In standard casino Punto Banco baccarat, two hands are compared: Player and Banker. The hand with a point count closer to 9 wins. Players bet on the result; they do not decide whether either hand takes a third card. Drawing is automatic under a fixed rule chart.
The confusing part is usually not the goal. It is the vocabulary: Player and Banker sound like people, totals discard the tens digit, and Banker’s third-card rule looks more complicated than it actually is.
The round in six steps
A standard coup follows this order:
- Bets are placed on Player, Banker, Tie, and any offered side bets.
- Betting closes.
- Two cards are dealt to Player and two to Banker.
- If either initial hand is a natural 8 or 9, the hands are normally compared immediately.
- Otherwise, any required third cards are dealt according to the fixed drawing rules.
- Final point counts are compared and wagers are settled.
The names Player and Banker are labels for the two hands. Betting on Player does not mean those cards belong to you, and betting on Banker does not make you the bank.
For a more conversational walkthrough of the table flow, use how to play baccarat. This page stays focused on the actual rules.
Card values
Baccarat uses only the numerical value of the cards. Suits do not matter.
| Card | Baccarat value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2–9 | Face value |
| 10, Jack, Queen, King | 0 |
Only the last digit of the total counts. A compact way to express the rule is:
Point count = sum of card values mod 10
where:
sum of card valuesis the ordinary total after assigning baccarat values;mod 10means keep the remainder after division by 10, which is the same as keeping the final digit.
Examples:
- 7 + 8 = 15 → point count 5;
- 9 + King = 9 → point count 9;
- 6 + 6 = 12 → point count 2;
- Ace + 3 + 9 = 13 → point count 3.
There is no “bust.” A total of 18 simply becomes 8.
If scoring is the only part you need to learn, baccarat card values isolates it from the rest of the game.
Naturals stop the drawing process
A two-card point count of 8 or 9 is called a natural.
If either Player or Banker has a natural, standard Punto Banco does not deal a third card to either hand. The two totals are compared immediately.
Examples:
- Player 9, Banker 7 → Player wins.
- Player 8, Banker 3 → Player wins.
- Player 8, Banker 9 → Banker wins.
- Player 9, Banker 9 → Tie.
A natural is about the initial two-card total. A final three-card 9 is still an excellent total, but it is not a two-card natural.
Player’s third-card rule
If there is no natural, Player is resolved first.
| Player initial total | Action |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | Draw one card |
| 6–7 | Stand |
| 8–9 | Natural; no further cards |
There is no choice to “hit” or “stand” as in blackjack. A Player total of 5 draws. A Player total of 6 stands.
Once Player’s action is known, Banker’s rule can be applied.
Banker’s rule when Player stands
If Player has 6 or 7 and therefore does not take a third card:
| Banker initial total | Action |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | Draw |
| 6–7 | Stand |
| 8–9 | Natural; no further cards |
This is the easy branch of the rule.
Banker’s rule when Player draws
If Player draws a third card, Banker’s action can depend on both Banker’s two-card total and the value of Player’s third card.
| Banker total | Banker draws when Player’s third card is… |
|---|---|
| 0–2 | Any value |
| 3 | Any value except 8 |
| 4 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 |
| 5 | 4, 5, 6, or 7 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 |
| 7 | Never |
Remember that a 10, jack, queen, or king has baccarat value 0 for this chart.
The table is easier to learn as a narrowing window:
- Banker 3 draws almost always;
- Banker 4 needs Player’s third card from 2 through 7;
- Banker 5 needs 4 through 7;
- Banker 6 needs only 6 or 7;
- Banker 7 always stands.
The dedicated baccarat third-card rule page goes deeper into memorization and examples. The important rule here is that the dealer applies the chart; the player does not choose the draw.
A complete example
Suppose the initial deal is:
- Player: 2 + 3 = 5;
- Banker: 4 + Ace = 5.
There is no natural. Player total 5 must draw.
Player receives a 6, so Player’s final total becomes:
2 + 3 + 6 = 11 → 1
Now Banker’s initial total of 5 is checked against Player’s third-card value of 6. Banker 5 draws when Player’s third card is 4, 5, 6, or 7, so Banker must draw.
