Baccarat in Las Vegas

About

Baccarat is a card game in which two hands are dealt, one called the Player and one called the Banker, and you bet on which will finish closer to 9, or on a tie. The names are just labels: you do not play the Player hand or act as the bank, and you make no decisions once the bets are placed, because whether each hand takes a third card is fixed by rule.

Aces count 1, cards from 2 to 9 count their face value, and tens and face cards count 0. When a hand adds up to more than 9, the first digit is dropped, so 7 and 8 make 5. Each hand gets two cards. If either hand has 8 or 9, a natural, both hands stand and the round is over.

Otherwise the Player hand draws a third card on a total of 5 or less and stands on 6 or 7. The Banker's rule depends on its own total and the Player's third card. With 0 to 2 the Banker always draws; with 3 it draws unless the Player's third card was an 8; with 4 it draws when that card was 2 to 7; with 5 when it was 4 to 7; with 6 only when it was 6 or 7; and with 7 it stands. If the Player stood, the Banker draws on 5 or less and stands on 6 or 7.

A Player bet pays even money. A Banker bet pays 19 to 20, which is even money less a 5% commission, because the Banker hand wins slightly more often. A tie bet almost always pays 8 to 1. If the two hands tie, Player and Banker bets push.

What to expect

Baccarat is offered in two forms: larger tables where, traditionally, players take turns dealing from the shoe and the player with the biggest bet on the Player hand looks at its cards, and mini-baccarat, where the dealer handles all the cards. Either way the outcome is the same, because the drawing rules allow no choices.

Buy in by placing cash flat on the felt rather than handing it to the dealer. Bets go in the marked Banker, Player or Tie areas before the deal.

Handle cards only when the game allows it; Caesars notes that most games have their rules posted at the table. Phone use is generally not allowed while you are seated at a table game, and tipping the dealer is customary rather than required.

Other casino games

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Poker
• Slot Machines

Before you play

• Las Vegas casino guide for beginners
• How casino comps work

Good to know

• The Banker bet is the best bet in standard baccarat, with a house edge of 1.06% on eight decks even after the 5% commission. The Player bet is close behind at 1.24%. The difference between them is small, so either is a reasonable choice.
• The tie bet is the one to skip. At the usual 8 to 1 payout its house edge is 14.36%, more than ten times that of the Banker or Player bet.
• No-commission games change the Banker bet rather than removing its cost. In EZ Baccarat a winning Banker bet pays even money, but it pushes when the Banker wins with a three-card total of 7; the Wizard of Odds puts that Banker bet at 1.02%. Its side bets cost far more: Dragon 7 (40 to 1 on a three-card Banker 7) at 7.61%, and Panda 8 (25 to 1 on a three-card Player 8) at 10.19%.
• Baccarat is a large part of Nevada's table-game business. In calendar 2025 Nevada casinos reported about $1.44 billion of baccarat win statewide, more than the roughly $1.20 billion from twenty-one, according to UNLV's summary of Gaming Control Board data.
• Nevada law gives players a route if a payout is disputed. Under NRS 463.362, a casino must immediately notify the Nevada Gaming Control Board of a dispute with a patron involving $500 or more; for smaller disputes it must tell the patron of the right to ask the Board to investigate.
• If gambling stops being fun, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling lists 1-800-GAMBLER and 1-800-522-4700 as its helpline numbers; the line is answered 24 hours a day, calls are confidential, and it connects callers to treatment and support resources in Nevada. Setting a spending limit before you sit down, and not raising bets to win back losses, is advice Caesars gives its own players.

Questions about Baccarat