Baccarat

Punto Banco

How Baccarat Works

🎯 The Goal

Bet on the hand closest to 9. That's the whole game. There are two hands — Player and Banker — and you bet on which one finishes closer to 9, or on a Tie. Here's the twist: you are not the Player. "Player" is just the name of a betting spot, like red or black on roulette. You can bet Banker every hand if you want.

Card Values

Number cards (2–9) are worth their face value.
10s and face cards (J, Q, K) are worth 0. Yes, zero!
An Ace is worth 1.
Only the last digit counts. If your total is 14, your hand is worth 4. If it's 20, it's 0.
Suits (♠♥♦♣) don't matter at all.

Example: 7♥ + 8♠ = 15 → your hand is 5. K♦ + 9♣ = 9 → your hand is 9 (the King counts as 0). 9 + 9 = 18 → 8.

✋ You Make No Decisions

This is the easiest casino game in the world: you never hit, stand, double, or split. After everyone bets, the dealer runs a fixed set of drawing rules called the tableau — it plays itself, the same way every time. Your only job was picking where to put your chips.

The drawing rules, simplified: if either hand has 8 or 9, both stand (a natural). The Player hand draws a third card on 0–5 and stands on 6–7. The Banker hand follows a fixed chart based on its own total and the Player's third card. You don't need to memorize any of it — the dealer does it for you.

🙋 Betting & Table Manners

Since there are no playing decisions, baccarat etiquette is all about betting cleanly:

🎯 Place your bet in the right box

The felt is marked Player, Banker, and Tie. Put your chips neatly inside one box before the dealer calls "no more bets."

🃏 The squeeze (where allowed)

In some games you may slowly bend and peek at your cards — the famous squeeze. Handle them gently; bending or folding cards will get you warned. In most mini-baccarat games, don't touch the cards at all.

🚫 What NOT to Do

Don't touch your bet once the hand starts. Chips are locked until the coup is paid.
Don't touch the cards unless the table allows the squeeze — and never bend or fold them.
Don't hand cash to the dealer. Lay money flat on the table for chips.
Don't bet after "no more bets." Late chips will be pushed back.
Don't use your phone at the table.
Don't chase the pattern. The scoreboard of past coups tells you nothing — every hand is independent.

✅ Tipping — this isn't a restaurant: tipping is not mandatory or expected. But if you're having a good run and feel like sharing, you're more than welcome to. The classic move is sliding the dealer a chip after a nice win. Some degens go further and bet for the dealer — you place a chip next to your bet (say "for the dealers") and it rides on your hand. If you win, the dealer pockets the winnings; if you lose, it's gone like any other bet. You're literally letting them gamble alongside you, which dealers love.

🏟️ Rules That Change By Table

Baccarat rules are more standardized than blackjack, but a few things still vary:

Decks — Almost always 8 decks in the shoe.
Commission — Standard tables take a 5% commission on winning Banker bets (bet $100, win $95). Some "no commission" tables skip it but pay only half when Banker wins with a 6.
Tie pays — Usually 8 to 1; some tables pay 9 to 1.
Side bets — Pairs and other side bets come and go by casino. They carry a much bigger house edge than the main bets.

💰 Winning & Payouts

Player bet wins → pays 1 to 1.
Banker bet wins → pays 1 to 1 minus 5% commission (bet $100, win $95). Banker wins slightly more often, which is why the casino takes its cut.
Tie bet wins → pays 8 to 1. A tie also pushes Player and Banker bets (returned, not lost).

House edge: Banker ≈ 1.06%, Player ≈ 1.24%, Tie ≈ 14.4%. Banker is the best bet on the table; Tie is one of the worst bets in the casino.

📖 Key Terms

Coup — a single round (one deal)

Tableau — the fixed drawing rules

Natural — an 8 or 9 on the first two cards

Commission — the 5% cut on Banker wins

Shoe — the box the cards are dealt from

Squeeze — slowly revealing your cards (where allowed)

TableauThird Card Draw

Natural?

Player or Banker start with 8–9?

Yes.

Coup Ends. Hand Over.

No.

Player Hand Value?

Player

6–7No 3rd Card.

Banker

0–5Draw 3rd Card.

6–7No 3rd Card.

Player

0–5Draw 3rd Card

Banker

0–2Always Draws

3Draws on everything
except 8

4Draws on 2–7

5Draws on 4–7

6Draws on 6–7

7Always Stands

Exact Hand Calculator

Player

Banker

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