Baccarat
Baccarat is the simplest game on the casino floor, math-wise. You bet on one of three outcomes — Banker wins, Player wins, or Tie — and the cards play themselves. Despite its simplicity (or because of it), Baccarat has the second-lowest house edge after blackjack basic strategy. Strategy here is just three rules: always bet Banker, never bet Tie, and walk away when you're ahead. There is no "system" that beats it; anyone selling you one is selling you a story.
How to play baccarat
- 1Two hands are dealt — Banker hand and Player hand. You don't play either; you just bet on which will win (or that they tie).
- 2Each hand starts with two cards. Card values: 2-9 = face value, 10/J/Q/K = 0, Ace = 1.
- 3Hand totals modulo 10. So 7 + 8 = 15 → counts as 5. Highest single-digit total wins.
- 4Third-card rules are fixed (no decisions needed): if Player's first two cards total 0–5, Player draws a third card. Banker draws based on Player's third card per a fixed table.
- 5Payouts: Player wins 1:1, Banker wins 1:1 minus 5% commission, Tie wins 8:1 (or 9:1 at some tables — both are bad bets).
What the numbers actually say
| House edge — Banker bet (5% commission) The bet to make | 1.06% |
| House edge — Player bet Slightly worse than Banker | 1.24% |
| House edge — Tie bet (8:1) Worst bet on the table | 14.36% |
| House edge — Tie bet (9:1) Less bad but still terrible | 4.85% |
| Probability — Banker wins | 45.86% |
| Probability — Player wins | 44.62% |
| Probability — Tie | 9.52% |
The rules that actually matter
Always bet Banker
Why · Lowest house edge available (1.06%). The 5% commission is built into the math — Banker still wins by ~0.18% over Player.
Never bet Tie
Why · House edge of 14.4%. The 8:1 payout looks tempting and is mathematically catastrophic.
Ignore "patterns" and tracking sheets
Why · Each hand is independent. The casino-provided pattern card is psychological theatre — past results have zero predictive value.
Walk away when ahead
Why · No system beats a 1.06% house edge over time. Maximum EV is to play short sessions when up and walk.
Common mistakes that cost real money
Our take, scored
Gamsites editorial rating · weighted aggregate combines all four dimensions · see manifesto for the rubric
Casinos with baccarat
How we sourced this
House-edge figures are standard 8-deck Baccarat math with 5% Banker commission. Some operators offer commission-free Banker; check the rules — they typically introduce a Banker-on-6 push to compensate.
Baccarat questions, answered
What is the house edge in baccarat?+
With optimal strategy, Baccarat carries a house edge of ~1.06% (Banker). Typical (non-optimal) play runs at ~1.24% (Player) / 14.4% (Tie). The gap between the two is the recoverable EV — see the strategy section.
Can you beat baccarat with strategy?+
Always bet Banker Lowest house edge available (1.06%). The 5% commission is built into the math — Banker still wins by ~0.18% over Player.
What is the most common mistake in baccarat?+
Betting Tie because the payout is 8:1 Cost: 14.4% house edge. The single worst bet in the whole casino.
Where can I play baccarat?+
Baccarat is carried by 10 of the casinos we cover. See the "where to play" section on this page for the full list with tracked sign-up links.