Baccarat rules

Key points

• You bet on whether Player or Banker wins (or Tie), and the hand whose total is closer to 9 wins.
• An ace counts 1 and 10s and face cards count 0; only the last digit of the total matters (a 7 and an 8 make 5).
• Whether a third card is drawn is set by the rules and happens automatically, so bettors choose nothing.
• Player pays 1:1, Banker pays 0.95:1 (a 5% commission) and Tie pays 8:1.
• The house edge is 1.06% on Banker, 1.24% on Player and 14.36% on Tie.

How a hand goes

1. Bet on Player, Banker or Tie (side bets are optional)
2. Two cards each are dealt in the order Player, Banker, Player, Banker
3. Count the points. An ace is 1, 2 to 9 count as marked, tens and face cards are 0. The point is the last digit of the total (9 and 7 make 16, so the point is 6)
4. If either side has 8 or 9, it is a natural. Neither side draws
5. Otherwise third cards are drawn by the third-card rules
6. The hand closer to 9 wins. Equal points are a Tie

Example. Player has 3♠ 2♦, which is 5. A 5 draws, so Player draws 8♣ for a total of 3. Banker has K♥ 6♣, which is 6. When the Player’s third card is an 8, a Banker 6 does not draw. Banker wins 6 to 3.

The cards usually come from an eight-deck shoe.

Bets and payouts

At a Standard table, Banker wins pay a 5% commission.

Example. Bet 100: you receive 95 if Banker wins, 100 if Player wins and 800 if a Tie comes.

On a tie, Banker and Player bets are returned. A pair means the first two cards have the same rank (K and K; K and Q is not a pair).

The cheapest bet is Banker. For EZ and No Commission tables see Rule differences.

Signals and etiquette

• At a small table (Mini Baccarat) the dealer turns every card. Players do not touch the cards
• At a large table (Big Table), the players with the largest Player and Banker bets receive those cards, look at them and turn them face up
• Commission is tracked with small markers and paid at the end of the shoe
• Score cards and pencils are on the table.

Reading the road maps

The road maps record this shoe’s results.

• A column is a streak for one side. Three Banker wins in a row (red circles) go three down one column. When the winning side changes, the next mark starts the next column to the right
• A tie does not start a column. It draws a green slash on the previous circle
• Pairs are dots on the circle’s corners.

Example. Eight hands come out B B B P P T B P (B is Banker, P is Player, T is a tie). The Big Road shows them like this.

Column 1 is three Banker wins, column 2 is two Player wins. The tie after them only adds a line to the second P; the column does not change.

Road maps show the past and cannot predict the next result.

Third-card rules

Player: draws on 0 to 5, stands on 6 or 7.

Banker: if Player stood, Banker draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. If Player drew a third card, the Banker total and the point of the Player’s third card decide.

Example. With a Banker 6 and a Player third card of 8, Banker does not draw. With a third card of 7, Banker draws.

You do not need to memorize this: the dealer draws by the rules.

Rule differences

• EZ Baccarat: Banker wins pay no commission, but a Banker win with a three-card 7 is a push (the Banker bet is returned).
• No Commission: Banker wins pay no commission, but a Banker win with a 6 pays only half (0.5 to 1).

They differ in how commission is taken and in what a Banker win with certain hands does.

Side bets by rule set.

On Standard and EZ the cheapest bet is Banker. On No Commission, Player (1.24%) costs less than Banker (1.46%).

Sources

Checked: 2026-09-29 (the date every page was confirmed to open)

• Wizard of Odds “Baccarat”
• Wizard of Odds “EZ Baccarat”
• Wizard of Odds “Commission Free Baccarat”
• N.J.A.C. 13:69F-7.3 (casino rules)
• N.J.A.C. 13:69F-7.7 (casino rules)