Online and live baccarat is almost always Punto Banco: you bet on the Player hand, the Banker hand or a Tie, and the cards are drawn by fixed rules. You make no decisions after placing your chips. In a standard eight-deck game the Banker bet has a house edge of about 1.06% and Player about 1.24%, while the Tie bet at 8:1 costs about 14.36%, according to Wizard of Odds.
That gap is the most useful fact in baccarat. The rest of this guide explains the drawing rules that produce it, how commission works, and what the side bets cost.
Card values and naturals
Aces count 1, cards 2 to 9 count face value, and 10s and picture cards count zero. A hand’s total is the last digit of the sum, so 7 and 6 make 13, which counts as 3. No hand can exceed 9.
Each hand receives two cards. If either hand totals 8 or 9 on its first two cards, that is a natural: both hands stand and the higher total wins. If the totals are equal, the result is a tie.
The third-card rules
When neither side has a natural, the Player hand acts first:
- Player draws a third card on a total of 0 to 5.
- Player stands on 6 or 7.
If the Player stands, the Banker follows the same rule: draw on 0 to 5 and stand on 6 or 7. If the Player draws, the Banker’s decision depends on the Banker total and the value of the Player’s third card:
| Banker total | Banker draws if Player’s third card is | Banker stands if Player’s third card is |
|---|---|---|
| 0, 1 or 2 | Any card | — |
| 3 | 0–7 or 9 | 8 |
| 4 | 2–7 | 0, 1, 8 or 9 |
| 5 | 4–7 | 0–3, 8 or 9 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 | 0–5, 8 or 9 |
| 7 | — | Any card |
The dealer or software applies these automatically. You never need to memorise them to play, but they explain why Banker wins slightly more often: it acts second and its drawing rule reacts to the Player’s card.
A worked hand
Player is dealt 3 and 2, a total of 5. Banker is dealt a queen and 6, a total of 6. Neither is a natural, so Player draws on 5 and receives a 9, making 14, which counts as 4. Banker holds 6, and the table says a Banker 6 draws only when Player’s third card is 6 or 7. The third card was 9, so Banker stands. Banker wins, 6 to 4.
The three main bets
| Bet | Pays | Win probability (8 decks) | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banker | 1:1 minus 5% commission | 45.86% | 1.06% |
| Player | 1:1 | 44.62% | 1.24% |
| Tie | 8:1 | 9.52% | 14.36% |
| Tie (where it pays 9:1) | 9:1 | 9.52% | 4.84% |
Figures are from the Wizard of Odds baccarat analysis. When a hand ties, Banker and Player bets push and the stakes are returned.
Why Banker pays commission
Because Banker wins 45.86% of hands against Player’s 44.62%, an even-money Banker bet would give players an edge. The standard fix is a 5% commission on Banker wins. A ₦10,000 Banker win therefore pays ₦9,500 profit instead of ₦10,000. Even after that deduction, Banker remains the cheapest bet on the table.
Why the Tie bet is expensive
A tie comes up in about 1 hand in 10.5. Fair odds would be roughly 9.5:1, so an 8:1 payout keeps a large share for the house. Some tables pay 9:1, which brings the edge down to 4.84%, still about four times the Banker edge.
No-commission baccarat
Many lobbies offer “no commission” tables that pay Banker wins at even money but recoup the difference with a specific rule:
- Banker winning with 6 pays 1:2 (half). This is the most common online version, sometimes sold with a “Super 6” side bet. Wizard of Odds puts the Banker edge at about 1.46% in an eight-deck game, which is higher than standard commission baccarat.
- EZ Baccarat. Banker wins pay even money, but a Banker win with a three-card total of 7 pushes. The EZ Baccarat Banker edge is about 1.02%.
No-commission tables are simpler to follow, and EZ Baccarat is slightly cheaper than the standard game, but the half-pay-on-6 version costs more. The table name and rules screen will tell you which you are playing.
Side bets
Side bets sit alongside the main wager and settle separately. Typical figures for eight decks:
| Side bet | Typical payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Player Pair or Banker Pair (first two cards are a pair) | 11:1 | 10.36% |
| Dragon 7 (EZ Baccarat: Banker wins with three-card 7) | 40:1 | 7.61% |
| Panda 8 (EZ Baccarat: Player wins with three-card 8) | 25:1 | 10.19% |
Other side bets, such as Dragon Bonus or Perfect Pair, use paytables that vary by provider, so their edge depends on the table. All of them cost several times more than a plain Banker or Player bet.
Scorecards and roads
Live baccarat tables display “roads”, such as the Big Road, Bead Plate and Big Eye Boy, that chart previous results. They are a tradition from Asian casinos and make streaks easy to see. They do not show which cards remain in the shoe, and no pattern in them changes the probability of the next hand. Following a “dragon” streak of Banker wins or betting against it carries the same edge as any other Banker or Player bet.
Staking systems face the same problem. Doubling after losses increases the amount at risk without improving the odds. The bankroll management guide covers sensible bet sizing.
Playing baccarat on 8XBET
8XBET’s casino includes baccarat in both RNG and live-dealer formats, including speed and no-commission variants. Live tables stream from a studio and need a stable connection; RNG tables load quickly and suit weaker mobile signals. Minimum and maximum stakes appear on each table in the lobby. For a faster one-card alternative, see Dragon Tiger; for other dealer games, see the live casino guide.
Frequently asked questions
Should I always bet Banker?
On the numbers, Banker is the lowest-cost bet in standard baccarat, with Player close behind. Neither changes your chance of winning a given hand much; the difference shows up over hundreds of hands.
Does the number of decks matter?
Only a little. Wizard of Odds gives a Banker edge of 1.01% for a single deck and 1.06% for six or eight decks. The Tie and Pair bets are more sensitive to deck count.
Baccarat hands are fast, so set a time limit as well as a budget; the responsible gambling page explains the tools available.
