Baccarat Odds Explained: Your In-Depth Guide

How to Play Baccarat

In baccarat, the player and the banker are each dealt two cards, and you’ll bet on who will get a hand value closest to nine. Baccarat is very easy because there are only three types of bets that you can place: the player to win, the banker to win, or a tie. You’ll place your bets before the cards are dealt because they’ll be dealt face-up.  

The way you win is just as you would imagine: if you bet on the player to win and their hand is closer to nine than the banker’s, you win, and vice versa.  

When you’re playing online baccarat, the gameplay is very similar to what you might have seen if you’ve played at land-based casinos, with the only difference being that you’ll use the options on the screen to select your stake amounts and what you want to bet on. 

You can also use the chat function to interact with the real dealer and your tablemates while the action is happening. 

The real beauty of the game is that the dealer does everything for you once the hand begins – dealing the cards, determining the winner, and handing out the winnings. 

Card Values in Baccarat

The values represented by the cards in baccarat are all their face values, with a few exceptions.  

Cards two to nine hold their face values, but picture cards (Jack, Queen, King) and 10s all have a value of zero in baccarat. The ace has a value of one point. 

It’s very easy to do the calculations when you see the cards – for example, if a hand has an ace and an eight, the hand equals nine, while if a King and a 7 are dealt, the hand has a value of seven. If your hand adds up to more than nine, the second number is the one that will represent your hand. So, for example, if you get an eight and a five, that adds up to 13, so your final hand value will be three.

Guide to Baccarat Odds

Now that you understand the objective of baccarat, you also need to understand how the odds work before you can start playing; otherwise, you’ll be relying totally on chance and luck to determine whether you get a win.

House Edge Explained

If you’ve played casino games before, you’ve probably heard of house edge, and this is the main thing you need to understand when considering the bets you want to place. The house edge is a casino’s built-in advantage, and that’s why you often hear the phrase “the house always wins”. 

The higher the house edge, the more money the casino keeps when you play that game. And while the house edge of casino card games like baccarat tends to be lower than that of slot games, it does still exist, and you need to factor it into your betting. 

The house edge for baccarat games is around ​​1.06% – 1.24%, depending on the type of bet you place. Keep in mind that this might vary slightly depending on the specific baccarat table. When you’re playing online, you can always see the house edge within the paytable or game info, so it’s worth checking. 

Here’s a deeper look at the house edge for each type of bet:

Bet Types & Odds

When you’re deciding to place your bet, you must consider how likely it is that your bet will win and how much you can expect to be paid out if you do have a win. Unlike some other games like poker, baccarat is not exactly the type of game you should be playing if you’re looking for a huge win, but that’s good news if you’re a low-roller or just starting with casino games. 

Once you understand the house edge and how it differs for the different bet types, you can calculate your potential win for your bets.  

Let’s look at a few examples of how this works, and then we’ll go into more detail. 

The house edge for a player to win a bet is 1.24%, so if you bet £100 and the player’s hand wins, you’ll get £98.76. Because the payout for a player win is 1:1, in practice, you get your original £100 plus your £98.76 winnings, totalling £198.76.  

The house edge for a banker to win bet is lower, at 1.06%, so if you bet £100 on a winning hand, you’ll get £98.94 back. The payout for a banker win is also lower, at 0.95:1, so you don’t get your full £100 stake back, and in this example, the total amount of money you’d be taking away is £193.94. 

The differences between the house edge for a banker and player bet are so small that they shouldn’t factor into your strategy unless you’re playing for really huge amounts of money, where you’d notice the difference.  

If you bet on a tie and it comes to fruition, the house edge difference is much higher, at 14.36%. This bet is much less likely to win, so the payout is much higher at 8:1.  

You might have figured out from the above that there’s a slightly higher chance of the banker winning than the player winning, influencing the potential payout amount you can expect. This would suggest that it’s a good idea to put money on the banker’s hand winning, but you do need to remember that the potential payout is also slightly lower. 

Tie Bets Explained

Betting on a tie comes with very different odds to betting on a banker or player’s hand to win. It makes sense that there’s much less chance that the two hands will tie, but it’s not impossible. Remember, to have a tie, the two hands don’t need to feature the same cards; they just need to add up to the same final amount. 

