Baccarat explained: banker, player and tie odds
Baccarat has no decisions after you bet, so the only choice that matters is which bet you make. Here are the real odds behind banker, player and tie.
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Baccarat has a reputation as a high roller game, but it is one of the simplest games in the casino. You choose a bet, the cards are dealt by fixed rules, and the hand is settled. There are no decisions to get right or wrong once the cards come out. That makes your choice of bet, and your choice of table, the only things that affect your odds.
How a hand works
Despite the names, you are not playing as the player or the banker. They are simply two hands, and you bet on which one will finish closer to 9. You can also bet on a tie.
- Aces count as 1, cards 2 to 9 at face value, and tens and face cards count as 0.
- Only the last digit of the total counts. A 7 and an 8 make 15, which counts as 5.
- Each hand gets two cards. A total of 8 or 9 is a natural and the hand ends.
- Otherwise, a third card may be drawn by each hand according to fixed drawing rules. The player hand draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. The banker’s draw depends on its own total and the player’s third card.
You never need to learn the drawing rules to play, because the dealer or the software applies them automatically. They matter only because they give the banker hand a slight advantage, which is why winning banker bets pay a commission.
The three main bets
The figures below are for the standard game with eight decks. Ties push player and banker bets, so your stake is returned on those bets when the hand ties.
| Bet | Chance of winning | Payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banker | 45.86% | 1 to 1, less 5% commission | 1.06% |
| Player | 44.62% | 1 to 1 | 1.24% |
| Tie (paid 8 to 1) | 9.52% | 8 to 1 | 14.36% |
| Tie (paid 9 to 1) | 9.52% | 9 to 1 | 4.84% |
The remaining 9.52% of hands are ties, which is why banker and player do not add up to 100%.
Worked examples
Banker commission
You bet 10 units on banker and it wins. You are paid 10 units less 5% commission, so 9.50 units. Because the banker hand wins slightly more often than the player hand, that commission is what keeps the bet in the house’s favour. Even after paying it, banker is still the lowest edge bet on the table.
Cost over a session
Suppose you bet 10 units a hand for 100 hands, a total of 1,000 units staked.
- On banker, the expected loss is 1.06% of 1,000, about 10.60 units.
- On player, it is 1.24% of 1,000, about 12.40 units.
- On tie at 8 to 1, it is 14.36% of 1,000, about 143.60 units.
The tie bet looks attractive because of its payout, but it costs more than thirteen times as much as banker over time. These are averages over very many hands. Any single session can finish well above or below them.
So which bet should you make?
If your aim is to lose as little as possible over time, banker at a standard 5% commission table is the best of the three, with player a close second. The gap between them is small, 0.18% of your stake, so choosing player because you prefer not to deal with commission is a reasonable decision. The tie bet is the one to treat with real caution. It hits roughly one hand in ten and its high payout does not make up for how rarely it wins.
Rules that change the odds
- Tie payout. A tie at 9 to 1 is much better than 8 to 1, but at 4.84% it is still a far worse bet than banker or player.
- Commission rate. Standard is 5%. Any higher rate raises the banker edge.
- No commission baccarat. These tables pay banker wins at 1 to 1 with no commission, but take something back elsewhere, typically paying only half when the banker wins with a total of 6. That usually leaves the banker bet with a higher edge than the standard 1.06%. The rules panel shows the exact figure.
- Speed variants. Faster versions keep the same edge per hand but deal many more hands per hour, so your expected loss per hour goes up at the same stake.
- Side bets. Pair bets and similar side bets generally carry much higher edges than the main bets. Check the RTP before you place one.
Common myths
- “The road maps show a pattern.” Live baccarat tables often display scorecards such as the big road or bead plate. They are records of past results. They do not predict the next hand, and treating a streak as a reason for a change is the gambler’s fallacy.
- “Follow the shoe.” Betting on whichever side won last does not change the edge. Neither does betting against it.
- “Martingale is safe on banker.” Doubling after each loss does not change the 1.06% edge. Long losing runs happen, and the table maximum stops the doubling well before the theory needs it to. Because of the commission, after five or more losses in a row a winning banker bet no longer covers the earlier losses in a doubling sequence.
- “Squeezing the cards changes the result.” The squeeze, where cards are revealed slowly, is theatre. The cards were already in the shoe in that order.
What to check at a licensed casino
- Commission or no commission. Find out which version you are playing and how banker wins are paid.
- Tie payout. Look for 8 to 1 or 9 to 1 in the rules.
- RTP per bet. The rules panel usually lists it for banker, player, tie and every side bet.
- Table limits. Note the minimum and maximum, and any separate limits for tie and side bets.
- Licence. Play only where the casino holds a licence for your market. Our licensing page explains how we check.
For how we assess the casinos themselves, see how we review.
Set your limits first
Baccarat hands are quick and there is nothing to slow you down between them. Pick a budget and a time limit before you sit down, avoid raising stakes to recover losses, and stop when you reach either limit. If you need support or want to use tools like deposit limits or self-exclusion, see our responsible gambling page.