Baccarat Rules

Master the Rules of Baccarat 

Baccarat is a card game where players compete to get the closest to nine points. There are several game variations, but the most common is Punto Banco, which means “Banker’s bet.” 

In this variation, players bet against the house by betting on either one or two hands of two-card totals that add up to nine or closer. After each hand is dealt, one hand will be designated as “Player” and one as “Banker.” 

The Objective 

So, how is Baccarat played? Well, before we jump to the “how to” guide, let’s first understand the objectives.

Baccarat is a game of chance where you place your bet on the table and then roll two dice. The number on the top face of the dice is your card.

You have to place your bet according to your card. The dealer will deal cards and then the player must choose whether to “hit” or “stand,” meaning if they want another card or not. They may also choose to split or double down on their bet. 

Card Values 

Here is a list of all card values that baccarat uses in games:

The three most valuable cards in baccarat are the 8, then 9, and the 0.

Players bet on which hand will win, and the dealer must call out the value of each card when it is dealt.

What exactly does “baccarat” mean?

In baccarat, players are given two hands from which to choose. Hands are scored individually, and the winner has the higher score. The hands are:

• Player Hand-10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
• Banker Hand-9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3

If both hands have the same value (9), no one wins that hand. If both hands have a zero (0), the player automatically wins.

Types Of Bets In Baccarat 

Before you take a seat at the Baccarat table, you should learn about the different types of bets.

There are several types of bets in baccarat: banker bets are for players who think the banker will win. In this case, the return on investment can be high.

Player bets are made by those who think that they have a chance to win or lose, and the return on investment can be low or high.

Lastly, tie bets occur when both player and banker have matching hands. Tie bets pay 8 to 1.

1. Bet on a player 

If you’re going to be betting on a player in baccarat, make it the 8. The number 8 has a high likelihood of being dealt with an individual hand in any given round of baccarat and deserves its status as the most popular selection for gamblers who are using a strategy based on selecting a single hand. It is the only number to feature in the top 10 ranking for every variant of this game.

2. Bet on a banker 

When betting on a banker in Baccarat, the first thing you should think about is how much you want to risk. For example, if you are betting on the banker and the hand ends up with an 8 for the player, you will lose your entire bet. If you are betting on the player and he gets three points, then you win your total bet back plus an additional amount.

3. Pairs 

Player pair 

This is a common wager in which players bet on whether or not the first two cards dealt to the player’s hand will be of the same number or the same suit.

Banker pair 

This is similar to the above wager in which players bet on whether or not the first two cards dealt to the banker’s hand will be of the same number or the same suit.

Perfect pair

This wager pays off if one of the hands in the first two cards between the banker and the player forms a perfect pair (two cards of the same rank or suit).

4. Tie

A tie is when a player’s hand and the dealer’s hand have the same value. 

5. Big Hand 

This pays off if five cards are present on the board. This means at least one participant has received a third card.

6. Small Hand 

The small bet pays off if none of the participants received a third card. This means there would only be four cards on the board.

7. Minimum/maximum bets 

Mini baccarat tables and full baccarat tables have differences in gameplay, software, design, and colours. These differences will be gone over here.

The mini-baccarat table has a few modifications: it will always give players an option to deal if they sit at the table’s left side (the dealer’s right). Mini-baccarat tables always give players the option to double down on a hand if they hit a natural 9. 

VIP Baccarat is a live online casino game that combines the thrill of Baccarat with the excitement of VIP perks. Players can bet on games ranging from $1 to $5,000, and enjoy features like personal concierge services, complimentary hotel stays, and even gourmet food tastings. VIP Baccarat makes it easy for players to join a community of VIPs where they can win real money at the click of a button.

Other Baccarat Side Bets

To master the game, you need to familiarize yourself with ALL the Baccarat game rules – this includes bets, side bets, betting strategies, and more.

Baccarat is a card game where players bet on how the cards will fall. Players can also place side bets for added chances to win. Some of these side bets are given here.

3 Card Wins 

3 Card Wins bets are offered in addition to the standard game bets so that one may place both the main bet on Player or Banker and an additional side bet on either the Player 3 Card Win or Banker 3 Card Win.

3 Giving 8 

3 Giving 8 is a baccarat side bet that pays 200 to 1. The player and banker’s hands start with two cards dealt face-up. Subsequently, the player hand may receive a third card while the Banker receives a third card only if a seven or an eight would have resulted in a tie. If this happens, both hands will be dealt another card face up.

4-5-6 

When a player and banker’s hands have the same number of cards, either four or five, the player can make a tie bet. The payouts depend on which number was bet on. A bet on four cards pays 3:2, and five or six cards pays 2:1.

