Baccarat (Punto Banco)
Overview
Baccarat is a casino card game where you bet on which hand — Player (Punto) or Banker (Banco) — will have a higher total, or if they will Tie. All card dealing follows fixed rules with no player decisions after betting.
Card Values
- Ace = 1
- 2–9 = Face value
- 10, J, Q, K = 0
The hand total is the last digit of the sum of card values. For example, 7 + 8 = 15 → total is 5.
How to Play
- Place your bet on Player, Banker, or Tie.
- Two cards are dealt to both the Player and Banker hands.
- If either hand has a total of 8 or 9 (a "natural"), no more cards are drawn.
- Otherwise, the third-card rules below determine if additional cards are drawn.
- The hand closest to 9 wins.
Third-Card Rules
Player
- Total 0–5: Draw a third card
- Total 6–7: Stand
Banker
If the Player did not draw a third card, the Banker follows the same rule (draw on 0–5, stand on 6–7).
If the Player did draw a third card, the Banker draws based on the Player's third card value:
| Banker Total | Draws when Player's 3rd card is |
|---|
| 0–2 | Always draws |
| 3 | Anything except 8 |
| 4 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 |
| 5 | 4, 5, 6, or 7 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 |
| 7 | Always stands |
Payouts
| Bet | Payout | House Edge |
|---|
| Player | 1:1 | 1.24% |
| Banker | 1:1 minus 5% commission | 1.06% |
| Tie | 8:1 | 14.4% |
No-Commission Variant
In the no-commission variant, Banker bets pay 1:1 normally, but when the Banker wins with a total of 6, the payout is reduced to 0.5:1 (half).
Game Length
The game lasts 20 rounds. Each player starts with 1,000 chips. The game ends when all rounds are completed or when a player runs out of chips. The player with the most chips at the end wins.
Tips
- Banker has the lowest house edge — it's the statistically best bet.
- Tie has a very high house edge — avoid it for long-term play.
- All dealing is automatic — your only decision is which bet to place and how much.