How to Play Baccarat: Rules, Card Values, and the Third-Card Draw
In baccarat, the goal is simple: predict which of two dealt hands, Player or Banker, will finish with a point total closest to 9.
In baccarat, the goal is simple: predict which of two dealt hands, Player or Banker, will finish with a point total closest to 9. You are not "the Player"; that is merely the name of one of the two hands on the table, and a bet may be placed on either side, or on a Tie. Two cards are dealt to the Player hand and two to the Banker hand, then the values are added together, with only the last digit counting toward the total (a hand of 7 and 8 becomes 5, not 15). If either hand shows an 8 or a 9 on those first two cards, it is a natural, and the round ends at once with no further cards drawn. Otherwise, a fixed, dealer-executed rulebook, never a player decision, determines whether a third card is drawn to the Player hand, the Banker hand, both, or neither. Whichever hand ends closer to 9 wins. Because every draw follows the same unchangeable table, there is no strategy beyond choosing where to place the chips. The Banker bet carries the lowest house edge of the three options, about 1.06%, which is why casinos apply a standard 5% commission to Banker wins.
What is the goal of baccarat?
The goal is to predict which of two dealt hands, Player or Banker, finishes closest to a point total of 9. Bettors may also wager on a Tie. The hand names simply identify the two positions at the table; you do not play as either one.
Baccarat is a comparing card game played between two hands, never between the bettor and the dealer. Each round, the house deals both hands by a fixed set of rules, and every wager, whether on Player, Banker, or Tie, is simply a bet on how that comparison resolves.
How are the cards valued in baccarat?
Aces count as 1, cards 2 through 9 count at face value, and all 10s and face cards (J, Q, K) count as 0. Every hand total is reduced to a single digit, so totals always fall between 0 and 9.
This single-digit rule is the heart of baccarat scoring. A hand holding a 7 and an 8, for example, adds to 15, but only the last digit counts, making the hand worth 5. A hand of a King and a 9 is worth 9, since the King contributes nothing.
How is a hand dealt?
Two cards are dealt face up to the Player hand and two to the Banker hand, drawn from a shoe holding multiple standard decks. Both two-card totals are compared immediately to check whether either hand already qualifies as a natural before any further cards are considered.
The deal itself never varies: the Player hand receives two cards, the Banker hand receives two cards, valued as described above. From there, the outcome depends on whether a natural has been dealt or the fixed third-card rules call for an extra card.
What is a natural, and how does it end the hand?
A natural is a two-card total of 8 or 9 dealt to either hand. It ends the round immediately: no third card is drawn for the Player or the Banker, and the two original totals are compared directly to settle every wager on the table.
Naturals are the fastest possible outcome in baccarat. If both hands are dealt naturals, the higher total wins outright, and a tie between two naturals settles the Tie bet. Only when neither hand holds a natural do the fixed third-card rules come into play.
An 8 or 9 on the first two cards ends the hand at once.
What are the third-card rules?
The third-card rules are fixed and carried out by the dealer, never chosen by the bettor. The Player hand draws on totals of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7; the Banker's decision then depends on its own total and, at times, the Player's drawn card.
Because these rules are entirely mechanical, no baccarat strategy can improve on them. The dealer always draws or stands exactly as the table dictates, regardless of which hand a bettor has backed.
- Player hand: draws a third card on a total of 0 to 5; stands on 6 or 7.
- Banker hand: on a total of 0 to 2, always draws, regardless of the Player's hand.
- Banker hand: on a total of 3 to 6, drawing depends on the Player's third card, when one was drawn.
- Banker hand: on a total of 7, always stands; no third card is drawn.
Which bet has the best odds: Player, Banker, or Tie?
Banker wins about 45.86% of hands, Player about 44.62%, and Tie about 9.52%. After the standard 5% commission on Banker wins, the Banker bet carries the lowest house edge of the three, roughly 1.06% (about 1.06 ENT per 100 staked).
The Player bet is close behind, with a house edge near 1.24%, about 1.24 ENT per 100 staked, and it carries no commission at all. The Tie bet, despite its inviting 8 to 1 payout, carries a steep house edge of about 14.4%, roughly 14.4 ENT per 100 staked, and is best avoided by anyone weighing the odds seriously.
Banker remains the strongest bet on the table, even after commission.
Why does the Banker bet carry a 5% commission?
Because Banker is the statistically stronger bet, winning more often and holding the lowest edge, casinos apply a standard 5% commission on every winning Banker bet to preserve the house advantage. Without it, Banker would tilt further in the bettor's favor than the game allows.
The commission is deducted only from winning Banker bets, never from the stake itself, and it is the mechanism that keeps the two main bets balanced for the house. It is also why the edge holds at about 1.06%, or roughly 1.06 ENT per 100 staked, even after the fee is applied.
What should I know about commission-free baccarat variants?
Commission-free tables skip the 5% fee but recover it elsewhere, typically by paying a winning Banker total of 6 at only 1 to 2 instead of even money. This adjustment raises the effective Banker house edge to about 1.46%, so the payout structure deserves a careful read.
Before sitting at a commission-free table, review the payout rules in full (about 1.46 ENT per 100 staked under this structure). A lower headline edge only holds if the payout table confirms it: a Banker win on 6 clipped to half its usual payout changes the math, not the feel, of the game.
Read the payout table before assuming commission-free means a better bet.
The house always knows this
Banker carries the lowest edge, about 1.06% even after commission; Tie, despite its payout, costs the most.
Frequently asked
Is baccarat a game of skill?
No. Once a bet is placed, every card is dealt by a fixed set of rules with no decisions left to make. The dealer executes the Player and Banker third-card draws automatically, so no strategy or skill can change the outcome of a hand.
How often does each outcome occur?
Across a full shoe, Banker wins about 45.86% of hands, Player about 44.62%, and Tie about 9.52%. These frequencies, combined with the payout structure and the Banker commission, are what produce the differing house edges on each of the three possible bets.
Is the Tie bet ever worth it?
The Tie bet pays 8 to 1 but carries a house edge of about 14.4%, roughly 14.4 ENT per 100 staked, far higher than either main bet. Its appeal is the large payout, not sound odds, and it should generally be avoided by anyone weighing long-term value.
Why is Banker considered the best bet despite the commission?
Even after the standard 5% commission on winning Banker bets, its house edge, about 1.06%, remains lower than the Player bet's 1.24% or the Tie bet's 14.4%. Banker also wins more often outright, which is precisely why the commission exists at all.
What happens if the Player and Banker hands tie?
If both hands finish with the same total, the round is a Tie, and Tie bets win at 8 to 1. Player and Banker bets neither win nor lose; most tables simply return those wagers to the bettor, since neither original hand was closer to 9.
Do I need to memorize the third-card rules to play?
No. The third-card rules are fixed and dealer-executed, not player decisions, so there is nothing to memorize in order to play. Understanding them helps explain why the game unfolds as it does, but every draw happens automatically regardless of what a bettor knows or chooses.
Sources & further reading
ENTBlog is educational. Every casino game carries a house edge, so the mathematically expected result of play is a net loss over time. Play for entertainment, within limits you set in advance. Nothing here is financial advice or a promise of winnings.