5 Treasures 

When the player places a 5 Treasures bet, they can choose from one of three different bets: 1) Double Treasure Bet, 2) Triple Treasure Bet, and 3) Super Treasure Bet. The fourth bet is All Treasure Bonus, which covers all three bonuses for one wager.

All Red/Black 

All Red/Black requires the player’s hand to be solely cards of one colour, red or black. The more cards held by the player, the higher their payout will be on this bet.

Banker Streak 

Banker Streak pays out if there is a run of at least four consecutive Banker wins after making a bet. 

Big and Small 

The Big bet wins if you and your opponent have three cards, while the Small bet pays off if neither of you has three cards and there are four cards on the board in total.

Big Tiger 

Big Tiger is a side bet that can be placed on any hand in which the banker wins the hand with a total of six points with three cards. Thus making a bet payout is 50 to 1, while all other outcomes lose.

Bad Beat Baccarat 

A bad beat occurs in baccarat when one hand wins with one point over the next hand. This is called a tie, and only the highest winning total receives payment. The two hands that tie split the payout.

Contrast Bonus Baccarat 

Contrast Bonus Baccarat pays out if all the Player cards have the same colour and all the Banker cards have the opposite colour. If multiple cards are involved in this situation, then the winnings will be based on how many cards match on each side.

Even/Odd 

An odd-even bet is a set of four side bets concerning the game results. Each bet has three possible outcomes, and each outcome pays differently:

• Even player total 
• Odd player total 
• Even banker total 
• Odd banker total 

Golden Frog 

The Golden Frog is four side bets, which do not have names, as follows: 

• Any eight beats any 6 — Pays 25 to 1. 
• 2-Card 9 beats 2-card 7 — Pays 50 to 1. 
• 3-card 9 beats 3-card 1 — Pays 150 to 1.

The Golden Frog takes place at the beginning of each round. It is a four-sided wager, and players must place an even dollar amount on each side. Here are the rules for The Golden Frog:

• Any eight defeats any 6 — Pay is 25 to 1.
• 2-Card 9 defeats 2-card 7 — Pay is 50 to 1.
• 3-card 9 defeats 3-card 1 — Pay is 150 to 1.

Kill the Ox/Tiger 

If you decide to bet on the Kill the Ox/Tiger side bet, here’s what you need to know:

• The banker hand has a 3-card total of seven after play and ties or loses.
• The player hand has a 3-card total of 6 after play and ties or loses.

Ox 6 

The baccarat side bet called The Ox 6 pays 40 to 1 if the Player hand wins when he gets a 3-card total of six.

Small Tiger 

Small Tiger is a side bet placed on the banker’s hand in baccarat. Placing this side bet wins if the Banker’s hand has a total of six with two cards. The payout for this is 22 to 1. No other outcomes win.

Royal 9 

A “Royal 9” is a nine dealt face up with any face card in the two cards of the Player or Banker’s hand. 

Side Totals 

In the game of baccarat, there are twenty possible side bets, 10 each for the exact scores of the player and banker’s hands. The traditional rules of drawing cards apply to these bets.

Tiger 

A player may place an additional wager by declaring, “Tiger.” In this case, the player will win if the banker wins with a point total of six and lose if the banker wins with any other number.

Tiger Pair 

A bet that pays off if the first two cards dealt to the player or banker are a pair is called Tiger Pair. The patron receives four to one if both the banker and the player are dealt an identical pair. If both banker and player are not dealt an identical pair, then the patron is paid 20 to 1. 

Dragon Bonus 

There are a few different bets at a casino table game of baccarat where you can wager on the outcome of a hand. One of those is Dragon Bonus, which pays when your hand wins naturally or when you win by a large margin.

Dragon Dragon Progressive 

The Dragon Dragon Baccarat Progressive pays depending on the players and bankers’ combined cards.

Duo Bao 

Duo Bao is a baccarat game that originated in Macau and has spread to casinos across the globe. It is played with 8 decks of playing cards, and the rules are similar to conventional baccarat but with several additional side bets based on poker. Players bet on whether the player will win or lose if the player will be hit or stand, and whether the hand total will be odd or even.

Egalities 

In addition to the main card game, it’s also possible for players to make side bets on specific ties. These bets are called egalites. 

Either Pair 

The Either Pair bet is a bet with a payout of 5:1. The player and Banker each receive two cards, and if either the player or the Banker has a pair in their first two cards, the bet pays off.

First Two Banker/Player Cards Same Suit 

This is a bet placed on the first two hands of the player/banker. If the player or the banker’s opening hand is two cards of the same suit, then this hand is called a “set.” The payout for this hand is usually 2.87:1 for the player and 2.86:1 for the banker.

Jackpot Baccarat 

The Jackpot Baccarat bet pays based on the poker value assigned to the initial two cards dealt that the player and banker receive.

