Baccarat is a card game where you bet on which of two hands, banker or player, finishes closer to 9. Its best bet is banker, with a house edge of 1.06% on an 8-deck table with 5% commission.
The other bets cost more: 1.24% on player and 14.36% on a tie paying 8:1. This guide covers the rules, the odds on every common bet and the myths around “roads”. 21+ only.
How baccarat works
Two hands are dealt, Player and Banker, and you bet on which will finish closer to 9, or on a tie. You don’t play either hand yourself, and there are no decisions to make after you bet.
- Card values: aces count 1, cards 2 to 9 count face value, and tens and picture cards count 0.
- Only the last digit counts: a 7 and an 8 make 15, which counts as 5.
- Naturals end the hand: if either hand totals 8 or 9 with its first two cards, both hands stand.
- Third cards are automatic. Fixed drawing rules decide whether each hand takes a third card.
The third-card rules
The table applies these rules for you, but knowing them helps you follow the game. The player hand goes first:
| Player’s first two cards | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Player draws a third card |
| 6 or 7 | Player stands |
| 8 or 9 | Natural: both hands stand |
If the player stands, the banker draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. If the player draws, the banker’s move depends on its total and the player’s third card:
| Banker’s total | Banker draws when the player’s third card is |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Any card |
| 3 | Any card except 8 |
| 4 | 2 to 7 |
| 5 | 4 to 7 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 |
| 7 | Banker stands |
These rules are why the banker hand wins slightly more often than the player hand.
Two example hands
Seeing the rules in action makes them easier to follow.
- Example 1. Player is dealt 2 and 3, a total of 5, so it draws: a 7 makes 12, which counts as 2. Banker has 4 and 2, a total of 6, and draws because the player’s third card was a 7. A 2 makes 8, so banker wins 8 to 2, and a RM100 banker bet pays RM95 after commission.
- Example 2. Player is dealt 4 and 5, a natural 9, and banker has 3 and 4. A natural ends the hand, so neither side draws and player wins.
Every common bet and its house edge
On an 8-deck table, banker wins 45.86% of hands, player wins 44.62% and 9.52% are ties. A tie returns banker and player bets.
| Bet | Wins | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banker | 45.86% | 1:1, minus 5% commission | 1.06% |
| Player | 44.62% | 1:1 | 1.24% |
| Banker at a no-commission table | 45.86% | 1:1, but 1:2 when banker wins with 6 | About 1.46% |
| Player pair or banker pair | 7.47% | 11:1 | 10.36% |
| Tie | 9.52% | 8:1 | 14.36% |
The banker bet charges commission because it wins more often. Even after the 5%, it’s the cheapest bet on the table.
In ringgit: 100 hands at RM50 on banker means RM5,000 in bets and an average loss of about RM53. The same RM5,000 on ties loses about RM718 on average.
Speed, squeeze and no-commission tables
Live studios run several versions of baccarat, and most change the pace or the payouts rather than the rules.
- Speed baccarat deals faster. The edge per hand is the same, but more hands per hour means a bigger average loss per hour.
- Squeeze baccarat reveals cards slowly for drama. The odds don’t change.
- No-commission baccarat pays banker wins at 1:1 with no commission, except a banker win with 6, which pays half. That raises the banker bet’s edge to about 1.46%.
Roads, patterns and betting systems
Live baccarat tables show “roads” such as the big road, bead plate and big eye boy, which chart past results. They look like patterns, but they don’t predict the next hand.
Betting systems don’t change the maths either. With the Martingale, which doubles your bet after every loss, six losses in a row from RM10 means a seventh bet of RM640 to win back RM10. Table limits and your balance stop the system, and the house edge on each bet stays the same.
Baccarat terms you’ll see
Live tables use a lot of jargon, but most of it describes the same simple game.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Natural | A two-card total of 8 or 9, after which both hands stand |
| Commission | The 5% the casino takes from banker wins |
| Shoe | The box that holds the decks, usually eight |
| Squeeze | Bending a card and revealing it slowly |
| Big road | The main results chart, with red for banker and blue for player |
| Bead plate | A grid that records each hand’s result in order |
| Big eye boy, small road, cockroach road | Charts derived from the big road that track repeats |
Baccarat and bonus terms
Baccarat usually counts towards live casino bonuses, but with limits (checked 2 Nov 2026):
- Both sides. Betting banker and player on the same hand doesn’t count at BK8, Maxim88, 96M, me88, GOD55, UWIN33 and 12Play.
- Ties. Bets returned on a tie don’t count at BK8, Maxim88, 96M, GOD55, UWIN33 and 12Play, so about one hand in ten won’t add to your turnover.
- Excluded studios. BK8’s live bonus excludes Sexy Casino and Allbet, 96M’s excludes Sexy Baccarat, Game Play and AllBet, GOD55’s excludes Evolution, Allbet, Motivation and Playtech, and Maxim88’s excludes Allbet, AE Sexy, Dream Gaming and Big Gaming, among others.
- RNG tables. BK8, Maxim88, UWIN33 and 12Play don’t count computer (RNG) table games, so only live baccarat counts there.
See what each live bonus costs to clear on banker bets in our live casino guide, and compare all offers on our bonus hub.
Tips for playing baccarat
- Bet banker for the lowest house edge, and expect the commission on wins.
- Skip the tie and pair bets. Their payouts look big, but they cost about 10 to 14 times more than banker on average.
- Ignore the roads when choosing your bet.
- Set a budget and a stop point before you sit down.
Casino games have a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose more than you win. Online casinos are not licensed in Malaysia: read our guide, is online gambling legal in Malaysia?
Sources
- Wizard of Odds: house edge of casino games (banker, player and tie)
- Pair and no-commission figures are calculated for 8 decks. Bonus terms come from each casino’s own pages, linked from its review (checked 2 Nov 2026).
