Baccarat is a popular table game with simple rules, fast rounds, and a high return-to-player (RTP) rate. This guide explains how to play baccarat for beginners.
You’ll learn how a hand plays out, and we’ll break down your three betting options: banker, player, and tie.
We’ll discuss which bet has the lowest house edge, and we’ll provide our top tips to help you succeed.
Baccarat Rules: How a Hand Plays Out
Baccarat is one of the simplest card games at an online casino. You simply bet on whose hand will be closer to 9: the banker’s hand, the player’s hand, or a tie.
There’s one key point to understand before playing: the “player” doesn’t refer to you and the “banker” doesn’t refer to the dealer. They’re just the names for the two hands. You’re not playing either of them. You’re simply betting on which hand wins.
At the start of each round, the banker and the player each get two cards. These are the card values:
- An ace is worth 1.
- Tens and face cards are worth zero.
- All other cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) are worth their face value.
- If a hand totals 10 or more, only the second digit counts. For example, if the banker receives a 7 and an 8, the total is 15. The first digit is removed, so the hand is worth 5.
Here’s how a round plays out:
- Natural. If either hand totals 8 or 9 from the first two cards, that’s a natural, and the round ends immediately. No more cards are dealt, and the higher total wins. If the hands are the same, it’s a tie.
- Third-card rules. If neither hand totals 8 or 9, third-card rules kick in. The player hand draws a third card on a total of 0-5, but stands on 6 or 7. The banker’s hand then draws or stands according to its own total and the player’s third card. We’ve explained how the third-card rules work below.
Once both hands are complete, the one closer to 9 wins. If they’re the same, it’s a tie. In that case, any bets on the banker or the player will be settled as a push. That means you get your money back.
The Three Bets: Banker, Player, and Tie
There are three core betting options when you play baccarat. They all have a different house edge, so it’s worth understanding how they work before playing.
| Bet |
Payout |
House Edge |
Win Probability |
| Banker |
19:20 |
1.06% |
45.86% of hands, 50.68% of non-tied hands |
| Player |
1:1 |
1.24% |
44.62% of hands, 49.32% of non-tied hands |
| Tie |
Normally 8:1, but occasionally 9:1 |
14.36% if it pays 8:1, 4.84% if it pays 9:1 |
9.52% |
The tie is the worst bet you can make. It only lands 9.52% of the time on average, but it normally pays just 8:1. That results in a 14.36% house edge, which is huge. Occasionally, the tie pays 9:1, but those tables are rare, and the house edge remains 4.84%.
As mentioned above, any bets on the banker or player push in the event of a tie, so you get your money back. Thanks to the third-card rules described below, the banker wins 50.68% of non-tied hands. That means the casino would lose money if it paid you out at even money (1:1) on banker bets.
Instead, they take a 5% commission, so the banker bet pays out at 19:20. If you wager $20 and the banker bet wins, you’ll get a $19 profit. Despite the 5% commission, the banker bet still has a lower house edge than the player bet. That makes it the best bet you can make when playing online baccarat.
The Third-Card Rules
These rules determine when the player’s hand or the banker’s hand gets a third card. It’s important to know that they’re completely automatic. Unlike blackjack, you never choose whether to take another card.
The dealer or the software applies the third-card rules automatically. You could easily play baccarat without ever learning them, which is why it’s such a beginner-friendly game, but here’s how they work:
- Player hand. The player’s hand acts first. The rule is simple: draw another card on a total of 0-5, and stand on a total of 6 or 7.
- Banker hand. The banker then acts according to a set of predetermined rules.
If the player stands, the banker follows the same simple rule: draw on 0-5, stand on 6 or 7. If the player drew a third card, the banker’s decision depends on its own total and the value of the player’s third card:
- Banker total 0-2: Always draws.
- Banker total 3: Draws unless the player’s third card is an 8.
- Banker total 4: Draws if the player’s third card was 2-7.
- Banker total 5: Draws if the player’s third card is 4-7.
