Strategy guide
Baccarat decoded.
Bet on player or banker, pure elegance and odds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Best for
- Low-effort play
- Key tips
- 4
- 01
Introduction
Baccarat is one of the simplest games at the casino: pick Player, Banker, or Tie, and let the cards play themselves out.
- 02
How to play
Two hands, Player and Banker, are dealt two cards each. Hand values are the sum of the cards' points (face cards and 10s count as zero), with only the last digit counting. Whichever hand is closer to 9 wins; a third card is drawn automatically under fixed rules.
- 03
Rules
Bet on Player, Banker, or Tie before cards are dealt. Cards 2-9 count at face value, 10s and face cards count as zero, aces count as one. If either hand totals 8 or 9 (a natural), no further cards are drawn. A fixed drawing table determines whether a third card is dealt to either hand.
- 04
Odds and house edge
The Banker bet carries a house edge of about 1.06%, the Player bet about 1.24%, and the Tie bet a much steeper 14.4% despite its tempting payout.
- 05
Common mistakes
Chasing the Tie bet for its 8:1 payout is the biggest baccarat mistake the house edge is more than ten times higher than Banker or Player.