Baccarat

Aces count as one, cards two to nine count at face value, and tens and picture cards count as zero. Only the last digit of a total matters, so a hand of 7 and 6 (13) is worth 3. Each hand starts with two cards. If either hand totals 8 or 9 (a natural), both stand and the round is settled.

Otherwise the Player hand draws a third card on 0–5 and stands on 6 or 7. If the Player stood, the Banker follows the same rule. If the Player drew, the Banker's action depends on its own total and the Player's third card:

• Banker 0–2: always draws.
• Banker 3: draws unless the Player's third card was an 8.
• Banker 4: draws if the Player's third card was 2–7.
• Banker 5: draws if the Player's third card was 4–7.
• Banker 6: draws if the Player's third card was 6 or 7.
• Banker 7: stands.

With eight decks, the Player bet pays 1:1 with a house edge of about 1.24%. The Banker bet wins slightly more often because it acts second, so winning Banker bets pay 1:1 minus a 5% commission, leaving a house edge of about 1.06%. The Tie bet usually pays 8:1 and carries a house edge of about 14.4%. Many tables now offer commission-free variants, which typically pay a Banker win on a total of six at 1:2 instead, and side bets such as Player or Banker pair.

Baccarat is the most important table game in Asian markets and a major share of revenue for live casino studios, which build dedicated baccarat tables, "squeeze" formats that reveal cards slowly, and fast-dealing speed tables. Because the edge is low and stakes are often high, results are volatile for the operator: a few large Banker winners can swing a month's table-game result, which is why operators pay close attention to table limits and to the side bets that carry higher margins.

Suppose a player bets 100 on Banker and wins. The payout is 95 plus the original stake, because the 5% commission is taken from the win. Had the same player bet 100 on Tie and the hands tied, the payout would be 800 plus the stake, but ties happen only about 9.5% of the time, which is where the Tie bet's high margin comes from.

• Dragon Tiger — a one-card offshoot of baccarat popular in the same markets.
• House edge — why the Banker bet is the best bet on the table.
• Live dealer — the studio format through which most online baccarat is played.
• The rise of Macau — the market that made baccarat the world's highest-grossing table game.

Compare the studios that stream baccarat tables in the live casino provider directory, or RNG versions from game developers.