How to Play Baccarat for Beginners
Nov 7, 2026 · The Editors
How to play baccarat (punto banco) step by step: the three bets, card values, naturals, when the Player and Banker draw a third card, payouts and commission, the odds, and how to play at home.
Baccarat looks like the most exclusive game in the casino, but it is one of the simplest: you make one bet, and the cards play themselves. The version almost every casino deals is punto banco, and that is what is described here.
The three bets
Before the deal, you bet on one of three outcomes:
- Player — the Player hand will win.
- Banker — the Banker hand will win.
- Tie — the two hands will tie.
"Player" and "Banker" are just the names of the two hands. You are not the player, and you are not playing against the banker. Nobody makes any decisions once the bets are down.
Card values
- Ace: 1.
- 2 to 9: face value.
- 10, J, Q, K: 0.
A hand's total is the last digit of the sum. A 7 and an 8 make 15, which counts as 5. The highest possible total is 9.
The deal
Two cards each are dealt to the Player and the Banker hands, face up.
Naturals: if either hand totals 8 or 9, both stand and the higher total wins.
The third-card rules
Otherwise, the Player hand goes first:
- Total 0–5: draws a third card.
- Total 6–7: stands.
Then the Banker hand:
- If the Player stood, the Banker draws on 0–5 and stands on 6–7.
- If the Player drew, the Banker acts on its own total and the Player's third card:
| Banker total | Banker draws if the Player's third card is |
|---|---|
| 0, 1, 2 | Anything — always draws |
| 3 | Anything except an 8 |
| 4 | 2 to 7 |
| 5 | 4 to 7 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 |
| 7 | Never — stands |
The dealer applies these rules automatically. You never need to memorise them to play — but it helps to follow what is happening.
Who wins
The hand closer to 9 wins. Equal totals are a tie: Player and Banker bets are returned (a push), and Tie bets win.
Payouts and the odds
| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Player | 1 to 1 | about 1.24% |
| Banker | 1 to 1, less 5% commission | about 1.06% |
| Tie | 8 to 1 | about 14.4% |
The Banker bet wins slightly more often, which is why it carries a commission. Even after the commission, it is the best bet. The Tie looks tempting at 8 to 1 and is one of the worst bets in the casino.
How to play baccarat at home
You need six or eight decks shuffled together for the casino feel — or simply one or two decks for a home game, reshuffled often. Choose one player to deal the hands and apply the drawing rules, take bets in chips, and pay out from a bank. It suits a mixed table, because nobody needs any skill to play, and every hand is over in under a minute.
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