When playing Baccarat, you’ll have three different options to bet on before the cards are dealt. Baccarat is a little unusual in that you can actually bet against yourself winning. Because there’s no way to affect the outcome of the game, you won’t be able to bet against yourself and then throw the game.
We’ll quickly cover the three betting options, here. First, you can bet on the Banker/dealer to win. Secondly, you can bet on the player, and finally, you can bet on the tie. Here we’ll talk about the house edge of each and also let you know the payouts:
- Understanding baccarat bets – The banker in Baccarat is another name for the dealer. The dealer will be dealt with cards, just like you and you will be playing against them. This is an even-money bet. In other words, if you bet $10 on the Banker and the Banker wins, you’ll win $10. The House edge for this bet is usually 1.06%. Bear in mind that some game types charge a 5% commission on all wins on the Banker.
- Player bet – The player in Baccarat is, of course, you. If you think you’re going to win this hand, place the bet on yourself and if you win, you’ll win the bet. This is another even money bet, so betting $10 will win you $10 if you win. The House edge for this bet is usually 1.25%, slightly higher than the banker bet.
- Tie – Finally, if both the player and the banker reach the same value for their hands, the game is a tie. There’s no tiebreak, and any bets on player or banker will generally be pushed. That means you’ll get your stake back or can choose to leave it in play for the next hand. Some versions of the game will take your stake in this case, however. Normally, the payout on a tie bet is around 9 to 1 or 8 to 1. This means if you bet $10 on a tie, you could win $90 or $80.
Some different variations of Baccarat may have other bets such as betting on the suit of a card or on whether a hand will be above or below. Make sure to check the rules of the game you’re playing to see if there are other betting options for you.