Max Els
Baccarat has a reputation for being a game reserved for high rollers in roped-off casino rooms, but the truth is the opposite: it is one of the simplest card games you can play. There are no complex decisions to memorise, no strategy charts to consult mid-hand, and no skill involved once the bets are placed. The entire game comes down to which of two hands — banker or player — ends up closer to nine.
In this guide I'll walk you through everything you need to know to play baccarat confidently: how card values work, how hands are scored, what the three bets mean, how the dealing procedure works, and when a third card is drawn. By the end you'll have a complete picture of the game and be ready to play at any online or live baccarat table.
In every baccarat hand, two hands are dealt: one called the banker hand and one called the player hand. These names can be misleading — you are not the player and the casino is not the banker. They are simply labels for two sets of cards dealt to opposite sides of the table.
Your job as a bettor is to predict which hand will end up with a total closer to nine. You can bet on the banker hand, the player hand, or a tie. That's it. Once you place your bet, you don't touch the cards or make any further decisions. Everything that follows is automatic.
Baccarat uses its own card value system, different from most other card games:
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 through 9 | Face value (2 = 2, 7 = 7, etc.) |
| 10, Jack, Queen, King | 0 |
Suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) have no meaning in baccarat whatsoever.
Add up the values of the cards in a hand to get the total. The key rule: if the total reaches 10 or more, drop the first digit. The remaining number is the hand's value. This means the highest possible hand total is always 9.
Examples:
| Cards dealt | Raw total | Baccarat value |
|---|---|---|
| 7 + 2 | 9 | 9 (natural — best hand) |
| 6 + 7 | 13 | 3 (drop the 1) |
| King + 5 | 5 (King = 0) | 5 |
| 8 + 8 | 16 | 6 (drop the 1) |
| Ace + 4 | 5 | 5 |
| 10 + Queen + 6 | 6 (both face cards = 0) | 6 |
| 5 + 6 + 3 | 14 | 4 (drop the 1) |
Once you have worked through a few of these examples, the scoring system becomes second nature. You can also find a more detailed breakdown with diagrams on the baccarat hand values page.
Before any cards are dealt, you place exactly one bet. There are three choices:
You win if the banker hand ends up closer to 9. Pays 1:1, but a 5% commission is deducted from your winnings. House edge: 1.06%. This is the best bet in baccarat and one of the best in any casino game.
You win if the player hand ends up closer to 9. Pays 1:1 with no commission. House edge: 1.24%. Slightly worse than the banker bet in the long run, but many players prefer it because of the simpler payout.
You win if both hands end up with the same total. Pays 8:1. House edge: 14.36%. Despite the attractive payout, the tie bet is a poor choice — the house edge is more than thirteen times higher than the banker bet. I recommend avoiding it entirely. For the full probability breakdown, see the baccarat odds guide.
Once all bets are placed, the dealer deals four cards in a fixed sequence:
Both hands now have two cards. The dealer announces the totals. In many cases the hand ends here. But depending on the totals, one or both hands may receive a third card — not as a player decision, but automatically according to fixed drawing rules.
If either the banker hand or the player hand has a total of 8 or 9 from the first two cards, it is called a natural. When a natural occurs, no more cards are drawn — the hand ends immediately and the higher total wins. If both hands are naturals, the higher one wins; equal naturals are a tie.
Roughly one in every three to four baccarat hands ends on a natural.
If no natural is dealt, a third card may be drawn for the player hand, the banker hand, or both. These decisions follow fixed automatic rules — neither you nor the dealer makes a judgment call. The rules are the same at every casino.
If the player did not draw (stood on 6 or 7), the banker draws on 0–5 and stands on 6–7.
If the player drew a third card, the banker's decision depends on both the banker's total and the value of the player's third card:
| Banker total | Draws a third card if player's third card is... |
|---|---|
| 0, 1, 2 | Always draws |
| 3 | 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 (stands if player drew an 8) |
| 4 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| 5 | 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| 6 | 6, 7 |
| 7 | Always stands |
You don't need to memorise any of this. The dealer handles it automatically every time. But if you want to understand the logic behind it, the full baccarat drawing rules page explains each scenario in detail.
Once all cards are dealt, the dealer compares the two final totals:
The rules of baccarat are identical online and in a live casino. The differences are practical:
| Online (RNG) baccarat | Live dealer baccarat | |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer | Software (random number generator) | Real dealer, streamed by video |
| Speed | Fast — hand completes in seconds | Slower — closer to land-based pace |
| Minimum bet | Often $0.10–$1 | Typically $5–$25 |
| Atmosphere | Quiet, no interaction | Chat with dealer and other players |
| Free play | Usually available | Rarely available |
If you are learning the game for the first time, I recommend starting with online (RNG) baccarat where the pace is slower to absorb and minimum bets are low. Once you're comfortable with how scoring and drawing rules work, live dealer baccarat offers a much more engaging experience. You can browse online baccarat games and online casinos offering baccarat to find the right table for your budget.
No — baccarat is one of the easiest casino card games to learn. You place one bet before the cards are dealt, then watch the outcome. There are no decisions to make during the hand. Most players understand the full rules within a few minutes.
The banker bet. It has a house edge of just 1.06% with standard 5% commission, making it the lowest house edge available in baccarat. Start with the banker bet, keep bets consistent, and ignore the tie bet entirely until you are very familiar with the game.
Because the banker hand wins more often than the player hand — approximately 45.86% vs 44.62% of the time. Without a commission, betting on the banker would actually give the player a long-run advantage over the casino. The 5% commission restores the house edge to 1.06%.
A natural is when either the banker or player hand totals 8 or 9 from the first two cards dealt. When a natural occurs, no more cards are drawn and the game ends immediately. A natural 9 beats a natural 8; equal naturals result in a tie.
Yes. Most online casinos offer a free-play (demo) mode for their RNG baccarat games. Live dealer baccarat tables rarely offer free play. Free play is a good way to practice hand scoring and get comfortable with the pace of the game before betting real money.
The key difference is decisions. In blackjack you actively decide whether to hit, stand, double, or split on every hand — strategy matters significantly. In baccarat you make one decision (which bet to place) and then everything else is automatic. Baccarat is simpler, faster, and has a lower house edge on its best bet than most blackjack variants.
Mini baccarat is played under identical rules to standard baccarat but on a smaller, blackjack-sized table with lower minimum bets and a single dealer who handles all the cards. It's the most common format at online casinos and at most land-based casino floors outside of VIP rooms. See the mini baccarat guide for the full breakdown.