker wins is what keeps the bet from favoring the player. See house edge.
Do I ever choose whether to draw?
No. The third-card rules are fixed and the dealer applies them. Your only decision is which bet to place, which is why baccarat strategy is short.