- Banker total 6: Draws only if the player’s third card is 6 or 7.
- Banker total 7: Always stands.
Once again, you don’t need to learn these rules. The only takeaway that matters is what these rules produce: the banker effectively reacts to the player’s hand, which is why the banker wins slightly more often. It’s also why the casino charges that 5% commission on the banker bet.
Baccarat Tips for Beginners
- Stick to the banker bet. This bet has a house edge of 1.06%, which is lower than the edge on the player bet or the tie.
- Avoid the tie bet. Even if it pays 9:1, the tie has a much higher house edge than the banker or player bets.
- Steer clear of any side bets. Some baccarat variants have extra side bets, such as player pairs, banker pairs, perfect pairs, big/small, or a Dragon bonus. These bets are also best avoided, as they have a higher edge than a simpler banker bet.
- Pay no attention to past results. Every round is independent, so past results have no bearing on future hands. There’s no point in analyzing streaks, as they’re irrelevant to the next hand.
- Manage your bankroll sensibly. Don’t spend your entire budget on one or two hands. Only risk a small percentage of your bankroll on each hand, as that will help you ride out short-term volatility.
Baccarat Variants
There are three major baccarat variants: Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer, and Baccarat Banque. The latter two are multiplayer games, which aren’t available at online casinos.
All of the baccarat games at crypto casinos follow the Punto Banco format. Punto means player, and Banco means banker. They’re normally played with an eight-deck shoe, and you can bet on the banker, player, or tie.
The best sites host live baccarat games from big studios like Evolution, Pragmatic Play, and Playtech, plus virtual baccarat games. Most Punto Banco baccarat games are identical, but there are a few different formats to consider:
- Speed Baccarat: A classic baccarat game played at a faster pace.
- Mini Baccarat: Another classic game, played on a smaller table, with narrower betting limits.
- Baccarat Squeeze: The rules are the same, but the cards are dealt face-down and gradually revealed to create tension.
- No Commission Baccarat: A banker bet pays out at 1:1 on this game, as the house doesn’t take its usual 5% commission. However, it only pays out at 0.5:1 if a banker hand wins with a 6, and this extra rule actually increases the house edge to 1.46%.
- Lightning Baccarat: A popular live dealer game from Evolution, in which you pay a 20% lightning fee on each hand. In return, you can benefit from random multipliers of up to 8x per lightning in your hand on certain bets, resulting in a massive total multiplier.
Conclusion
Baccarat is a much simpler card game than blackjack or video poker, but it still has a low house edge if you stick to the banker bet.
Avoid the tie bet and steer clear of any novelty side bets, as that will maximize your returns at the best crypto casinos.
FAQs
The banker bet is the best bet in baccarat. It has a house edge of just 1.06%, compared to 1.24% on the player bet and 14.36% on the tie. Your chances of enjoying a winning session will increase if you stick to the banker bet when playing baccarat online.
The banker bet wins 50.68% of non-tied hands, so the house would lose money in the long-term if it didn’t take a commission. The house takes a 5% commission, so the banker bet only pays 19:20, whereas the player bet pays 1:1. However, the banker bet still has the lowest house edge.
A tie normally pays 8:1 in baccarat, but it pays 9:1 on certain games. If it pays 8:1, the house edge is 14.36%. The house edge drops to 4.84% if the tie bet pays 9:1, but that’s rare. Either way, the tie is the worst bet you can make when playing baccarat.
Baccarat doesn’t require a great deal of strategy, so it’s a popular alternative to more complex games like blackjack. Just stick to the banker bet and manage your bankroll sensibly. That will ensure you ride out any volatility, and you’ll also benefit from a high 98.94% RTP rate.
Ilija is a CCN writer with 7 years of experience covering all things crypto. Ever since a fateful run-in with Litecoin in 2013, he's been an avid investor and writer in the space. When he's not maniacally hacking away at his keyboard, Ilija spends his time either hiking in nature or holed up in his apartment gaming.
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