Baccarat compared: Banker, Player and Tie bets
Why the Banker bet has the lowest house edge at 1.06%, how the commission works, and why the Tie bet carries 14.36% at 8 to 1.
In baccarat (punto banco) your only decision is which of three outcomes to bet on. Drawing is decided by fixed rules, so the game is purely one of chance. The three bets have different house edges, but all are negative for the player. Figures below are for a fresh eight-deck shoe of 416 cards.
The three bets
Two hands, Player and Banker, are dealt, and the hand closest to 9 wins. The labels do not mean you are the Player or that the casino is the Banker.
- Banker: pays 1 to 1 less a commission, commonly 5%, so a win pays 19 to 20. House edge 1.06%.
- Player: pays 1 to 1. House edge 1.24%.
- Tie: commonly pays 8 to 1. House edge 14.36%.
On a tie, Player and Banker bets are returned and stay in play.
Why Banker has the lower edge
Over a very large number of rounds, the Banker hand wins about 45.86% of rounds and the Player hand about 44.62%. The other 9.52% or so are ties. Banker wins a little more often because of the fixed drawing rules, under which it acts second and its decision depends on the Player's third card.
At a full 1 to 1, that higher win rate would favour whoever bets on Banker. The commission puts the house edge back. A winning 100-unit Banker bet pays 95 units, and the expected result, 0.95 x the Banker win rate minus the Player win rate, is a loss of 1.06% per unit staked.
The Player bet pays a full 1 to 1 but wins less often. Its expected result is the Player win rate minus the Banker win rate, a loss of 1.24%. Choosing between them is only a choice of which small edge to face, not a way to beat the game.
The Tie bet and variants
A tie happens about once in every 10.5 rounds. A fair payout for something that rare is far higher than 8 to 1, which is why the edge is 14.36%, the highest of the main bets. Where the Tie bet pays 9 to 1, the edge falls to 4.84%, still above the other two.
The common pair side bets, paying 11 to 1, have an edge of 10.36%. A no-commission version that pushes when Banker wins with a three-card 7 has a Banker edge of 1.02%, and a Super 6 version that pays half on a Banker win with 6 has 1.46%. Payouts and commission differ between casinos and providers, so check the table.
Road maps and score boards record past results, but each round depends only on the cards left in the shoe. No pattern gives a reliable advantage.
This guide is for information only and is for adults aged 18 or over, or the legal age where you live. Set a time and spending limit in advance, never chase losses, and take a break if gambling stops being fun.
18+ only. This article is for information, not advice to gamble. Responsible gambling.
