A baccarat cheat sheet for the table: what the cards are worth, when each hand takes a third card, and what every bet really costs. You never have to make a drawing decision in baccarat, the dealer follows fixed rules, but having them in front of you makes the game far less mysterious. And the most useful line on the sheet is the last one: the tie bet looks generous at 8 to 1, and it’s one of the worst bets in the casino.
Baccarat cheat sheet: values and naturals
| Card | Counts as |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 9 | Face value |
| 10, J, Q, K | 0 |
Only the last digit counts: 9 + 6 = 15, which is 5. A two-card 8 or 9 is a natural, and the hand stops there for both sides.
Third card rules
| Player’s two cards | Player |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Draws |
| 6 or 7 | Stands |
| 8 or 9 | Natural, nobody draws |
| Banker’s total | Banker draws if the Player’s third card was |
|---|---|
| 0, 1 or 2 | Anything (always draws) |
| 3 | Anything except an 8 |
| 4 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 |
| 5 | 4, 5, 6 or 7 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 |
| 7 | Never, Banker stands |
If the Player stood with 6 or 7, the Banker draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7, just like the Player.
Payouts and house edge
| Bet | Pays | Wins (8 decks) | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banker | 1 to 1, less 5% commission | 45.9% | 1.06% |
| Player | 1 to 1 | 44.6% | 1.24% |
| Tie | 8 to 1 | 9.5% | 14.36% |
| Tie at 9 to 1 | 9 to 1 | 9.5% | 4.84% |
Banker and Player bets push on a tie, so your stake comes back. Banker wins slightly more often because it draws last and knows the Player’s third card, which is why the casino charges commission on it. No-commission tables usually pay half on a Banker win with a three-card 6, or push a three-card 7, which puts the edge back up to about 1.46% or 1.02% depending on the rule.
The CasinoCalcs baccarat third card chart lays the drawing rules out as a grid, the baccarat calculator shows the odds for any number of decks, and the side bets calculator covers pairs, Dragon Bonus and the rest.
Patterns on the scoreboard don’t predict the next hand. BeGambleAware.org has free support if baccarat stops being fun.