Baccarat has a reputation for sophistication that the rules do not support. There are three bets, no decisions after you place one, and the correct strategy is a single sentence.
The three bets
You bet on which hand wins: Player, Banker, or a Tie. “Player” is just the name of a hand — you are not it, and you can bet Banker every round if you like.
Two cards go to each hand. The hand closest to 9 wins.
Counting to nine
Only the last digit of the total counts:
- Aces = 1
- 2 through 9 = face value
- 10, jack, queen, king = 0
A 7 and an 8 total 15, which is 5. A 9 and a 4 total 13, which is 3. There is no busting — you cannot go over.
A two-card total of 8 or 9 is a natural and ends the hand immediately.
The third card is not your decision
This is the part that looks complicated and never affects you. If neither hand has a natural, fixed rules determine whether a third card is drawn:
- Player draws on 0–5, stands on 6–7
- Banker’s action depends on its own total and, when Player drew, on what card Player received
You do not choose. The dealer or the software applies the rules. You can play baccarat for years without memorising them.
The house edge, and the one bet to avoid
| Bet | House edge | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Banker | 1.06% | 1:1 minus 5% commission |
| Player | 1.24% | 1:1 |
| Tie | 14.4% | 8:1 (sometimes 9:1) |
Banker is the best bet in the game even after commission, because the drawing rules give it a small structural advantage. The 5% commission exists precisely to claw that advantage back.
Tie pays 8:1 against roughly 9.5:1 true odds. Its house edge is more than ten times Banker’s. It is the worst common bet on any table in the casino, and it is placed constantly because 8:1 looks attractive.
The complete strategy: bet Banker. Ignore Tie.
Scoreboards and pattern betting
Baccarat tables display elaborate scoreboards — big road, bead plate, big eye boy — tracking past results, and players read them for streaks. Every hand is independent. The patterns are real in the sense that they happened; they carry no information about what comes next.
The scoreboards are provided because they encourage longer play, not because they help.
Side bets
Perfect Pair, Either Pair, Dragon Bonus and similar carry edges from 4% to over 10%. Same logic as everywhere else: they exist to replace the low margin on the main game.
Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer, Baccarat Banque
Punto Banco is what almost every online and African casino means by baccarat — fully automatic, no decisions. Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque let players take the banker role and make drawing decisions; both are rare online.
Why it suits new players
Baccarat has a very low edge on Banker, requires nothing to be memorised, and has no way to play it badly other than betting Tie. For someone who wants a table game without the learning curve of blackjack, it is the best available option.