How to play baccarat
Baccarat is a card game where you bet on which of two hands — the Player or the Banker — will get closer to a total of 9. You don’t make decisions about how the hands are played. The cards are drawn according to a fixed set of rules and you simply bet on the outcome.
Card values and hand totals
Cards 2 through 9 are worth their face value. 10s and face cards are worth 0. Aces are worth 1. Hand totals are calculated by adding the card values and taking only the last digit. So a 7 and an 8 total 15, which in baccarat counts as 5. A 9 and a 7 total 16, which counts as 6. The highest possible hand is 9, called a natural.
How the draw rules work
Both the Player and Banker start with two cards. If either hand totals 8 or 9 (a natural), no more cards are drawn. If the Player total is 5 or less, a third card is dealt to Player. The Banker’s draw depends on the Banker’s total and what card Player received. These rules are fixed and automatic — you never decide whether to draw. Your only decision is which outcome to bet on before the hand starts.