Baccarat Rules for Beginners: Every Term Explained
Baccarat is the most glamorous game in any land-based or online casino. But some of its aspects can confuse newcomers.
Don’t be intimidated – once you learn the tricky parts, this game’s rules are easy to understand. Read this comprehensive guide, and we’ll get you up and running quickly.
How Do I Win At Baccarat?
To win at Baccarat, you must correctly predict the outcome of a round. There are three options – Banker, Player, or Tie. After that, the dealer will deal out the Banker and the Player hands. If your hand gets the highest score (as close to 9 as possible), you win!
The amount won depends on who you choose to back. The Player bet pays 1:1, the Banker pays 1:1 (minus a ~5% commission), and the Tie pays 8:1.
Key Baccarat Terms
If you’re new to Baccarat, its terms can be confusing. As you encounter them, look them up in our handy table of definitions:
| Term | What It Means |
| ?? Bankroll | Money set aside for playing Baccarat. |
| ?? Baccarat | The name of this game and the worst possible hand (Baccarat means zero in Italian).) |
| ?? Banco | Refers to the Banker, both as a bet and the dealer. Pays out 1:1, but the house takes a 5% commission from winnings. |
| ?? Commission | A 5% fee charged by the house on Banco profits. |
| ? Draw | Taking a third card to improve the Players or the Banco/Bankers Baccarat hand. |
| ?? Face Card | Jacks, Queens, or Kings and Tens (10). All have a value of zero in Baccarat. |
| ?? House Edge | The advantage the casino has over players. Assume the house edge is 2%. If you wager ￡1 per hand over 100 rounds, the house will (on average) make a ￡2 profit over that span. However, due to short-term luck, players could turn a profit over the same period. |
| ?? Natural | A hand worth 8 or 9 points. A Natural is the best hand in Baccarat, so it automatically wins the round for the Banker or the Player. |
| ?? Player | A bet on the player hand to win, pays out 1:1 with no commission. |
| ?? ?? Punto Banco | A popular baccarat variant invented in Argentina in the 1950s. |
| ??? ?? Stand | When the Banker or Player refuses additional cards. Unlike Blackjack, this action is automatically done according to game rules. |
| ?? Tie | Betting that both the Player and Banker will get the same score. Pays out 8:1. |
How Are Baccarat Hands Scored?
Let’s start with number cards (2-9). These are worth face value, so if you have the 4 of diamonds, that card is worth 4 points. What about Aces? In baccarat, these cards are worth one point. And lastly, face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings, and 10s) are worth zero points.
After the first two cards are dealt, add them together to get your score. But if you get a score of 10 or greater, drop the first digit. So, for example, if you have a 7 and a 5, you’d subtract the “1” from 12, giving you a score of 2.
Why Should I Bet On The Banker In Baccarat?
The Banker has a better chance of winning than the Player. Why is this? Because the Banker has a position on the Player. By knowing the Player’s final score, the Banker can play perfectly according to a complex set of drawing rules.
Now, it’s true the house charges a commission on Banker wins. But even when you account for these losses, this bet still has a slimmer house edge than the Player.
Baccarat Vs. Blackjack – Which Has Better Odds?
Blackjack has a friendlier house edge (as low as 0.45%) on paper. But to achieve this mark, you must find an online casino that offers single-deck Blackjack, And even then, you must hit, stand, split, and double down correctly in every single hand.
Now, Baccarat has a house edge of 1.06% if you bet on the Banker exclusively. That may be higher than Blackjack’s theoretical house edge, but in Baccarat, decisions are non-existent.
So if you’re looking for an easy game with a low house advantage, Baccarat might be right for you.
Can Baccarat Be Beaten?
In real-world casinos, it’s possible to beat Baccarat. This is because you can reliably predict coming cards in future rounds by edge sorting (examining the backs of cards for irregularities).
But in online Baccarat, this is not possible. And despite what boosters of Baccarat systems claim, you cannot outrun this game’s maths in the long run. However, it is possible to win in the short-term.
How Do I Play Baccarat?
Now that we’ve reviewed the rules, key terms and answered common questions, let’s walk through a baccarat round together.
- Place your bets. After the dealer clears the Baccarat table from the previous round, place your wager. Usually, you have three options – the Banco/Banker, the Player, or a Tie. However, in some games, side bets on Banco/Player Pairs may also be available.
- Cards are dealt. The dealer deals two cards to the Banco/Banker and the Player. The dealer then announces the value of each hand.
- Third cards (when necessary) are dealt. If neither the Banco/Banker nor the Player has a natural (an 8 or 9 point hand), the dealer deals a third card per game rules.
- Showdown. The dealer declares the winner (Banco/Banker, Player, or Tie), then pays out the winners.
Now you have a basic understanding of the rules, check out our comprehensive list of the best online casinos for Live Baccarat in the UK.
