This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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Baccarat is an exciting game, full of suspense and intrigue! Baccarat is both simple to learn and play. A game of baccarat has three possible outcomes: Player win, Banker win, and tie. Note that “Banker” does not refer to the house. Participants in the game have the option to bet on either the player or bankers hand.
Steps
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Know that you can bet on either of two hands. One is the Banker's hand, the other is the Player's hand. A player may bet on either hand. Bets must be placed on either the Player or Banker before cards are dealt.[1]
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Know how cards are dealt. Two cards are dealt to both the Player and the Banker. A player or casino operator holding the shoe slides one card out and places it face up in the Player's box on the felt table. The next card, the first of the Banker hand, is placed in the Banker's box on the table. The house then deals another Player card, then the second Banker card. The dealer's first round consists of two cards for both the Player and Banker.[2]Advertisement
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Announce the point total of both of sets of cards. Tens and face cards all are worth zero points; all other cards are worth their face value, with the ace worth one point. If a total is more than 10, the second digit is the value of the hand. For example, a 9 and a 6, which total 15, make up a five-point hand. In order to win your bet must be on the hand that totals closer to nine.
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Understand the "natural" win. If in the first two cards dealt, the point total is 8 or 9 for either the Player or the Banker, this is called a natural win and the game is over. Bets that have already been placed are cashed out.
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Determine whether the player gets a third card by looking at the point totals. The Player hand is completed first. A total of 8 or 9 for the Player will get no additional cards. The Player stands on totals of 6 or 7. On any other total, 0-5, the Player draws a third card, unless the banker has 8 or 9, in which case the bank hand wins with no further draw.[3]
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Know the rules governing the third card for the Banker. If the Player stands pat (or draws no new cards), the Banker draws with a hand total of 0-5 and stays pat with a hand total of 6 or 7. All other hands are dependent on the third card the Player draws:
- If the Player’s third card is 9, 10, face-card or Ace, the Banker draws when he has a 0-3, and stays with a 4-7.
- If the Player’s third card is 8, the Banker draws when he has a 0-2, and stays with a 3-7.
- If the Player’s third card is 6 or 7, the Banker draws when he has a 0-6, and stays with a 7.
- If the Player’s third card is 4 or 5, the Banker draws when he has a 0-5, and stays with a 6-7.
- If the Player’s third card is 2 or 3, the Banker draws when he has a 0-4, and stays with a 5-7.
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Once all cards are dealt, calculate the winning hand. The winning hand is that which totals closer to 9. In the event of a tie, neither hand wins or loses. Sometimes a commission is paid out of winnings when betting on the Banker's hand.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhen both the banker and a player have a 6 after the initial deal, is it a draw?Community AnswerYes. The player must stand on 6. If the banker also has 6, then it results in a tie.
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QuestionWhat is the highest possible score in Baccarat?Community AnswerSince it is determined by a single digit, 9 would be the highest possible score.
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QuestionWhat is a typical wager?Community AnswerMinimum bets vary from casino to casino, but $20-$25 seems to be a popular minimum in the United States.
Video
Tips
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8 deck shoe: house edge on 'player' bet: 1.06%, house edge on 'banker' bet:1.24%, house edge on tie bet: 14.36%[4]Thanks
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Single deck: house edge on 'banker' bet:1.29%, house edge on 'player' bet: 1.01%, house edge on tie bet: 15.57%[5]Thanks
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6 deck shoe: house edge on 'player' bet: 1.06%, house edge on 'banker' bet:1.24%, house edge on tie bet: 14.44%[6]Thanks
Warnings
- If the casino does not provide a history of past hands, keep note yourself so that you can see past wins and losses for player and banker and adjust your betting accordingly. Although past wins or losses have absolutely no bearing on the next hand.Thanks
References
About This Article
Baccarat is a casino card game where players bet on which of 2 hands they think will score the highest. Baccarat can be played with just 1 player or all the way up to 14 players. At the beginning of the game, players place a bet on either the Player, Banker, or Tie space on the table. The payout for the Player and Banker spaces are both 1 to 1. However, if a player bets on the Banker space and Banker wins, the casino takes a 5-percent commission from their bet. The payout for the Tie space is 9 to 1 or 8 to 1 depending on the casino. Once every player has bet, 2 hands of 2 cards each are dealt on the table, one for Player and one for Banker. Everyone at the table plays with these 2 hands. Cards 2 through 9 are worth face value, tens and face cards are worth 0, and aces are worth 1. The values of the 2 cards in a hand are added together to determine the score for that hand. For example, if Player was dealt an ace and a 10, their score would be 1. If a score is 2 digits, the left digit is dropped. For example, if the 2 cards in Banker’s hand add up to 13, the 1 would be dropped and their score would be 3. Whoever scores closest to 9 wins. If Player’s hand wins, anyone who bet on the Player space wins the payout. If Banker’s hand wins, anyone who bet on the Banker space wins the payout. If Player and Banker tie, anyone who bet on the Tie space wins the payout. Sometimes, a third card will be dealt. If Player’s score is 0 to 5, they receive a third card. If Banker’s score is 0 to 2, they receive a third card. The value of the third card is added to their score. If either Banker or Player has a score of 8 or 9, both hands stand and no additional cards are dealt. If you want to learn how to draw a third card for another chance at winning, keep reading the article!
Reader Success Stories
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"As a player trying to learn the basic rules of baccarat, I found that the rules were laid out in a very straightforward, clear, and concise manner. Well done indeed!"..." more