Baccarat

Three bets, one decision. Banker. Always Banker. Tie is the single worst bet on the layout.

Bets sorted by house edge

Banker

1.06%

Pays 0.95:1 (after 5% commission)

Always bet Banker. Banker wins 45.86% of hands vs Player's 44.62%. The 5% commission converts a player-edge bet into the lowest-edge bet on the table.

Player

1.24%

Pays 1:1

Slightly worse than Banker (no commission, but lower win rate). Acceptable; not optimal.

Tie

14.36%

Pays 8:1

Pays 8:1 but ties happen 9.52% of the time — fair payout would be 9.5:1. The 14.36% house edge makes this one of the worst bets in the casino.

Banker Pair

10.36%

Pays 11:1

Side bet — first two cards dealt to Banker match in rank.

Player Pair

10.36%

Pays 11:1

Same idea on the Player side. Same brutal edge.

Player third-card rule

0–5Player draws a third card

6 or 7Player stands

8 or 9Natural — round ends immediately

Banker third-card rule

Banker plays second and reacts to Player's third card. That information asymmetry is why Banker wins more often.

0–2Banker always draws

3Banker draws unless Player's third card was 8

4Banker draws if Player's third was 2–7

5Banker draws if Player's third was 4–7

6Banker draws if Player's third was 6 or 7

7Banker always stands

8 or 9Natural — round ends immediately

The math, in one line

Banker wins 45.86% of hands × 0.95 net per dollar = 0.4357 expected return. Banker loses 44.62% of hands × 1 per dollar = 0.4462 expected loss. Net per $1 wagered: −$0.0106 → 1.06% house edge.

More math: Banker beats Player by one bet in 100 · Practice the call at /train/baccarat.