Royal Baccarat Betting Rules

The objective of the game is to bet on whichever of two hands, the PLAYERS hand or the BANKERS hand, that you think will have a point value closest to 9. You can also bet on a TIE.

Perhaps 9 is your lucky number, in which case this might be the perfect game for you!

Over a long period of time, the game is likely to average a return to the player of 98.85% of the total bets made.
Note : Potential wins above the maximum payout per bet allowed will be capped and this will adversely affect your %RTP. The amount will depend on your currency and stake selection.

How to Play

Here are a few tips to illustrate how easy it is to play. To get into the action of this exciting game, all you have to do is decide whether you feel that the next hand will be won by the PLAYERS hand, the BANKERS hand, or perhaps a TIE. It is very easy to place bets using your mouse. Simply move the cursor to the pictures of the chips in the lower-right corner of the game window on your screen, and LEFT-CLICK the chip value that you want to use. Move the cursor to the betting area on the table layout marked PLAYERS or BANKERS and TIE, then LEFT-CLICK to place your bets. The chip will automatically appear in the betting circle, with the total value of the bet written alongside. Your BET AMOUNT will also appear at the top of the window.

You may place a bet on the TIE by placing a bet in the area marked TIE.

Each LEFT-CLICK will increase your bet by one chip of the same value, up to the maximum bet for that table. If you want to use a different chip value for this bet, move the cursor back to the pictures of the chips at the lower-right corner of the game window on your screen and LEFT-CLICK on the new chip value that you want to use. Then move the cursor back to the betting area on the table layout, and LEFT-CLICK again to increase your bet.

To remove the top chip of a bet, hold the ALT key down and LEFT-CLICK on your mouse.

As soon as you have placed your bet(s), click on the DEAL button to commence play. As soon as the Betting Timer has expired, the dealer will deal two hands of cards, which are called the players hand and the bankers hand. All cards are dealt face up. The cards will be drawn in the following order:

  1. The first card for the PLAYERS hand, to the left side of the table.
  2. The first card for the BANKERS hand, to the right side of the table.
  3. The second card for the PLAYERS hand, to the left side of the table.
  4. The second card for the BANKERS hand, to the right side of the table.
  5. IF dictated by the  Drawing Rules , the third card for the PLAYERS hand, to the left side of the table.
  6. IF dictated by the  Drawing Rules , the third card for the BANKERS hand, to the right side of the table.

More than three cards can never be drawn for either hand.

The hand with the highest point value wins. All losing bets will be collected and all winning bets paid. If a bet is a winner, your winnings will be posted to your credit balance and updated in the CREDITS display upon selecting your next game or upon returning to the lobby.

If both hands have the same point value, that game is a TIE and neither side wins or loses. In this case, TIE bets win, but PLAYERS and BANKERS bets do not win or lose so your bet is refunded back to you.

When the hand is finished, the NEW GAME button in the game window on your screen will illuminate. LEFT-CLICK on this button to begin the next game.

Baccarat Terms

Term Definition
PLAYER / BANKER The terms PLAYERS and BANKERS are the names given to two hands of cards that are dealt from the shoe during each round of play. You may bet on either the PLAYERS hand or the BANKERS hand. You can also bet on a TIE.
NATURAL A NATURAL hand is a two-card hand totaling eight or nine. The highest possible hand is a NATURAL NINE, which occurs when the first two cards drawn for either the BANKERS hand or the PLAYERS hand total nine. The second highest hand is a NATURAL EIGHT. If a NATURAL is drawn, this is an automatic winning hand and is called a NATURAL WINNER. Neither of the hands will receive a third card when a NATURAL is drawn.
TIE If both hands have the same value, a TIE hand is the result.

Card Values

  • All cards except for Tens, Picture Cards, (Jacks, Queens and Kings) and Aces, are worth their face value.
  • All Tens and "Picture Cards" are counted as zero.
  • Aces are counted as one.

There are no values greater than nine in the game of Baccarat. All card values are recalculated when the combined value of two or more cards is greater than nine. This new card value is determined by subtracting ten from the combined card value every time it reaches a number greater than nine. Below are a few examples of this equation.

4 + 2 + 6 = 2
5 + 6 + 8 = 9
7 + 3 = 0
10 + 10 + 10 = 0

A complete chart of the card values is provided below.

Card (Any Suit) Value
Ace 1
Two 2
Three 3
Four 4
Five 5
Six 6
Seven 7
Eight 8
Nine 9
Ten 0
Jack 0
Queen 0
King 0

Drawing Rules

There are no optional drawing rules in this game. Whether cards are drawn or not is determined automatically by the software according to the rules provided below. These rules are called the "Drawing Rules" or "Tableau", and are identical to those used in all of the major Casinos of America, Europe and Asia.

The decision to draw a third card for the PLAYERS hand is made automatically according to standard Casino rules as provided below.

Total of First Two Cards DRAW or STAND
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 DRAW a third card unless BANKER has a NATURAL
6, 7 STAND
8, 9 STAND (NATURAL)

If the PLAYERS hand totals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 a third card is automatically drawn for the PLAYERS hand unless the BANKERS hand consists of a NATURAL 8 or NATURAL 9.

If the PLAYERS hand totals 6 or 7 the decision is to STAND. A card will then be drawn automatically for a BANKERS hand that totals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

If a third card is drawn for the PLAYERS hand, the decision to draw a third card for the BANKERS hand is made automatically according to standard Casino rules as below.

Total of First Two Cards DRAW when the PLAYER third card is STAND when the PLAYERS third card is
0, 1, 2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10  
3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 8
4 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 1, 8, 9, 10
5 4, 5, 6, 7 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10
6 6, 7 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10
7 STAND  
8, 9 STAND (NATURAL)  

Payout Odds

Payouts are determined at standard odds that you will find to be identical to those used in all of the major Casinos of America, Europe and Asia.

  • Winning PLAYERS bets receive payout odds of 1 TO 1 (EVEN MONEY).
  • Winning BANKERS bets receive payout odds of 1 TO 1 (EVEN MONEY). However, a commission equal to 5% of your win amount is deducted automatically.
  • Winning TIE bets receive payout odds of 9 FOR 1. If there is a tie, bets on the BANKER or PLAYER are returned to the PLAYER.