How to Play

The classic casino banking card game where bettors back Player, Banker, or Tie; automated drawing rules decide which hand totals closest to 9. Banker wins slightly more often, which is why it carries a 5 percent commission.

Baccarat (in its modern casino form, Punto Banco) is a banking card game where bettors wager on one of three outcomes before any cards are dealt: Player (Punto) wins, Banker (Banco) wins, or the hands tie. Only two hands are actually dealt, regardless of how many bettors are at the table, and both drawing decisions are fully automated: Player acts first on a fixed 'draws on 0-5, stands on 6-7' rule, then Banker follows a more elaborate table that depends on Banker's total and Player's third card if drawn. The hand whose final total ends closest to 9 wins, where 'total' means the last digit of the sum (an 8 plus a 7 counts as 5, not 15). Payouts are 1:1 on Player, 1:1 minus a 5 percent commission on Banker, and 8:1 or 9:1 on Tie. Baccarat offers some of the lowest house edges of any casino game (1.06 percent on Banker, 1.24 percent on Player) while the Tie bet at 8:1 carries a 14.36 percent edge, making bet selection the entire game.

Players

Up to 14 bettors around a full-size Baccarat table, all betting against the house. Only two hands are dealt each round, the Player hand and the Banker hand, both played automatically by fixed drawing rules. The banker role in Punto Banco is held by the casino; in older forms like Chemin de Fer it rotates among bettors. Most rounds take 30 to 60 seconds, so pace is brisk.

Card Deck

• Six or eight standard 52-card decks shuffled together and dealt from a shoe (sabot). Eight decks is the most common.
• Card values are used only for totalling hands: Ace = 1; 2 through 9 = face value; 10, Jack, Queen, King = 0.A♠2♠9♠10♠K♠
• Suits do not matter.
• Hand totals use modulo-10 arithmetic: add the card values and take only the last digit. The maximum hand value is 9; 10+ rolls over to zero.
• Examples: 7 + 8 = 15 → hand totals 5. 4 + 6 = 10 → hand totals 0. Ace + 9 = 10 → hand totals 0. 3 + 3 = 6 → hand totals 6.

Objective

Correctly bet which of the two hands (Player or Banker) will end closest to 9, or that both hands will have the same total (Tie). Every winning bet is paid immediately and all losing chips are collected. There is no way to influence the cards once the shoe is dealt; the entire game reduces to bet selection before the deal.

Setup and Deal

1. Bettors place chips in their chosen circle: Player, Banker, or Tie. Some tables offer side bets (Player Pair, Banker Pair, Big, Small).
2. The croupier exposes the top card of the shoe and 'burns' (discards) a number of cards equal to its value (10s burn 10).
3. The croupier deals two cards to Player and two to Banker, alternating, all face up. The Player hand goes on one side of the table, Banker on the other.
4. Both totals are announced. If either hand is 8 or 9 on those first two cards, it is a 'natural' and no more cards are drawn; the hands are compared immediately.
5. If neither hand is a natural, apply the Player rule first, then the Banker rule (below).

Player Third-Card Rule

• Player's two-card total is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5: Player draws a third card.
• Player's two-card total is 6 or 7: Player stands.
• Player's two-card total is 8 or 9: natural; both hands are compared without Banker drawing.

Banker Third-Card Rule

• If Player stood (two-card total 6 or 7), Banker plays the same way: draws on 0-5, stands on 6-7.
• If Player drew a third card, Banker's action depends on Banker's two-card total AND Player's third card:
• Banker 0, 1, 2: Banker always draws a third card.
• Banker 3: Banker draws UNLESS Player's third card was 8. On 8, Banker stands.
• Banker 4: Banker draws if Player's third card was 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. Banker stands on 0, 1, 8, 9.2♠3♠4♠5♠6♠
• Banker 5: Banker draws if Player's third card was 4, 5, 6, or 7. Banker stands on 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, 9.2♠3♠8♠9♠
• Banker 6: Banker draws only if Player's third card was 6 or 7. Banker stands otherwise.
• Banker 7, 8, 9: Banker always stands.
• These rules are fixed by the house; neither the dealer nor the bettors have discretion.

Comparison and Payouts

• After all drawing actions, the higher final total wins its side's bets. Banker and Player are paid at even money.
• Winning Player bets: pay 1:1 (stake back + equal amount).
• Winning Banker bets: pay 1:1 minus a 5 percent commission (net 0.95 on each unit staked). Some casinos use 'commission-free Baccarat' but push Banker 6 for half the stake instead, preserving the house edge.
• Winning Tie bets: traditionally pay 8:1 (nine times the stake returned); some casinos pay 9:1 with a slightly lower house edge.
• Push: on a Tie result, Player and Banker bets are returned (neither win nor lose). Only Tie bets are paid.
• Side bet Player Pair or Banker Pair: pays 11:1 if the corresponding hand's first two cards are the same rank.

House Edges

• Banker bet: 1.06 percent house edge (after 5 percent commission).
• Player bet: 1.24 percent house edge.
• Tie bet at 8:1: 14.36 percent house edge.
• Tie bet at 9:1: 4.85 percent house edge.
• Pair side bets: around 10 to 11 percent house edge depending on the number of decks.
• The Banker edge comes from the asymmetric third-card rule that lets Banker 'see' Player's third card before deciding; the 5 percent commission is what keeps the house ahead despite Banker winning more often than Player.

Winning

A session ends when the player is ready to leave or the shoe finishes (a cut card is typically placed 14 cards from the end; after the cut card is dealt, the current hand is completed and the shoe is reshuffled). There is no 'win the match' concept; each hand is settled independently.

Common Variations

• Chemin de Fer: The banker role rotates among bettors, and the player representing 'Punto' may choose whether to draw on 5. Banker drawing decisions are also somewhat discretionary. This is the historic French form and the one James Bond plays in the novels.
• Baccarat Banque (Baccarat à deux tableaux): Banker deals to two Player hands simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right; bettors may back either.
• Mini Baccarat: A single dealer runs a smaller table with lower limits. Rules and pacing are identical to Punto Banco but rounds are faster.
• Punto Banco 2000 / EZ Baccarat: Removes the Banker commission but adds 'Dragon 7' and 'Panda 8' side bets that take the equivalent house margin.
• Super 6: A commission-free version where Banker winning with 6 pays only half, a cleaner alternative to the 5 percent rake.

Tips and Strategy

• Always bet Banker when given a straight choice between Banker and Player; 1.06 percent beats 1.24 percent even after commission.
• Skip the Tie bet. At 8:1 it has a 14.36 percent house edge, one of the worst in the casino.
• Avoid roadmap-chasing systems (the coloured 'big road', 'bead plate', or 'Dragon' trend boards). Each hand is independent; past outcomes provide no predictive edge.
• Set a fixed loss limit before you sit. Baccarat rounds are so short that a 50-hand session can evaporate a bankroll faster than almost any other table game.
• If the table offers commission-free Baccarat with a half-payout on Banker 6, the house edge is almost identical to the standard 5 percent commission; pick whichever you find easier to play.

Glossary

• Punto / Player: One of the two dealt hands and the corresponding bet.
• Banco / Banker: The other dealt hand and bet; named for the historic role of the bank.
• Natural: A two-card total of 8 or 9, which ends the hand immediately.
• Shoe / Sabot: The dealing box holding the shuffled decks.
• Coup: A single round of Baccarat (one deal and result).
• Commission: The 5 percent the house keeps from winning Banker bets.
• Cut card: A plastic card placed 14 cards from the end of the shoe; when it appears, the current coup finishes and the shoe is reshuffled.