Baccarat glossary

This page defines all key baccarat terms in plain English, listed alphabetically for quick reference. Use it as a companion to the rest of the baccarat section whenever you encounter a term you want to look up. 

Terms run from A to Z. Each entry has a definition of one or two sentences in the context of standard baccarat play. Where a term relates to a deeper topic, a link to the relevant guide is provided after the definition. Use Ctrl+F or Cmd+F to jump directly to any term. 

All terms reflect standard punto banco baccarat unless otherwise noted. 

Ante — A wager placed before cards are dealt. Ante bets are not standard in punto banco but appear in some baccarat variants.

Baccarat — The name of the game and also the worst possible hand value: zero. The word comes from the Italian and French for "zero." 

**Banker** — One of the two hands dealt each round. Banker is a table position, not the casino or the dealer. See: how to play baccarat 

**Banker Bet** — A wager placed on the Banker hand having the higher total. Pays 0.95:1 after a commission of typically 5% on wins. Carries the lowest house edge of the three main bets at ~1.06%. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

Banco — Spanish and Portuguese term for Banker. Used in punto banco and related variants. 

Burning — The practice of discarding the top cards from the shoe before play begins. Standard procedure in most baccarat games. 

Caller — A casino employee who announces card totals and manages the deal at a live baccarat table. 

**Card Values** — The point value assigned to each card rank: cards 2 to 9 are worth face value, 10s and face cards are worth 0, and Aces are worth 1. See: baccarat card values 

**Chemin de Fer** — A traditional baccarat variant in which players take turns acting as Banker. Unlike punto banco, some player decisions are permitted. Primarily found in European land-based casinos. See: baccarat variations 

**Commission** — A percentage deducted from winning Banker bets, typically 5%. It exists because the Banker hand wins more often than the Player hand due to the drawing rules. No-commission variants replace it with an adjusted payout structure. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

Coup — A single round of baccarat, from bet placement to the declaration of the result. 

Cut Card — A coloured plastic card inserted near the bottom of the shoe to indicate when the cards should be reshuffled. 

**Deal** — The distribution of cards to the Player and Banker positions at the start of each round. In punto banco the sequence is fixed: Player card, Banker card, Player card, Banker card. See: how to play baccarat 

Dealer — The casino employee who manages the physical deal at a baccarat table. In online RNG baccarat, dealing is performed by software. 

Down Card — A card dealt face down. Some baccarat formats deal initial cards face down before turning them over. 

Dragon Bonus — A side bet available in some baccarat variants that pays based on the margin of victory of the winning hand. 

**Edge** — Short for house edge. The statistical advantage the casino holds on each bet. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

Even Money — A payout of 1:1 where a winning bet returns an amount equal to the stake. The Player bet pays even money. 

**Face Cards** — The Jack, Queen, and King. In baccarat all face cards are worth 0 points, unlike blackjack, where they are worth 10. See: baccarat card values 

Face Down — A card dealt with its face not visible to players. Some baccarat formats deal initial cards face down before revealing them. 

Hand — The two or three cards dealt to either the Player or Banker position in a round. 

**House Edge** — The statistical advantage the casino holds on each bet, expressed as a percentage of each wager. In baccarat: ~1.06% on Banker, ~1.24% on Player, ~14.4% on Tie at 8:1 payout. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

**Live Baccarat** — A format in which the game is streamed in real time from a studio or casino floor, with a human dealer managing physical cards. The rules are identical to standard punto banco. See: live baccarat 

Loss Bet — A bet that has not won. The stake is forfeited to the house. 

