Baccarat rules guide
How to Play Baccarat
Baccarat is mostly a betting decision, not a card-play decision. Player and Banker are simply the names of two hands. You wager on which hand will finish closer to nine, or on a tie, and the dealer follows fixed drawing rules.
Practice at the Baccarat table →Card values and hand totals
Aces count as 1, cards 2 through 9 count at face value, and tens plus face cards count as 0. Add the cards and keep only the final digit: 7 plus 8 equals 15, so the hand total is 5.
The initial deal alternates Player, Banker, Player, Banker. If either hand has a natural 8 or 9, both hands stand. Otherwise the Player rule is applied first, followed by the Banker third-card table.
The three main wagers
Player pays even money. Banker normally pays 0.95:1 because a 5% commission is deducted from winning Banker wagers. Tie commonly pays 8:1, though posted casino rules can vary.
Banker is usually the strongest standard wager, followed closely by Player. The large Tie payout is tempting but comes with a much larger house edge.
- ◆Banker: approximately 1.06% house edge
- ◆Player: approximately 1.24% house edge
- ◆Tie at 8:1: approximately 14.36% house edge
- ◆When the hands tie, Player and Banker wagers push
Understanding the third-card rules
Player draws on totals of 0 through 5 and stands on 6 or 7. Banker draws on 0 through 2. With Banker totals from 3 through 6, the decision depends on the value of Player's third card. Banker always stands on 7.
You do not need to memorize the tableau to play the game—the dealer applies it automatically. Dealers do need to follow the chart precisely, announce the result, collect losing wagers, pay Player and Tie winners, and calculate Banker commission according to house procedure.