How to play baccarat

Baccarat looks formal and plays simple. You choose one of three bets, the cards are drawn by fixed rules, and the hand is over in seconds. There is nothing to decide after the bet, which means the only skill is choosing the right bet, and the maths makes that choice clear. This guide explains the rules, the three bets and what each one costs, with probabilities we calculated for a standard eight-deck shoe. Find baccarat tables on our table games page.

How a hand works

• Two hands are dealt: Player and Banker. These are just names; you can bet on either.
• Cards 2-9 count at face value, aces count 1, tens and face cards count 0.
• A hand's total is the last digit of the sum: 7 + 8 = 15 counts as 5.
• The hand closer to 9 wins. Equal totals are a tie.
• A two-card total of 8 or 9 is a "natural": both hands stand and the hand is settled.

Third-card rules

If neither hand has a natural, a third card may be drawn, always by these rules:

Player hand: draws on 0-5, stands on 6-7.

Banker hand: if the Player stood, the Banker draws on 0-5 and stands on 6-7. If the Player drew a third card, the Banker acts on its own total and the Player's third card:

You never need to memorise this. The dealer or software applies it. It matters because it is why the Banker hand wins slightly more often: it acts second, with more information.

The three bets, worked out

We enumerated every possible deal from a full eight-deck shoe (416 cards) with the rules above:

From those:

On Banker and Player bets a tie returns your stake.

The tie's 8 to 1 payout looks generous next to 1 to 1, but a tie lands less than once in ten hands. At 9 to 1 the edge falls to 4.84%, still four times the Banker bet.

Commission in practice

A Banker win on a C$20 bet pays C$19, not C$20. Some tables track commission and collect it later; digital tables deduct it at once. "No-commission" variants drop the 5% but change the payout on specific Banker wins (commonly a Banker win on a total of 6 pays half). Those changes raise the edge on the Banker bet, so check the game's help screen for the stated RTP before assuming no-commission is better.

Variants at a glance

• Punto banco is the standard online and casino version described here: fixed drawing rules, no player decisions.
• Mini baccarat uses the same rules at a smaller table with lower limits and a faster pace.
• Speed baccarat cuts the time per hand. The odds are unchanged; the cost per hour rises with the pace.
• No-commission baccarat removes the 5% charge but changes specific payouts on Banker wins. Read the help screen for the stated RTP.
• Side bets (pairs, dragon bonus and similar) pay larger multiples at much higher edges than the main bets.

Streaks and scorecards

Live baccarat tables show "roads": grids of past results. They are a record, not a forecast. Each hand is dealt from the shoe by fixed rules; past Banker or Player streaks do not change the next hand's odds in any way you can use. The house edge stays 1.06% or 1.24% whichever pattern you follow.

Speed and session cost

Baccarat is fast: a hand takes seconds digitally and not much longer live. Speed multiplies cost. Illustratively, 80 hands an hour at C$10 on Banker is C$800 wagered and about C$8.48 of expected cost an hour; at 200 hands an hour, C$21.20. Low edge, but not free. Provincially, PlayNow Manitoba lists live dealer baccarat; offshore casinos carry many variants. The live casino guide covers live tables.

Baccarat and bonuses

Because the Banker bet's edge is so low, casinos weight baccarat at or near zero:

At Jackpot City, playing 0% games before the playthrough is complete can void winnings. Play baccarat with cash, not a bonus; the game weighting guide and wagering calculator show why.

The short version

1. Bet Banker (1.06%) or Player (1.24%).
2. Skip the tie, especially at 8 to 1.
3. Ignore the roads.
4. Set a budget; fast hands spend it quickly.

The Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines suggest gambling no more than 1% of household income a month. See our responsible gambling page for limits and the helpline in your province. For other low-edge tables, read the blackjack guide and the roulette guide.