**Mini Baccarat** — A version of baccarat played on a smaller table with lower minimum stakes and a faster pace. The rules are identical to full-size punto banco. See: baccarat variations 

**Modulo 10** — The arithmetic rule used to calculate baccarat hand totals. Only the last digit counts.  For example, a hand totaling 15 counts as 5. See: baccarat card values 

**Natural** — A hand total of 8 or 9 from the first two cards. A natural ends the round immediately with no third card drawn for either side. See: how to play baccarat 

**No Commission Baccarat** — A variant in which no commission is deducted from winning Banker bets. The payout structure is adjusted instead: Banker bets winning with a total of 6 typically pay 0.5:1 rather than 1:1. See: baccarat variations 

Pair Bet — A side bet on whether the first two cards dealt to the Player or Banker hand will be a matching pair. Pays more than the main bets but carries a higher house edge. 

**Player** — One of the two hands dealt each round. Player is a table position, not the person placing bets. See: how to play baccarat 

**Player Bet** — A wager placed on the Player hand having the higher total. Pays 1:1 with no commission. House edge: ~1.24%. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

Punto — Spanish and Portuguese term for Player. Used in punto banco. 

**Punto Banco** — The standard version of baccarat played in most Western casinos and online platforms. All drawing rules are fixed and automated with no player decisions during the hand. See: baccarat variations 

Push — An outcome in which both hands finish with the same total. Player and Banker bets are typically returned. A Tie bet wins on a push. 

RNG — Random Number Generator. Software used in online casino games to simulate random card dealing. RNG baccarat uses software rather than physical card dealing. 

Round — A single complete sequence of play from bet placement to the declaration of the winning hand. Also called a coup. 

**RTP** — Return to Player. The theoretical percentage of total wagers returned to players over time. For baccarat: ~98.94% on Banker, ~98.76% on Player, ~85.6% on Tie at 8:1. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

Shoe — The dealing device that holds multiple decks of cards, typically 6 or 8 decks in baccarat. 

**Side Bet** — An optional wager placed in addition to the three main bets. Side bets offer higher payouts but carry significantly higher house edges than Player, Banker, or Tie. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

**Squeeze** — A theatrical dealing technique in some live baccarat variants in which the dealer slowly bends and reveals each card. The rules and outcome of the hand are unchanged. See: baccarat variations 

**Stand** — When a hand does not draw a third card. The Player hand stands on a total of 6 or 7. See: how to play baccarat 

Standoff — Another term for a Tie. Both hands finish with equal totals. 

Suit — The symbol on a playing card: hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades. Suit has no effect on card value in baccarat. Only the rank matters. 

**Third Card Rule** — The fixed set of rules that determine whether a third card is drawn for either hand. Drawing is always automatic; neither the player nor the dealer makes a choice. See: how to play baccarat 

**Tie** — An outcome in which both hands finish with equal totals. The Tie bet wins; Player and Banker bets are typically returned. Pays 8:1 at most tables. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

**Tie Bet** — A wager that both hands will finish with the same total. Pays 8:1 at most tables or 9:1 in some variants. Carries the highest house edge of the three main bets at ~14.4% at 8:1 payout. See: baccarat odds and payouts 

**Total** — The point value of a hand, calculated by adding card values and keeping only the last digit. The maximum total is 9. See: baccarat card values 

Vigorish (Vig) — Another term for the commission deducted from winning Banker bets, typically 5%.

Wager — A bet placed on the outcome of a round. The three main wagers in baccarat are the Player bet, Banker bet, and Tie bet. 

Wild Card — Not a standard baccarat term. Wild cards are not used in punto banco or any common baccarat variant. 

A compact reference for the terms that come up most often. 

The terms in this glossary appear throughout the baccarat rules pages. Understanding them makes it easier to follow a hand from start to finish. For a complete walkthrough covering card values, the third card rule, and all three bet types in sequence, the how to play baccarat page covers every step. 

Free baccarat is available with no deposit or registration required.  Watching a few hands in demo mode is a direct way to see how these terms apply in practice, from deal to bet settlement. 

All baccarat content on Casino.com is organised into dedicated pages. 

This glossary covers the key terms used across standard punto banco play. For context on how these terms fit together in a live round, the how to play baccarat page is the natural next step.