Baccarat has a reputation as a high-roller’s game, all velvet ropes and private rooms. Online, it is one of the simplest and cheapest games to play. You make one choice per hand, the cards are dealt by fixed rules, and the main bets carry a house edge of around 1%. The only way to play it badly is to pick the wrong bet. This guide explains the rules and the numbers so you can avoid that.
Card values and hand totals
Two hands are dealt: Player and Banker. Despite the names, you are not the Player and the casino is not the Banker. They are simply two hands you can bet on. Each starts with two cards, and the hand closer to 9 wins.
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 9 | Face value |
| 10, Jack, Queen, King | 0 |
Only the last digit of the total counts. A 7 and an 8 make 15, which counts as 5. A king and a 9 make 9, the best possible total. A two-card total of 8 or 9 is a “natural”, and if either hand has one, both hands stand and the round is settled.
The third-card rules
If neither hand has a natural, a third card may be drawn. You do not decide this; the rules do. The Player hand goes first.
- Player draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7.
- Banker, if the Player stood, draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7.
- Banker, if the Player drew a third card, follows the table below.
| Banker’s total | Banker draws if the Player’s third card is |
|---|---|
| 0, 1 or 2 | Anything (always draws) |
| 3 | Anything except 8 |
| 4 | 2 to 7 |
| 5 | 4 to 7 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 |
| 7 | Never (stands) |
You do not need to memorise any of this to play online; the software applies it automatically. It is useful only for understanding why the Banker hand wins slightly more often: it acts second, with information about the Player’s draw.
One hand, step by step
Following a single hand makes the rules concrete. Say you bet £10 on Banker.
- The deal. Player receives 4 and 2, a total of 6. Banker receives king and 3, a total of 3. Neither hand is a natural.
- Player’s turn. Player has 6, so the Player hand stands.
- Banker’s turn. Because the Player stood, Banker follows the simple rule: draw on 0 to 5. Banker has 3, so it draws, and receives a 5. The total is 8.
- Settlement. Banker’s 8 beats Player’s 6. Your £10 Banker bet wins £10 minus 5% commission, so you receive £9.50 in winnings plus your stake back.
Every decision in that hand was made by the rules. Your only input was the choice of bet before the cards were dealt.
Which version are you playing?
Almost all online and live baccarat is the punto banco form, where the drawing rules are fixed and players simply bet on an outcome. Older forms such as chemin de fer and baccarat banque, in which players take turns acting as the banker and may have drawing decisions, are rarely found online. Speed baccarat shortens the betting window and deals faster; squeeze baccarat adds a slow card reveal for drama. The odds on the main bets are the same across these presentations, provided the commission and payout rules match.
The three main bets
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banker | Even money minus 5% commission | 1.06% | The lowest-edge bet |
| Player | Even money | 1.24% | Close second, no commission |
| Tie at 8 to 1 | 8 to 1 | 14.36% | One of the worst bets in the casino |
| Tie at 9 to 1 | 9 to 1 | 4.84% | Better, but still well above Banker or Player |
The Banker bet wins slightly more often than the Player bet, which is why the casino takes a 5% commission on Banker wins. Even after commission, Banker keeps the lower edge. On a Tie, Banker and Player bets are usually returned as a push.
Commission-free baccarat
Many online and live tables offer “no commission” baccarat. Banker wins pay even money with no deduction, except that a Banker win with a total of 6 pays only half. That single rule raises the Banker edge to about 1.46%, higher than the standard game’s 1.06% and above the Player bet’s 1.24%. Commission-free tables feel better because you never see the deduction, but the maths is slightly worse. On those tables, the Player bet becomes the lower-edge choice.
Side bets
Most tables offer side bets such as Player Pair, Banker Pair and various “dragon” or bonus bets on winning margins. Paytables differ between providers, and the edges are generally much higher than on the main bets. Check the game’s help panel, where UK-licensed casinos must provide the rules and return, and treat side bets as an optional extra rather than the core of your play.
Patterns, roads and scorecards
Live baccarat tables often display “roads”: grids that track past results in various patterns. They are entertaining to follow, but each hand is dealt from the shoe according to fixed rules, and previous results do not predict the next one in any way you can use. A long run of Banker wins does not make Player “due”. The edge on each bet stays the same whatever the scorecard shows.
Speed and cost per hour
Because baccarat needs no decisions, it can be dealt very quickly, especially in speed formats and RNG versions. The edge per hand is low, but expected cost depends on total amount staked. Fifty hands at £10 on Banker is £500 staked with an expected cost of about £5.30. Two hundred hands at the same stake is £2,000 staked and about £21.20. A slower live table at the same stake is the cheaper hour.
Staking systems
Baccarat attracts the same progression systems as roulette, such as doubling after losses. They do not change the edge on any single bet, so they cannot change the long-run outcome. What they do is raise the stakes after losing runs, which can quickly push a session past your budget or the table limit.
Baccarat at UK-licensed casinos
The £5 and £2 stake limits introduced in 2025 apply to online slots, not baccarat, so tables keep their own minimum and maximum stakes. The usual licence protections apply: age and identity checks, the credit card ban, deposit limits, GAMSTOP and a free route to ADR if a dispute is not resolved within 8 weeks. Bonus wagering on baccarat is often weighted at a low rate or excluded entirely, so check the terms before using a bonus at the tables; our bonus wagering guide explains why.
Summary
- Bet Banker at standard commission tables (1.06% edge), or Player (1.24%).
- On commission-free tables, Player becomes the lower-edge option.
- Avoid the Tie, especially at 8 to 1 (14.36%).
- Ignore roads and patterns; every hand is independent.
- Watch the pace: low edge per hand can still add up quickly.
If you like low-edge games where the paytable tells the story, our video poker guide is a natural next step, and our roulette odds guide covers the other classic no-decision table game. And if gambling stops being enjoyable, the National Gambling Helpline is free and open 24/7 on 0808 8020 133; see our responsible gambling page for more support.