How to play baccarat
Baccarat has more ceremony than complexity. You place one bet, the dealer does the rest, and fixed rules decide every card that comes out.
Short answer
Bet on Banker, Player or Tie. Two cards go to the Player hand and two to the Banker hand. Card values are the last digit of the total: tens and face cards count zero, an Ace counts one, and other cards count their number. The hand closest to 9 wins. Fixed third-card rules decide whether either hand takes one more card, and you never choose. Player pays 1 to 1, Banker pays 1 to 1 minus a 5% commission, and a Tie usually pays 8 to 1 while Player and Banker bets push.
The three bets
The "Player" and "Banker" hands are just the names of the two hands on the layout. Neither belongs to you. You can bet on either one, or on the two hands tying, on any deal.
| Bet | Pays | House edge (8 decks) |
|---|---|---|
| Banker | 1 to 1 minus 5% commission | 1.06% |
| Player | 1 to 1 | 1.24% |
| Tie (8 to 1) | 8 to 1 | 14.36% |
| Tie (9 to 1) | 9 to 1 | 4.84% |
All four figures come from the exact engine that enumerates every deal from a full eight-deck shoe. The house edge page shows how they are built.
Card values
- Ace counts 1.
- Cards 2 through 9 count their face number.
- 10, Jack, Queen and King count 0.
- A hand total is the last digit of the sum. A 7 and an 8 total 15, which is a hand of 5.
Because only the last digit counts, no hand can bust and the highest possible total is 9.
The flow of a hand
- Bets down. You place Banker, Player or Tie, plus any side bet.
- The deal. Two cards to the Player hand, two to the Banker hand.
- Naturals. If either hand totals 8 or 9 on the first two cards, both hands stand and the deal is settled at once. This happens on 34.30% of deals.
- Player third card. If there is no natural, the Player hand draws on 0 through 5 and stands on 6 or 7. The Player hand takes a third card on 50.34% of deals.
- Banker third card. The Banker hand then follows its own table, which depends on the Player third card. The Banker hand takes a third card on 43.54% of deals.
- Settle. The higher total wins. Equal totals are a tie, which pays the Tie bet and pushes Player and Banker.
A deal uses 4.94 cards on average. No hand ever gets a fourth card.
The commission
A winning Banker bet is paid at even money, then 5% of the bet is taken as commission, so a 100 unit Banker win returns 95 units of profit. Most tables track the commission and collect it at the end of the shoe. Some tables sell a no-commission version where a Banker win with a total of 6 pays half. That version is worse for you, and the house edge page shows by how much.
Common questions
Do I ever get to make a decision?
Only the bet. Once the cards are dealt, the drawing rules are fixed and the dealer applies them. Squeezing the cards is theatre, not choice.
Can a hand go over 9 and bust?
No. Totals are taken modulo 10, so a 9 and an 8 is a hand of 7, not 17. Busting does not exist in baccarat.
What happens to my bet on a tie?
Player and Banker bets push and are returned. Only the Tie bet is paid. Ties happen on 9.52% of deals in an eight-deck shoe.