How to play baccarat
Baccarat is the simplest game in the casino: you bet on which of two hands, Player or Banker, will finish closer to 9, or on a Tie. Nobody makes decisions once the cards are out; the dealer turns them over and applies the drawing rules.
- Pick a chip, then click a spot on the felt to bet it. You need a Player, Banker or Tie bet to deal; side bets are optional.
- Card values: aces count 1, 2–9 count their face value, and tens, jacks, queens and kings count 0. Only the last digit of a total counts, so 7 + 8 is 5.
- Naturals: a two-card 8 or 9 is a natural. If either hand has one, both stand and the hand is over.
- Player’s third card: Player draws on 0–5 and stands on 6 or 7.
- Banker’s third card: if Player stood, Banker draws on 0–5. If Player drew, Banker follows the house table: always draw on 0–2; on 3 unless Player’s third card was an 8; on 4 against a 2–7; on 5 against a 4–7; on 6 against a 6 or 7; stand on 7.
Payouts: Player pays 1:1. Banker pays 1:1 on this commission-free table, except a Banker win with a three-card 7, which pushes. Tie pays 8:1, and Player and Banker bets push on a tie. Player Pair and Banker Pair pay 11:1 when that hand’s first two cards are a pair, and Dragon 7 pays 40:1 when Banker wins with a three-card 7.
The table deals from an eight-deck shoe and shuffles a fresh one at the cut card. The bead plate records every result in order, and the big road stacks each streak of Banker or Player wins in a column, with ties marked as a green slash.
Tips & strategy
- Bet Banker. It wins slightly more often than Player, so it carries the lowest house edge at the table (1.02%).
- Player is close behind at 1.24%. Either main bet is a fine way to play.
- Treat Tie and the side bets as treats. Tie gives the house over 14%, the pairs over 10% and Dragon 7 about 7.6%.
- Don’t chase the roads. Each hand is independent. The scoreboard is a record, not a forecast.
- Size your bets to your bankroll. Baccarat is fast; flat bets of 2–5% of your chips last a long shoe.
About baccarat
Baccarat came to France from Italy in the 15th century as a game for the nobility, and its modern casino form, punto banco, took shape in Latin America before reaching Las Vegas in the 1950s. Because the drawing rules are fixed, the house plays both hands and players simply choose a side. It remains the biggest earner in Macau’s casinos, where players follow the scoreboard roads hand by hand. Ours is a play-money version with the commission-free Banker rule.
Frequently asked questions
Is this baccarat free?
Yes. No downloads, no installs, no real money: just play-money chips. Your bankroll is shared with the other casino tables and saves in your browser, and your results can appear on the casino leaderboards under your first name.
Should I bet on Player or Banker?
Banker. It wins about 45.9% of hands to Player’s 44.6%, so it has the lowest house edge at the table: 1.02% here, against 1.24% on Player. Ties (about 9.5% of hands) push both bets.
What does commission-free mean?
Most baccarat tables keep 5% of every winning Banker bet. This table pays Banker wins at even money instead, except when Banker wins with a three-card total of 7. That one hand pushes: your Banker bet comes back.
When does a hand draw a third card?
A two-card 8 or 9 is a natural and both hands stand. Otherwise Player draws on 0–5 and stands on 6 or 7. Banker then draws on 0–5 if Player stood, or follows the house table if Player drew. The dealer applies the rules for you; there are no decisions after the deal.
Do the scoreboard roads predict anything?
No. Every coup is independent of the last; the roads are a record of the shoe, kept because players like to read them. A streak of Banker wins doesn’t make Player “due”.
Is the Tie bet worth it?
Tie pays 8 to 1 but hits about 9.5% of the time, a house edge of over 14%. It is the most expensive bet on the table. Dragon 7 (40 to 1) and the pair bets (11 to 1) cost less, but more than Banker or Player.