How to Play Baccarat: Rules, Card Values and Third-Card Chart

To play baccarat, you bet on which of two hands, the Player or the Banker, will finish closer to 9, or that they will tie. The dealer gives each hand two cards, adds them up (only the last digit counts, so 7 + 8 = 15 counts as 5), and a fixed rule decides whether either hand gets a third card. You make no decisions after placing your bet, which is why baccarat is one of the easiest casino games to learn.

This guide walks through the table, card values, the drawing rules for both hands and a full round step by step, with worked examples. For the house edge maths, see baccarat odds explained; for betting systems, see our baccarat strategy guide.

The objective of the game

Despite the names, you do not play as the Player and the casino does not play as the Banker. “Player” and “Banker” are just two hands dealt on the table. You choose one of three bets:

• Player: the Player hand finishes with the higher total. Pays 1 to 1.
• Banker: the Banker hand finishes with the higher total. Pays 1 to 1 minus a 5% commission at a standard table.
• Tie: both hands finish with the same total. Usually pays 8 to 1.

If the round ends in a tie, Player and Banker bets push: your stake is returned. The highest possible total is 9, and the lowest is 0 (called “baccarat”, which gave the game its name).

Baccarat card values

Suits do not matter in the main game. Most tables deal from a shoe of six or eight standard 52-card decks, shuffled together.

How to add up a hand

Add the card values and keep only the last digit. A hand can never be worth more than 9.

• 4 + 3 = 7, so the hand is worth 7.
• 8 + 6 = 14, so the hand is worth 4.
• King + 5 = 5.
• 9 + Ace + Queen = 10, so the hand is worth 0.

Online tables show the totals for you, but knowing how they are worked out lets you follow the third-card decisions as they happen.

The baccarat table

A full-size land casino baccarat table usually seats 12 to 14 players around an oval layout, with betting areas marked Player, Banker and Tie in front of each seat. Mini-baccarat uses a smaller blackjack-style table, lower limits and faster dealing, with the dealer handling all the cards. Online, the layout is the same three areas plus any side bets.

Each seat at a land table has a numbered commission box. When you win a Banker bet, the dealer records the 5% you owe there instead of taking it from every win, and you settle it when you leave or at the end of the shoe. Online and live-dealer tables simply deduct the commission from each winning Banker payout, so a 0.01 BTC winning Banker bet returns 0.0195 BTC (your stake plus 0.0095 BTC).

How to play baccarat step by step

1. Place your bet on Player, Banker or Tie (and any side bets) before the dealer closes betting.
2. Two cards each. The dealer deals two cards to the Player hand and two to the Banker hand, alternating Player, Banker, Player, Banker.
3. Check for a natural. If either hand totals 8 or 9 on its first two cards, that is a natural. Both hands stand and the higher total wins.
4. Player third card. If there is no natural, the Player hand follows its rule: draw on 0 to 5, stand on 6 or 7.
5. Banker third card. The Banker hand then follows its own rule, which depends on the Banker’s total and, if the Player drew, on the value of the Player’s third card.
6. Compare and settle. The hand closer to 9 wins. Winning bets are paid, losing bets collected, and Player and Banker bets push on a tie.

No hand ever gets more than three cards, and neither you nor the dealer makes a choice about drawing at a punto banco table. The rules below do all the work.

Third card rules for the Player

Third card rules for the Banker

If the Player stood on 6 or 7, the Banker follows the same simple rule: draw on 0 to 5, stand on 6 or 7. If the Player drew a third card, the Banker’s action depends on that card:

“0” in the table means a 10 or a face card. You do not need to memorise any of this to play, because the dealer or the software applies it automatically. It is worth knowing for one reason: drawing second, with the Player’s third card in view, is why the Banker wins slightly more often and why casinos charge a commission on Banker wins.

Worked examples: four baccarat hands

Example 1: a natural

Player gets King and 7, a total of 7. Banker gets 5 and 3, a total of 8. Banker has a natural 8, so no more cards are drawn and the Banker wins.

Example 2: the Banker stands on 6

Player gets 2 and 3, a total of 5, so the Player draws and receives a 9. The new total is 14, which counts as 4. Banker has 6 and 10, a total of 6. With 6, the Banker draws only if the Player’s third card was a 6 or 7; it was a 9, so the Banker stands. Banker 6 beats Player 4.

