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. 

A

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

B

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.

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%.

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. 

C

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. 

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.

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.

D

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.

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.

E

Edge — Short for house edge. The statistical advantage the casino holds on each bet.

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

F

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

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

H

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.

L

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.

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

M

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.

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.

N

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.

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.

P

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.

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

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.

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.

R

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.

S

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.

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.

Stand — When a hand does not draw a third card. The Player hand stands on a total of 6 or 7.

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. 

T

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.

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.

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.

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

V

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

W

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.