Baccarat Rules

Baccarat Rules are simple.

In just a few games you can learn Baccarat Rules quickly and easily. The object of baccarat is to obtain a hand with a point total closest to 9. Aces count as one; 2 through 9 as their face value; tens and picture cards count as zero. If the value of the hand is ten points or more, subtract ten, and the remainder is the baccarat point value of the hand. For example: 7+6=13=3 and 4+6=10=0.

Place your wager on the banker’s hand and/or on the player’s hand and/or on a tie. The player and the banker are then each dealt a two-card hand. In certain cases, a third card is dealt to the player or the banker or both (Third Card Rules). Cards are dealt from a shoe that holds 6 decks of cards. The decks are shuffled each round.

The baccarat player closest to 9, wins.

  • If you bet on the player and the player wins, you are paid 2 for 1 winnings on your bet.
  • If you bet on the banker and the banker wins, you are paid 2 for 1 minus 5% bank commission (vigorish).
  • If both the player’s hand and the banker’s hand have equal totals, the game result is a ‘tie’. If you have placed a bet on the ‘tie’ field, your payoff is 9 for 1.
  • Important note: If either the player and /or the Banker has a total of 8 or 9, they both stand. This Rule overrides all other rules.

Baccarat Third Card Rules

The following baccarat rule chart governs when the player and/or the banker will automatically be dealt (i.e. “draws”) a third card in the baccarat card game:

Player
Point Value of First Two Cards:
0 – 5 Draws a card.
6, 7 Stands.
8, 9 “Natural hand”, no further draw.
Banker
Point Value of First
Two Cards:
Draws when the player’s
third card is:
Does not draw when the
player’s third card is:
0 – 2 Always draws a card.
3 0 – 9 8
4 2 – 7 0, 1, 8, 9
5 4, 6, 7 0 – 3, 8, 9
6 6, 7 0 – 5, 8, 9
7 Always stands.
8, 9 Player cannot draw. Player cannot draw.

Content of this Baccarat Rules page courtesy of Golden Palace Casino