Baccarat Bets
Baccarat is an easy to play and exciting game which originated in Europe. Players only have three bets to choose from - the player bet, the banker bet, or the tie bet.
Two hands of two cards are dealt, one representing the player's hand and one representing the banker's hand. Depending on the value of the hands, a third card may be drawn for each hand. The winning hand is the one with a card total closest to nine.
If you placed a wagered on the Player bet and win, you get paid 1:1. If you placed a wager on the Banker bet and win, you also get paid 1:1, less 5% house commission. And if you placed a wager on the Tie bet and win, you get paid 8:1.
They payout odds may vary from casino to casino, so be sure to check the payout odds before playing.
The Tie bet pays out the most, but it also has the highest house edge among the three baccarat bets at 14.36%. The Player bet holds 1.24% house edge, while the bet holds 1.06% house edge.
General Baccarat Rules
Baccarat uses a four deck shoe (although other casinos use up to eight decks a shoe).
No hand receives more than three cards.
Tens and face cards are worth zero, aces are worth one and all other cards are worth their face value.
If the value of a hand exceeds nine, then the value is adjusted by subtracting 10 from the total. No hand receives more than three cards.
Third Card Rule
If either the player or the banker has a total of an 8 or a 9 on the first two cards they both stand. This rule overrides all other rules.
If the player's total is 5 or less then the player hits, otherwise the player stands.
When the player and banker hands are equal then the hand is declared a tie.
After the first two cards are dealt to both the player and banker, a third card may be dealt, subject to the Third Card Rule. The player's hand is always played first followed by the banker's hand. If the player stands, then the banker hits on a total of 5 or less. If the player does hit then use the chart below to determine if the banker hits (H) or stands (S).
