Baccarat has a reputation as a sophisticated, high-stakes game, but its rules are among the simplest of any card game played in a casino. Two hands are dealt, called Player and Banker, and the aim is simply to predict which hand will finish closer to a total of nine, or whether the two hands will tie.
How hands are valued
Cards two through nine keep their face value, tens and picture cards count as zero, and aces count as one. When a hand's total exceeds nine, only the last digit counts, so a hand of 7 and 8 (fifteen) is worth five. Two cards are dealt to each side, and fixed rules, not player choice, determine whether a third card is drawn, based on the totals already showing. This makes baccarat largely a game of chance rather than skill, since neither the player at the table nor the dealer makes strategic decisions about drawing cards.
The three bets and the house edge
Before cards are dealt, players simply choose which outcome to back: Player, Banker or Tie. Because the Banker hand wins slightly more often over time, casinos typically charge a commission on winning Banker bets to balance this out.
- Banker bet: the lowest house edge, typically around 1.06%, after commission
- Player bet: a slightly higher house edge, typically around 1.24%
- Tie bet: pays a larger amount if it wins, but carries a much higher house edge, often above 14%
These figures illustrate a general pattern seen across casino games: bets offering the largest potential payout usually come with the weakest odds for the player. Baccarat's simplicity, fixed drawing rules and comparatively modest house edge on the main bets are part of why it remains popular in casinos worldwide, but as with every casino game, the underlying maths still favours the house over the long run.