Lucky 6 

With Lucky 6, the player pays an extra amount of money on top of their original wager if the Banker’s winning hand is a total of six on either two or three cards.

Lucky Nines 

The Lucky Nines side bet pays if you receive a nine card as per the below list. 

• Four nines pay 500 to 1
• Three nines of the same suit pay 250 to 1
• Three nines of different suits pay 20 to 1
• Two nines of the same suit pay 8 to 1
• Two nines of different suits pay 5 to 1
• The nine of suit diamonds pays 2 to 1
• One nine of any suit pays 1 to 1

Lucky 99 

The Lucky 99 side bet wins if any side gets cards equivalent to a natural nine.

Panda 8 

Panda 8 is a very specific side bet. This bet pays only when the winning three-card hard on the player side totals 8.

The Odds and Payouts 

This table will explain the odds and payouts at baccarat.

House edge – The house edge is a term used to describe the mathematical advantage for the casino in any game of chance. The house edge is calculated by taking into account all possible outcomes of a game and determining how many times more likely it is that a player will lose than win. The house edge in baccarat is one of the lowest as compared to other games.

Rule Variations 

There are various variants of Baccarat rules. Most of them are played with standard decks of cards, but they have different rules depending on the casino or game that you’re playing in.

Baccarat Banque 

Baccarat Banque is also known as “a deux tableaux”. This is a game of chance that has been popular in France since 1818. It is a game of skill and luck and anyone can play it regardless of their experience or knowledge about the game.

Punto Banco

Punto Banco is a popular card game played with six standard decks of 52 cards. It is a betting game where players bet on the banker or the player. 

Mini Baccarat

The game of Mini Baccarat is a variation of the traditional game of Baccarat. It was created in the late 1800s and has been played in casinos worldwide ever since. The game is played with eight standard decks of cards. 

Chemin de Fer

In Chemin de Fer, players compete against each other instead of the dealer. In Chemin de Fer, the banker sets aside a certain amount to wager. 

European Baccarat

In European Baccarat, the player can decide whether to stand or draw when his hand total is 5. This decision has a significant impact on the outcome of the game. The decision must be made before any cards are dealt. However, the banker can decide whether or not to draw another card.

Dragon Tiger

Dragon Tiger is just simple baccarat. Instead of receiving two cards each, each side gets only one card. 

Drawing rules 

In baccarat, the hands play out as per a certain set of rules, as explained in the table below.

How to Play Baccarat – Breakdown of a Round 

Baccarat can be played by up to six players seated at adjacent tables. The game starts with the player placing a bet on one or more cards in either player’s hand. The player then draws cards from the deck until they have three cards in hand and then compares them to determine which will be their winning card and their winnings. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of simple baccarat.

Fund your Balance

While this may be an obvious step, it is better to have your funds in place before playing! You can do this by selecting your favourite payment method at the casino.

Place your bets

The player bets on the outcome of a series of three or four cards to be drawn from a standard 52-card deck. Make sure you don’t bet on what you can’t afford to lose.

The Dealer will now deal the cards

The first two cards are dealt face down, followed by another card facing up next to them. The player then bets on whether their hand will be closer in value to the banker’s hand (a total of nine) or closer to the third card drawn, which is called “the point.” 

The one I bet on got “Natural”!

In baccarat, a natural is nothing but a two-card hand that totals 8 or 9. This can be for the player or banker. If a natural 8 and 9 are dealt, natural 9 trumps natural 8.

Dealer counts the dealt cards

The dealer counts the number of cards in their hand and then subtracts it from the total of all cards on the table.

The rules of baccarat are pretty simple. All of the cards have a point value: 2 through 9 are worth their face value, 10s and face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are worth zero points. The goal is to get as close to nine points as possible without going over. So if you have eight and two twos, that’s worth six points.

The dealer will deal cards out until he gets either a total of eight or nine points. When he does that, the hand is over and he’ll start dealing again from scratch. If the dealer gets a total of eight or nine before getting a total of seven or 10, then they bust, which means his hand has gone over nine points. In this case, a tie bet wins and pushes bets are off.

Payouts

Based on what you decided on bet on in step two, there are different possible payouts:

Keep in mind that the dealer will take a commission as well

The house edge in baccarat is the percentage of money that a casino makes from its players. The house edge is the amount that goes to the house from your winnings. Since the house edge in baccarat is approximately 1.06%, the house can claim this amount from your winnings.

Conclusion

Compared to Poker, Baccarat has an easier learning curve. To master the game, you need to know all the basics, the bets, and then develop a betting strategy. Thankfully, most casinos will let you play RNG-based Baccarat for free. You can practice on these demo versions without signing up!

Sign up at licenced and trustworthy casinos – check out our detailed casino reviews put together by our experts.