Example 3: a tie after two draws

Player gets Ace and 4, a total of 5, and draws a 6: 11 counts as 1. Banker has 2 and 2, a total of 4. With 4, the Banker draws when the Player’s third card is 2 to 7; it was a 6, so the Banker draws and receives a 7. 11 counts as 1. Both hands have 1: a tie. Tie bets win at 8 to 1, and Player and Banker bets are returned.

Example 4: the Player stands

Player gets 7 and Queen, a total of 7, and stands. Because the Player did not draw, the Banker uses the simple rule: with 3 and 2, a total of 5, it draws. It receives a 3 and finishes on 8. Banker 8 beats Player 7.

Example 5: the Banker stands on 3

Player gets 4 and Ace, a total of 5, and draws an 8: 13 counts as 3. Banker has 2 and Ace, a total of 3. With 3, the Banker draws on any Player third card except an 8, so here the Banker stands. Banker 3 and Player 3 tie, so Player and Banker bets are returned.

Example 6: the Banker always draws on 0 to 2

Player gets 3 and 3, a total of 6, and stands. Banker gets Jack and Queen, a total of 0. The Banker draws (it would also draw on 0 to 2 if the Player had drawn) and receives a 7. Banker 7 beats Player 6, even though the Banker started with the worst possible hand.

Baccarat payouts

The Tie pays the most because it happens least: about 9.52% of hands in an eight-deck shoe. That makes it the most expensive bet on the table over time, with a 14.36% house edge at 8 to 1, against 1.06% on Banker and 1.24% on Player. The odds page shows how those numbers are calculated.

Side bets

Many tables add side bets such as Player Pair and Banker Pair (the first two cards of that hand form a pair), Perfect Pair (same rank and suit) and, at EZ Baccarat tables, Dragon 7 and Panda 8. They settle on the same deal as the main bet and pay larger multiples. Payouts and house edges vary by table; read the paytable on screen before you use them.

Popular baccarat variants

Punto banco

The standard casino game described on this page, with fixed drawing rules for both hands. “Punto” is the Player and “banco” the Banker. Almost every online and live table you will find is punto banco or one of its paytable variations.

Mini-baccarat

The same rules on a smaller table with lower minimum bets. The dealer handles all cards and rounds move faster.

No-commission and EZ Baccarat

These tables drop the 5% commission and change one payout instead. In the common no-commission version, a Banker win with a total of 6 pays only 1 to 2. In EZ Baccarat, a Banker win with a three-card 7 is a push. The drawing rules do not change. Check the paytable first, because the change affects which main bet is cheaper.

Chemin de fer and baccarat banque

Older European versions in which players take the bank and, at some points, choose whether to draw. In chemin de fer the bank passes between players and the casino takes a commission for running the game. Our chemin de fer rules guide explains the differences.

Speed, squeeze and live baccarat

Live-dealer studios stream real shoes with real dealers. Speed baccarat cuts the betting window to deal more rounds per hour, while squeeze baccarat reveals the cards slowly for drama. The rules and odds are the same as punto banco. Bac Bo, a dice-based spin-off, is covered in our guide to dice gambling games.

How a round runs at a live or land table

A new shoe starts with the dealer shuffling the decks, offering a player the cut, and placing a coloured cut card near the end of the shoe. The first card is turned face up and, under common house procedure, that many cards are burned face down. When the cut card appears, the current round is finished and one more is usually dealt before the shoe is changed.

During play, betting opens for a fixed window. At live-dealer tables a countdown timer on screen shows how long you have; once it reaches zero, bets are locked and the dealer begins. At a land table, place chips inside your numbered area before the dealer calls “no more bets”, and do not touch the chips once cards are out.

Who handles the cards depends on the table. On mini-baccarat and most online tables the dealer does everything. At high-limit tables and in squeeze games, the player with the biggest bet on a hand may be invited to reveal its cards; the result is the same whoever turns them, so it is purely ceremony.

