The object of baccarat is to bet on which of two hands will have the
the highest point value closest to nine when the game is complete.
Only two bets are available. 'Banker' or 'Player'
Tens and face cards all are worth zero points; all other cards
are worth their face value, with the ace worth one point. If a total is
more than 10, the second digit is the value of the hand. For example, a
7 and a 6, which total 13, the final total will be 3.
To begin, two cards are alternately dealt for the "Player" hand and the "Banker" hand. The point totals determine whether either hand gets a third card.
A natural (a total of 8 or 9) stops play
with no further draws.
If the player has one of its other two
standing hands, 6 or 7, banker stands on 6 as well as 7, 8, and 9.
Neither hand ever gets more than three cards. After the
hands have been played out, the hand totaling closer to 9 wins.
Winning
bets are paid off at even money.
Ties push - both the banker hand and the player hand neither win or lose and the wager can be changed or left for the next hand.
The player hand is
completed first. A total of 8 or 9 is called a "natural," and the player
hand gets no more cards. Unless the banker has a natural 9 or natural 8, no further cards are drawn,
the hand ends and the naturals are
automatic winners.
Player also stands on totals of 6 or 7. On any other
total, zero through 5, player draws a third card, unless banker has a
natural, in which case the bank hand wins with no further draw.
| Player Drawing Rules | |
|---|---|
| Player Score | Draws Third Card |
| 6 or 7 | NO - Always STANDS |
| 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | YES - Always Draws |
Banker rules are a bit more complex.
Banker stands on 7, 8, or 9
draws on 0, 1, or 2
but on other hands the banker's play is
dependent on the value of the player's third card.
Banker hits a total 3 unless the player's third card is an 8
hits a total of 4
ONLY WHEN the player's third card
is a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7
hits a total of 5 ONLY WHEN the player's third card is
a 4, 5, 6, or
7
hits a total of 6 ONLY WHEN the player's third card is a 6 or 7.
The following table summarizes the Banker's third card drawing rules
| Banker Drawing Rules | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banker Score | Player's third Card | |||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 7 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 6 | S | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | S | S |
| 5 | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | S | S |
| 4 | S | S | H | H | H | H | H | H | S | S |
| 3 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | S | H |
| 2 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 1 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 0 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
Bettors also may wager that the two hands will finish with an equal number of points. Winning bets on ties pay off at 8-1. This bet carries a large 14.36% house edge.
As in other table games, the players can buy chips by placing cash on the layout and asking the dealer for change. The dealer is not allowed to take money directly from players' hands.
Baccarat players are allowed to keep track of the results of each hand, and most casinos provide score sheets and pencils to do so. Most players simply put an X in a column beneath "Banker," "Player," or "Tie.". Even more tables now offer an electronic score card of the current game being played. Makes it easy to see winning and losing streaks that have all ready happened.
This is a pure guessing game. Which hand will win? The banker hand will win slightly more often -but still very close to being a coin toss. The house collects a 5 percent commission on winning banker bets, leading to the 1.06 percent house edge on banker.
House Edge
The house edge is 1.06% on the Banker Bet, 1.24% on the Player bet,
14.36% on the Tie bet.
In addition, some casinos also offer side bets such as a Pair bet, Dragon Bonus bet and Dragon 7 bet to name the most popular ones. You can find out more about these bets on our baccarat sucker bet page.