Baccarat
Bet on the Player hand or the Banker hand, whichever ends closer to 9.
How to play
- Two hands are dealt, called Player and Banker. You bet on the one that ends closer to 9, or on a tie. After the bet there are no choices to make.
- Aces count 1, cards from 2 to 9 count their number, and tens and picture cards count 0. Only the last digit of a total counts, so 7 and 8 make 5.
- Each hand gets two cards. A total of 8 or 9 is a natural and ends the round. Otherwise a fixed rule decides whether each hand gets a third card.
- Player pays 1 to 1. Banker pays 1 to 1 minus a 5% commission. Tie pays 8 to 1, and Player and Banker bets come back on a tie.
Odds
With eight decks, the Banker bet has a house edge of 1.06%, the Player bet 1.24%, and the Tie bet at 8 to 1 14.36%.
Tables that pay 9 to 1 on a Tie cut its edge to 4.84%, which is still far higher than Banker or Player.
No-commission tables pay only half on a Banker win with a total of 6. That raises the Banker edge to about 1.46%.
| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Banker | 0.95 : 1 | 1.06% |
| Player | 1 to 1 | 1.24% |
| Tie | 8 to 1 | 14.36% |
The house edge is the share of every bet that the casino keeps over time. With a 2% edge you lose 2 of every 100 you bet on average over a long run. Any single session can still go either way.
Best play
- Bet on Banker. It wins slightly more often than Player, and even after the commission it has the lowest house edge.
- Player is the next best bet, and there is no commission to pay.
- Skip the Tie bet. It pays well but costs about thirteen times more than Banker over time.
- Patterns on the scoreboard do not predict the next hand.
Practice
Play money only. Nothing on this page is real money.