How to Play Baccarat

In Baccarat, two hands are dealt — the Player hand and the Banker hand. Before cards are dealt, you place a bet on which hand you think will win, or whether both hands will tie.

The winning hand is whichever comes closest to a total of 9. That is the entire game. You never touch the cards, never make decisions during play — you just watch the result. This simplicity is what makes Baccarat so popular.

Baccarat uses its own unique card value system. The most important rule: 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings are all worth zero. This is different from Blackjack and catches many beginners off guard.

If a hand's total exceeds 9, only the last digit counts. This is called the mod-10 rule.

A Natural is the best possible starting hand in Baccarat — and one of the most exciting moments in any baccarat game. It occurs when either the Player or Banker hand totals 8 or 9 on the first two cards dealt.

When a Natural is dealt, the round ends immediately — no third cards are drawn regardless of the other hand's total. The hand with the Natural wins outright (or both hands tie if both are Naturals with equal totals).

If neither hand is a Natural, a third card may be drawn according to the standard baccarat third card rules. These rules are automatic — you never decide. The dealer (or game) applies them exactly as defined by Punto Banco rules.

The Banker rule is more complex and depends on whether Player drew a third card, and what that card was.

There are three main bets in Baccarat, plus optional side bets. Each has a different payout and house edge.

When you win a Banker bet, the casino deducts a 5% commission from your winnings. This exists because the Banker hand wins slightly more often than the Player hand. Even with the commission, Banker remains the better bet mathematically.

Example: Bet 100 coins on Banker and win → you receive 195 coins (100 stake back + 95 winnings after 5% commission).

Pair side bets are optional wagers placed before the deal. A Pair wins if the first two cards on the chosen side have the same rank — for example, two Kings or two 7s. The suit does not matter.

A Pair bet pays 11:1 and is completely independent of the main result. You can win a Pair bet and still lose your main Banker or Player bet, and vice versa.

Pairs are rare — they appear roughly once every 12 hands — which accounts for the high payout. The house edge on Pair bets (~10.36%) is significantly higher than the main bets, so treat them as an exciting bonus rather than a strategy.

Baccarat is a game of chance — no strategy changes the cards. But smart betting choices significantly affect your long-term results.

Most Baccarat games display a roadmap (also called a baccarat scorecard or scoreboard) that tracks the history of recent results. Royal Baccarat includes all five standard roads.