A tie bet has about a house edge of 14.36% and about a 9.52% chance of winning. Hence, the potential payout is 8:1. While it’s tempting to stick to banker and player bets because they have more chance of winning, a player may choose to place this bet for fun.

Side Bets in Baccarat

If you’ve played other online casino games like blackjack, you might have come across the concept of side bets before. These are special, additional bets that you can place alongside your main bet, and even if the main one doesn’t win, the extras still could. Side bets are a great way to boost your chances of winning, and they provide a little bit of extra thrill and entertainment while you’re playing.  

Each game can come with its own side bets, but these are some of the more popular ones to look out for when you’re playing. 

Perfect Pair: This is a bet that either the player or the banker’s two cards will take the form of a pair of the same rank. 

Royal Match: A bet that the banker or the player will be dealt a King and a Queen in their first two cards. This bet pays out 75:1 for a suited King and Queen and 30:1 for a non-suited match. 

Super Six: A bet that the banker’s winning hand will total six. This bet pays out 12:1. 

Baccarat vs Other Casino and Card Games

There’s no clean cut answer as to which card game is the best, as blackjack, poker, baccarat and others all have their own set of pros and cons. 

If you want to choose one of these to play, you’ll need to evaluate each and decide which suits your needs best. For example, if you have the time to dedicate to learning the ropes, poker is a fantastic option and can result in some big wins. If you want something much simpler that doesn’t require a lot of strategy, then baccarat is for you.  

One factor that might help you decide which game to play is the house edge for each of them, which we’ve put together for you below.

Unique Types of Baccarat

There are many different types of baccarat that you can try at Parimatch, and the live casino offers a fun and unique way to bring the thrill of land-based gambling right to your home (or even to your mobile phone). While it’s always fun to enjoy the classic version of the game, you’ve got nothing to lose by trying out a few of the more unique variations that come with exciting special features.  

These are a few of the best types of baccarat that we’d recommend you try. 

XXXTreme Lightning Baccarat 

Some cards are randomly allocated a multiplier; if the hand you’re betting on contains one of these, your winning payout will be multiplied! 

First Person Baccarat 

The best elements of live dealer baccarat are combined with modern animations for a unique and premium experience with a virtual dealer.  

Baccarat Squeeze 

All of the normal baccarat rules apply, but instead of dealing the cards face up, excitement builds as they’re slowly “squeezed” by the dealer until they’re revealed.  

Getting Started with Baccarat

If you’re happy that you understand how baccarat works and you want to give it a try, you’ll first need to sign up for your online casino account using the steps below: 

• Create your account (give your name, email address, date of birth, address and mobile number) 
• Verify your account
• Add money to your online casino account 

• Go to the live casino lobby 
• Select and baccarat game and take your seat at the virtual table 

We’d recommend starting out playing for low amounts of money to get used to the gameplay and the specific table you’re playing at. Once you’re feeling more confident, you might want to increase your stakes a little to give yourself a chance of a bigger win. 

It’s important to remember that you should always stick to responsible gambling practices. You can look at our Safer Gambling section before you start playing so that you’re fully aware of the tools and features that can help you stay in control.

So, What’s the Verdict?

We think baccarat is one of the best online casino games, mainly because the low house edge and simple mechanism give you a chance to win. Baccarat is so much simpler than other card games, and it’s one that even casino newbies can try.

Baccarat Odds Frequently Asked Questions

Does baccarat have 50% odds? 

There are three possible outcomes in baccarat, so the odds are not 50%. The banker bet has the highest chance of winning at 45.86%, the player bet at 44.62%, and the tie bet at 9.52%. 

Is there a trick to winning baccarat? 

There’s no real trick to winning baccarat, but once you understand the odds, you’ll see that the banker’s hand has a slightly higher chance of winning. Keep in mind that these bets pay out less than the other types. 

Is baccarat based on skill? 

Baccarat is largely a game of chance, as you’ll be betting on which two-card hand will be closer to nine. However, by understanding the odds, you can make more informed decisions about what type of bet to place.