Baccarat Rules and House Edge: Banker, Player and Tie Bets
Baccarat is the most mathematically transparent game on a casino floor: three bets, fixed drawing rules, no decisions after you wager.
The rules in one paragraph
Two hands are dealt — Banker and Player — under fixed drawing rules (the tableau); nobody chooses to hit or stand. Closest to 9 wins; tens and face cards count zero. You bet on which hand wins, or on a tie.
The three bets, priced
- Banker: house edge 1.06% (a 5% commission on banker wins funds the edge — the bet still prices best because the drawing rules favour the banker hand).
- Player: 1.24%.
- Tie (usually pays 8:1): 14.36% — by far the most expensive standard bet at the table.
No-commission variants replace the 5% commission with a rule tweak (commonly banker wins on 6 pay 1:2), which raises the banker edge — read the placard, as with the rules mathematics in Blackjack House Edge.
The honest strategy section
- Bet banker if you want the lowest price; player is nearly as good; skip the tie.
- Scorecards, streak-tracking and "road" patterns are entertainment: every hand's odds are fixed by the drawing rules, exactly as slot spins are independent (see How Slot Machines Work).
- Side bets (pairs and exotics) price like the tie bet or worse.
Baccarat's popularity at BC floors — River Rock historically prominent among them (see River Rock Table Games) — comes precisely from this clarity: a low, known price for a fast, social game. Keep it that way by staying off the tie.
Verified 2026-08-07 (standard published baccarat mathematics; low volatility).