Baccarat rules, scoring and the third-card rule

A round, step by step

Baccarat follows an identical sequence every round. Players do not hold cards and make no decisions after their bet is placed.

1. Players bet

   Back Player, Banker or Tie within the open betting window.

2. Two cards are dealt to each side

   Cards are turned and both totals calculated immediately.

3. Check for a natural

   An 8 or 9 on either side ends the round straight away.

4. Apply the third-card rule

   The system handles this; no player decision is involved.

5. Compare and settle

   Whichever side is closer to nine wins, and balances update at once.

A round takes roughly thirty to sixty seconds, depending on whether a third card is drawn.

Scoring

Only the units digit of a total counts. Where a total exceeds nine, the tens digit is dropped.

Worked examples:

• 7 and 8 total 15, which scores 5.
• A king and a nine score 9 — the highest possible — since face cards are worth zero.
• 6 and 6 total 12, which scores 2.
• An ace and a four score 5, since the ace counts as one.

A total of 8 or 9 from the first two cards is called a natural, and the round ends immediately with no further cards.

Bets, payouts and house edge

These house edge figures are the standard values for an eight-deck shoe. What the table shows clearly is that the Tie bet carries a far higher edge than either main bet, despite the more attractive-looking payout.

The third-card rule

This is the part that confuses new players — but it never needs to be memorised, because the system applies it automatically and nobody can override it. Understanding it simply helps you follow the round.

Step one: check for a natural

If either side has 8 or 9 from its first two cards, the round ends there and everything below is skipped.

Step two: the Player hand

With no natural, the Player hand is resolved first, on a simple rule: draw on a total of 0 to 5, stand on 6 or 7.

Step three: the Banker hand

The Banker hand is more involved, because its decision depends on both its own total and the Player's third card.

Where the Player stood on 6 or 7, the Banker follows the same rule the Player did: draw on 0 to 5, stand on 6 or 7.

Why Banker pays commission

The answer is in the rule above. The Banker hand acts after seeing the Player's third card, and that extra information makes it win slightly more often.

Paying both sides an unmodified 1 to 1 would therefore make Banker the obvious permanent choice and unbalance the game. The 5% commission on Banker wins is the correction, bringing the two sides' house edges close together.

Side bets

Many tables offer side bets — backing a pair, or a total falling in a given range. These pay considerably more, and carry a house edge several times that of the main bets.

The general guidance is straightforward: if your aim is to make a budget last, stay with the two main bets. See our baccarat reference page for the full breakdown.