Basics
Baccarat rules, including the third card
Baccarat is the simplest table game in the casino to play and one of the most confusing to explain. Here is the whole thing.
The bet
Before the deal you bet on Player, Banker, or Tie. That is the only decision you make. The dealer then plays out both hands by fixed rules; nobody chooses whether to draw.
Card values
Aces count 1, cards 2 to 9 count face value, tens and face cards count 0. Add the cards and keep only the last digit: a 7 and an 8 make 15, which counts as 5. The highest hand is 9.
The deal
- Two cards to Player, two to Banker.
- If either hand totals 8 or 9, that is a natural. Both hands stand and the higher total wins.
- Otherwise Player acts first: on 0 to 5 Player draws one card, on 6 or 7 Player stands.
- Banker's rule depends on what Player did. If Player stood, Banker draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. If Player drew, Banker's decision depends on its own total and the card Player drew:
| Banker total | Banker draws if Player's third card was |
|---|---|
| 0, 1, 2 | anything |
| 3 | anything except 8 |
| 4 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| 5 | 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| 6 | 6, 7 |
| 7 | stands |
Payouts
Player pays 1 to 1. Banker pays 1 to 1 less a 5% commission, because the drawing rules give Banker a slightly better chance. Tie usually pays 8 to 1; a tie pushes Player and Banker bets. On "no commission" tables Banker pays even money except a winning Banker 6, which pays half; that is a worse deal than the commission, not a better one.
Rack Chasers is built on a live dataset of about 838,000 logged baccarat hands, growing by roughly 130,000 a day, with every rule re-judged nightly against the new shoes. Nothing on this site is a forecast.
Why the rules matter to a system player
Because they are fixed, every hand is a fresh event with the same odds. That is what makes betting systems a question of sizing and discipline rather than card play, and it is why the break-even hit rate is the number to know.
Questions
Do I need to memorise the third-card rule?
No. The dealer applies it automatically and the software enforces it online. It only matters for understanding why Banker is a slight favourite.
What is a natural in baccarat?
A two-card total of 8 or 9. No third card is drawn to either hand.
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GET ACCESSFigures are measurements of logged hands and standard baccarat mathematics as of 2026-09-23. Not a forecast; no outcome is guaranteed. Decision support only; every bet is your own decision. 21+ or your local gambling age.