If Banker receives a 3:
4 + 1 + 3 = 8
Final result: Banker 8 beats Player 1.
Nobody at the table made a tactical decision. The sequence followed the drawing rules.
The main wagers settle separately from the drawing rules
The drawing chart determines the hand result. The bet you placed determines how that result affects your chips.
Under traditional commission baccarat:
- a winning Player wager normally pays 1 to 1;
- a winning Banker wager normally pays 1 to 1 less a 5% commission, often called vigorish;
- when Player and Banker finish with the same point count, standard Player and Banker wagers push and are returned;
- a Tie wager wins only on an equal final point count, with the exact payout set by the approved table rules.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s active Baccarat rules, for example, specify six to eight decks, the same card-value system, the fixed third-card chart, even-money Player payouts, and a 5% vigorish on winning Banker wagers in traditional baccarat. Other jurisdictions and approved variants can differ in presentation or payout conditions.
This is why “Banker pays less” should not be confused with “Banker wins less often.” The commission is a pricing rule applied because the Banker hand has a small structural probability advantage under the draw rules. See Banker bet explained and baccarat house edge for the mathematics.
Tie does not mean Player and Banker bets lose
In standard baccarat, an equal final point count is a Tie result.
If you bet Player or Banker and the hands tie, the main wager normally pushes: the stake is returned with no win or loss on that wager. A separate Tie bet, if placed, is settled under its displayed payout.
This matters when calculating probabilities. The house edge of Player and Banker wagers is not obtained by pretending ties are ordinary losses.
Side bets are separate contracts. A Dragon Bonus, pair wager, progressive, or other proposition can have its own qualifying conditions and payout even though the main hand result is Player, Banker, or Tie.
Big baccarat, midi baccarat, and mini baccarat
The core Punto Banco scoring and drawing logic can be presented in different table formats.
Traditional or big baccarat may involve a larger table, multiple dealers, a player acting as curator, and ceremonial handling of the cards.
Midi baccarat keeps some squeeze-style presentation but uses a smaller format.
Mini baccarat is normally dealer-handled and faster, often with the cards exposed directly by the dealer.
Those formats can change who physically touches or reveals the cards. They do not give a player discretion over the third-card chart.
No-commission baccarat is not one universal rule
The phrase no commission sounds as if the 5% charge has simply been removed while everything else remains unchanged. Often there is a compensating rule.
One common model changes the payout on a particular Banker result. EZ Baccarat, for example, uses special treatment for a three-card Banker 7. Other no-commission versions may reduce the payout on Banker 6 or use different approved conditions.
Therefore, do not import the standard 1.06% Banker house-edge figure into a no-commission table without checking the exact rules. The variant’s altered settlement changes the mathematics.
What can vary from one casino to another
Even when the core drawing rules are the same, a table can differ in:
- six versus eight decks;
- commission collection procedure;
- Tie payout;
- no-commission conditions;
- available side bets;
- dealing and squeeze procedure;
- table minimums and maximums;
- whether a free hand is permitted;
- how irregularities and exposed cards are handled.
The approved rules and signage at the table control. A procedure seen at one property should not be assumed to apply everywhere.
Common rule mistakes
“I bet Banker, so I control the Banker hand.” No. Banker is a named hand.
“The dealer decides whether to draw.” The dealer executes the chart; it is not a strategic choice.
“Face cards are worth 10.” They are worth zero in baccarat scoring.
“A total over 9 busts.” There is no bust; keep only the last digit.
“Player 5 can stand if I want.” Player 0–5 draws under standard rules.
“No commission means the same game at a better price.” Not necessarily. Check the special Banker settlement rule.
“A Tie takes my Banker or Player bet.” Under standard rules those main wagers push on a Tie.
The shortest useful way to remember baccarat rules
Score only the last digit. Naturals 8 and 9 stop the draw. Player draws on 0–5 and stands on 6–7. Banker follows the fixed chart. Then compare the final totals and settle the wager according to the table’s payout rules.
Once that sequence is clear, the game itself is mechanically simple. Continue with how to play baccarat for table flow, third-card rule for the full draw logic, or baccarat bets explained for the wager menu.