Results are posted on the electronic scoreboard after every coup. Winning bets are paid in the order the dealer chooses, commission is tracked or deducted, and the next round begins. A standard eight-deck shoe lasts long enough for dozens of rounds, which is why sessions add up quickly in terms of hands played.

Practise before you bet real crypto

Many casinos and game studios let you open RNG baccarat in demo mode without a deposit. A few dozen demo rounds are enough to follow the third-card chart without looking at it and to see how quickly a balance moves at different stake sizes. When you switch to real money, start with the table minimum, keep stakes small relative to your session budget, and decide in advance when you will stop.

Baccarat terms

• Natural: a two-card total of 8 or 9, which ends the hand.
• Shoe: the box holding the shuffled decks.
• Coup: a single round of baccarat.
• Commission: the 5% charged on winning Banker bets at a standard table.
• Squeeze: bending and revealing a card slowly, a tradition in high-limit and live play.
• Scorecard or road: a record of past results; it has no effect on the next hand.
• Burn cards: cards discarded face down at the start of a shoe.

Common beginner mistakes

• Thinking you play against the Banker. Both hands are dealt by the house, and you can back either one.
• Forgetting the commission. A winning 0.01 BTC Banker bet pays 0.0095 BTC profit, not 0.01 BTC.
• Chasing the Tie because it pays 8 to 1. The payout is lower than the true odds of about 9.5 to 1, so the Tie costs far more than the main bets.
• Reading patterns into the scorecard. Past hands do not predict the next one. Our strategy guide explains why.
• Ignoring speed. Online tables deal far more hands per hour than a land casino shoe, so a small edge adds up quickly.

Playing baccarat online with crypto

Crypto casinos offer three kinds of baccarat. RNG tables use software to shuffle and deal virtual decks under the same punto banco rules. Live-dealer tables stream a real shoe from a studio. Some crypto casinos also run their own baccarat games with provably fair seeds, which let you check after each round that the deal was not changed once you bet.

Before you play, check the table’s deck count, commission rule and side-bet paytable, set a loss limit for the session and stick to it. Most offshore crypto casinos hold a Curaçao or similar licence, which offers less protection than a local licence; our rating method explains what we check. Our crypto baccarat hub lists where to play, and the responsible gambling page has limits and help, including Gamblers Anonymous (gamblersanonymous.org).

How to play baccarat FAQ

How do you play baccarat for beginners?

Bet on Player, Banker or Tie. Each hand gets two cards, totals count only the last digit, and fixed rules decide whether a third card is drawn. The hand closer to 9 wins. You make no decisions after placing the bet.

What are the card values in baccarat?

Aces count as 1, cards 2 to 9 count at face value, and 10s and face cards count as 0. Only the last digit of a total counts, so 8 plus 7 equals 15, which is a hand of 5.

When does the Player draw a third card?

The Player draws on a two-card total of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. If either hand has 8 or 9 on its first two cards, it is a natural and no more cards are drawn.

When does the Banker draw a third card?

If the Player stood, the Banker draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. If the Player drew, the Banker always draws on 0 to 2, never on 7, and on 3 to 6 it depends on the Player’s third card, following a fixed chart.

What happens to Player and Banker bets on a tie?

They push: your stake is returned. Only Tie bets win, usually at 8 to 1.

Why is there a commission on Banker bets?

The Banker hand draws second and wins slightly more often, so a standard table pays winning Banker bets 1 to 1 minus 5%. A 0.01 BTC Banker win therefore returns 0.0095 BTC profit.

Can you play baccarat with crypto?

Yes. Crypto casinos offer RNG baccarat, live-dealer tables streamed from studios, and in some cases their own provably fair baccarat games. The rules are the same punto banco rules; only the paytable may differ.

Is baccarat a game of skill or luck?

Luck. In punto banco the drawing rules for both hands are fixed, so your only decisions are which bet to place and how much to stake. The Banker bet has the lowest house edge, 1.06% with eight decks, ahead of Player at 1.24%.

What is the trick to baccarat?

There is no trick that beats the house edge. The sensible approach is to bet Banker or Player, skip the Tie (14.36% edge at 8 to 1) and most side bets, keep stakes flat and stop at a limit you set in advance. Betting systems change how wins and losses are spread, not the long-run cost; our baccarat strategy guide tests the common ones.