What is Baccarat?

Baccarat is a card game that compares two hands — Banker and Player — with the hand closest to a total of 9 winning. Card values are simple: 2 to 9 count at face value, 10s and all face cards count as 0, and aces count as 1. Only the final digit of any total matters, so a hand of 7 and 8 (15) counts as 5. The names Banker and Player are just labels for the two hands; you may bet on either, or on a Tie. Drawing is governed by fixed rules, not player choice, which is why baccarat is essentially a game of selecting which hand to back. Why the bets differ: the Banker hand draws according to slightly more favourable rules and so wins marginally more often than the Player hand. To offset this, casinos levy a 5% commission on winning Banker bets. The house edges (eight-deck shoe) are approximately 1.06% on Banker, 1.24% on Player and a punishing 14.4% on the Tie. Worked example: you stake £100 on Banker and it wins. You are paid even money less the 5% commission, so you collect £95 profit rather than £100. Despite that deduction, Banker remains the lowest-edge main bet, which is why it is the mathematically preferred wager over the long run. Why it matters: the edges make Banker the soundest choice, Player a close second, and the Tie a bet to avoid despite its tempting 8:1 (or 9:1) payout. Common mistake: chasing the Tie for its big payout, or following pattern-tracking scorecards. Each coup is effectively independent; no roadmap of past results changes the next hand's probabilities.