How to Play Baccarat: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Baccarat looks intimidating from the outside — the high-limit rooms, the ritual, the James Bond association — but it is one of the simplest games in the casino to actually play. You make one decision before any cards are dealt, and the rest follows fixed rules. This guide walks you through everything a beginner needs: the goal, the three bets, card values, how a round plays out, and which bets are worth making. It is the starting point for our full baccarat series, which goes deeper on odds, strategy, and bankroll management.

The Goal of Baccarat

Baccarat is a comparing game between two hands: the Player and the Banker. Your job is not to play a hand — it is to bet on which hand will finish closest to a total of 9. That is the entire premise. Importantly, “Player” and “Banker” are just the names of the two hands; you can bet on either one, and the Banker hand has nothing to do with the casino in a personal sense.

There are three bets available every round:

• Banker — betting the Banker hand wins.
• Player — betting the Player hand wins.
• Tie — betting both hands finish with the same total.

Card Values

Working out a hand’s total is easy once you know the values:

• Aces count as 1.
• 2 through 9 count as their face value.
• 10s and face cards (J, Q, K) count as 0.

Add the cards together, and if the total is two digits, drop the first digit. A 7 and an 8 total 15, which becomes a 5. A 9 and a 4 total 13, which becomes a 3. The highest possible total is 9. (We cover this in more detail in our dedicated guide to baccarat card values.)

How a Round Plays Out

1. You place your bet on Player, Banker, or Tie.
2. The dealer deals two cards to the Player hand and two to the Banker hand.
3. If either hand totals 8 or 9 from its first two cards, that is called a natural, and the round ends immediately — no more cards are drawn.
4. If there is no natural, a third card may be drawn to one or both hands according to fixed drawing rules. You never decide this — the rules are automatic.
5. Whichever hand is closest to 9 wins. If they are equal, it is a tie.

The third-card rule is the one part that looks complicated, but you do not need to memorise it to play — the dealer handles it. In short, the Player hand draws a third card on a total of 0–5 and stands on 6–7. The Banker’s drawing decision is more involved and depends on the Player’s third card, which is exactly what gives the Banker its slight statistical edge. Our banker vs player guide breaks down why this matters.

Payouts and the Odds That Matter

This is the part that should shape how you bet:

• Banker wins pay even money (1:1), minus a standard 5% commission. Despite the commission, it has the lowest house edge — about 1.06% in the common eight-deck game.
• Player wins pay even money (1:1) with no commission, and a house edge of about 1.24%.
• Tie typically pays 8:1, which sounds attractive — but its house edge is around 14.36%, making it statistically the worst of the three bets.

The takeaway for beginners is simple: the Banker bet is the smartest default, the Player bet is a fine alternative, and the Tie and most side bets are best avoided because their high payouts come with much higher house edges. We explain the full maths in our baccarat house edge and baccarat odds guides.

Common Variants You’ll See

• Commission Baccarat — the standard game described above.
• No Commission Baccarat — removes the 5% commission, but a Banker win with a total of 6 usually pays only half, which keeps the house edge in check.
• Speed Baccarat — the same game, dealt faster.
• Mini Baccarat — lower stakes, faster pace, the dealer handles all cards.
• Squeeze — a slow, dramatic card reveal popular in live-dealer studios.

Playing Baccarat Online

Online and live-dealer baccarat follow identical rules to the table game. Live-dealer versions stream a real dealer and table to your screen, while RNG (software) versions use a random number generator. Either way, the maths is the same — so the bet-quality logic above always applies. Baccarat sits alongside blackjack as one of the lowest-house-edge games in the casino; if you enjoy low-edge table games, our blackjack basic strategy guide is a natural next read.

For the underlying probabilities and return tables, the independent maths resource Wizard of Odds is a reliable reference.

A Word on Strategy

Here is the honest truth most beginners need to hear: baccarat is a game of chance, not skill. Because the drawing rules are automatic, there are no in-hand decisions to optimise. Betting systems and pattern-spotting (tracking “streaks” on the scorecard) do not change the underlying odds — each round is independent. What you can control is bet selection and bankroll. Stick to Banker or Player, skip the Tie, and set a budget before you sit down. Our guides on whether baccarat strategy really works and on bankroll management cover this in full.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is baccarat hard to learn?

No. You make one decision — Player, Banker, or Tie — before the cards are dealt, and the dealer handles everything else. It is one of the easiest casino games to play.

What is the best bet in baccarat?

The Banker bet. It has the lowest house edge (around 1.06% in eight-deck games), even after the 5% commission. The Player bet is a close second; the Tie is best avoided.

Why does the Banker bet charge a commission?

The Banker wins slightly more often than the Player because it acts last and can react to the Player’s third card. The 5% commission on Banker wins offsets that advantage.

What is a “natural” in baccarat?

A natural is a two-card total of 8 or 9. When either hand has a natural, the round ends immediately and no third card is drawn.

How are card values counted?

Aces are 1, cards 2–9 are face value, and 10s and face cards are 0. If a total is two digits, you drop the first digit — so 15 becomes 5.

Is the Tie bet worth it?

Rarely. Although it pays 8:1, the Tie has a house edge of about 14.36%, far worse than Banker or Player, so it costs you more over time.

Do I need to learn the third-card rule?

No. The drawing rules are automatic and the dealer applies them. It helps to understand them, but you never make that decision yourself.

Is baccarat a game of skill or luck?

Luck. There are no in-hand decisions to make, so no strategy can change the odds. Smart play is limited to bet selection and bankroll control.

Does betting on streaks work?

No. Each round is an independent event, so past results do not predict future ones. Tracking streaks on the scorecard does not improve your odds.

Is online baccarat the same as the casino version?

Yes. Live-dealer and software baccarat use identical rules and payouts, so the same bet-quality logic applies. Always play at a licensed casino.

Editorial transparency: This guide is for educational purposes and is intended for an 18+ (or legal-age) audience. Baccarat is a game of chance with a built-in house edge — no bet or system can overcome it long term. Play responsibly and only with money you can afford to lose. Rules, payouts, and commission terms can vary slightly by casino, so confirm the details in-game before you play.