James Bond's favourite. One of the simplest table games to play, with one of the lowest house edges in the casino.
Two hands are dealt: Player and Banker. You bet on which one will be closest to 9, or on a Tie. You do not play the hand — the rules are fixed. You just pick the winner.
Hand totals over 9 drop the first digit: a 7 and a 6 (total 13) becomes 3. So the highest possible hand is 9, the lowest is 0.
Bet the Player hand will be closer to 9. Wins pay 1:1. House edge: 1.24%.
Bet the Banker hand will be closer to 9. Wins pay 0.95:1 (a 5% commission is taken because Banker wins slightly more often). House edge: 1.06% — the lowest of any standard casino bet.
Bet that both hands tie. Pays 8:1 (sometimes 9:1). House edge: 14.4%. Avoid this bet — the payout does not compensate for how rare ties are.
Both Player and Banker get two cards. Depending on the totals, a third card may be drawn for either or both hands — according to a fixed table of rules that the dealer follows automatically.
You do not need to know these rules to play. Casinos do not let you make choices about hitting or standing in baccarat — the third-card rules are mandatory. Just place your bet and watch the result.
Want to feel like a pro? The summary is: Player draws if their first two cards total 0–5, stands on 6 or 7. Banker's rule is more complex and depends on what Player drew. That is the entire game.
There is no card-counting edge in modern shoes (8 decks shuffled together). There is no system that overcomes the house edge. Baccarat is pure variance — you are betting on the next outcome of a near-50/50 event with a small house cut.
Walk into any real-money baccarat pit and you will see players obsessively tracking results on score cards — "Big Road," "Bead Plate," "Big Eye Boy," etc. These map out which side has been winning lately.
Statistically, they mean nothing. The next hand has no memory of previous hands. The maps are a ritual that helps players feel like they are making informed decisions. Enjoy them as theatre, but do not actually base bets on them.
Some baccarat tables offer side bets: "Player Pair," "Banker Pair," "Either Pair," "Perfect Pair," "Dragon Bonus." Without exception, side bets have higher house edges (5–25%) than the main bets. Stick to Banker or Player.
Spin up Baccarat Royale with virtual coins. You will get the hang of it inside a single hand.