Baccarat Third Card Chart: Banker & Player Rules

The deal

Player's first two cards total

Banker's first two cards total

Player's third cardOnly matters when the Player draws.

Who draws

Player takes–

Banker takes–

Punto banco tableau. Natural 8 or 9: no draws. Player draws on 0 to 5, stands on 6 or 7. Banker: if the Player stood, draws on 0 to 5; if the Player drew, Banker draws on 0 to 2 always, on 3 unless the third card was an 8, on 4 against 2 to 7, on 5 against 4 to 7, on 6 against 6 or 7, and stands on 7.

Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
Tested by Diana Westfield

Updated 10 Nov 2026How we calculate →

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A baccarat third card chart is the rulebook in one grid. In punto banco nobody chooses to draw: the dealer follows fixed rules for the Player and the Banker. The Player’s rule is simple. The Banker’s depends on its own total and the Player’s third card, and that’s the bit people look up. The free CasinoCalcs page has the full chart to print and a checker above it.

Baccarat third card chart

First, the easy part. If either hand has 8 or 9 on its first two cards (a natural), both stand. Otherwise the Player draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7.

Then the Banker. Down the side is the Banker’s total, across the top the Player’s third card. D = Banker draws, S = Banker stands.

Banker	None	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
0 to 2	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
3	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	S	D
4	D	S	S	D	D	D	D	D	D	S	S
5	D	S	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	S	S
6	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	D	D	S	S
7	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

“None” means the Player stood on 6 or 7. Picture cards and 10s count as 0, aces as 1.

How to remember it

A few hooks make the Banker’s rows stick:

0, 1, 2: always draw. Nothing to lose.
3: draw against everything except an 8.
4: draw against 2 to 7.
5: draw against 4 to 7.
6: draw against 6 or 7 only.
7: always stand.

Notice the window narrows by two from 4 to 5 to 6. The logic, roughly: a Player third card of 6 or 7 means the Player is probably sitting on a decent total now, so a Banker 6 needs to try to improve.

Why it matters

These rules are why Banker wins 45.86% of hands and Player 44.62%: the Banker acts second and gets to see the Player’s third card. That’s also why Banker bets pay 5% commission. For the odds on each bet, see the baccarat calculator, and to watch the rules in action over a whole shoe, the baccarat simulator. Side bets like Dragon 7 and Panda 8 lean on these rules too; the baccarat side bets calculator prices them.

For the drawing rules, payouts and house edge on one printable page, see the baccarat cheat sheet.

Knowing the chart doesn’t change the edge. BeGambleAware.org is there if baccarat stops being fun.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Player draw a third card in baccarat?

On a total of 0 to 5, unless either side has a natural 8 or 9. On 6 or 7 the Player stands.

When does the Banker draw a third card?

If the Player stood, the Banker draws on 0 to 5. If the Player drew, it depends on the Banker's total and the Player's third card: always on 0 to 2, and on 3 to 6 only against certain cards.

Does the Banker draw on 3 against an 8?

No. That's the one exception on 3: the Banker draws against any third card except an 8.

Do I need to know the third card rule to play?

No. The dealer applies it automatically. Knowing it helps you follow the hand and spot a mistake.