Baccarat Terms Glossary: Rules, Roads, Payouts and Variants
“I would like to try baccarat, but I am worried about embarrassing myself if I do not know the terms.” “I looked up baccarat online, but the explanations were full of technical terms I did not understand.” Many people who are new to the game feel this way.
This page explains the terms used in baccarat, one of the most popular casino games, in plain language.
What You Will Learn
- The meaning and use of terms in six categories, from the basic rules to the scoreboard and its roads and game variants
This article takes about 16 minutes to read.
Basic Terms Commonly Used in Baccarat
This section covers the basic terms you should know before you play baccarat. They fall into six broad categories.
- Terms Related to the Basic Rules of Baccarat
- Terms Related to Cards and Outcomes
- Terms Related to the Third Card Rule
- Terms Related to the Baccarat Scoreboard and Roads
- Terms Related to Baccarat Variants
- Other Common and Important Terms
Terms Related to the Basic Rules of Baccarat
In baccarat, cards are dealt to two hands, called Player and Banker, and you bet on which one will win. “Player” is the name of a betting option, not you. To keep the two apart, this article refers to them as the Player hand and the Banker hand.
| Baccarat (card game) |
A classic casino table game played with standard playing cards. Cards are dealt to two hands, Player and Banker, and each hand receives 2–3 cards. The card values are added up (aces count as 1, and 10, J, Q and K count as 0), and the hand whose total has a last digit closer to 9 wins. |
|---|---|
| Player (hand / bet) |
The hand that is dealt cards first. If its first two cards total 5 or less, it draws a third card, and if they total 6 or more, it stands on those two cards. A winning Player bet pays 1 to 1, so a $10 bet wins $10. |
| Banker / Banco (hand / bet) |
The hand that is dealt cards second. Whether it draws a third card depends on its own two-card total and on which third card the Player hand drew (if the Player hand did not draw, the Banker hand draws on 5 or less). Because the Banker hand draws under more favorable conditions than the Player hand, a 5% commission is deducted from winning Banker bets, so they pay 0.95 to 1: a $10 bet wins $9.50. In punto banco, the form of baccarat played in most casinos today, the Banker is called “banco.” |
| Tie (result / bet) |
The Banker and Player hands finish with the same total, and the round is a draw. In this case, bets on Banker and Player push and are returned to the bettor. You can also bet on the round ending in a tie. A winning Tie bet pays 8 to 1, so a $10 bet wins $80, but the bet loses on any other result. Its house edge is about 14.36%, far higher than the house edge of about 1.06% on Banker bets and about 1.24% on Player bets. Some casinos have tables that pay 9 to 1, but even then the house edge is about 4.84%, still higher than on Banker or Player bets. |
If you would like to see how a full round is played before learning the terms, start with our main baccarat guide.
Terms Related to Cards and Outcomes
| Suit | The collective name for the four symbols on playing cards: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. A deck therefore contains four cards of each rank, one in each suit. In baccarat, the outcome is decided by card values; the suit never decides who wins. |
|---|---|
| Deck | One deck is a set of 52 playing cards. Baccarat is played by shuffling several decks together and placing them in a container called a shoe, from which the cards are dealt. For example, “6-deck baccarat” refers to baccarat played from a shoe holding 6 shuffled decks. Six decks contain 312 cards, and 8 decks contain 416. |
| Natural | A total of 8 or 9 on the first two cards dealt to the Player hand or the Banker hand. A total of 8 is called a natural 8, and a total of 9 a natural 9. When a natural is made, the outcome is decided at that point and no third card is drawn. |
| Draw (third card / tie) |
The term has two meanings in baccarat. The first is when the round is not decided by a natural and the Player hand or the Banker hand (sometimes both) draws a third card. In this sense it means the same as “hit.” The second is when both hands have the same total and the round ends in a draw. In this sense it means the same as “tie.” At the baccarat table, however, a draw in the second sense is almost always called a “tie,” so it is easiest to remember “draw” as drawing a third card. |
| Picture card | A face card: a J, Q or K. During a squeeze, a single line comes into view right away, so picture cards are easy to identify. A 10 also counts as 0, but it is not called a picture card. At the table, many players call a face card a “picture” or a “monkey,” and players in Macau and Hong Kong may call for “kong.” |
| Down card | A card that has not yet been turned over. At tables that use the squeeze, the person with the largest bet on each of the Player and Banker hands squeezes that hand’s cards. |
| Upcard | A card that has already been turned face up. In blackjack, the term refers to the dealer’s face-up card, but in baccarat it refers to any card that has been revealed. |
The terms above cover the cards and the flow of a round. They do not directly decide who wins, but they are important for understanding how the game proceeds, so they are worth learning.
Terms Related to the Third Card Rule
| Hit (draw) |
When the round is not decided by a natural, the Player hand or the Banker hand (or both) draws a third card. The Player hand hits on a total of 5 or less. Whether the Banker hand hits depends on its own total and on the Player hand’s third card. |
|---|---|
| Stand (no draw) |
When the round is not decided by a natural, the Player hand or the Banker hand does not draw a third card and the round is settled with the cards it already has. The Player hand stands on a total of 6 or more. What the Banker hand does depends on its own total and on the Player hand’s third card. |
Note that, unlike blackjack, baccarat involves no decisions on your part after you bet. The dealer acts automatically according to the rules, and knowing these terms helps you follow what is happening, for example that a particular call from the dealer means the next card will be drawn.
Terms Related to the Baccarat Scoreboard and Roads
| Big Road (main road) |
A scoreboard that shows Player wins in blue and Banker wins in red, along with how many times in a row each side has won. The colors vary by casino. |
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| Big Eye Boy (derived road) |
A road based on the Big Road that shows whether each column follows the same pattern as the column one before it. |
| Small Road (derived road) |
A road based on the Big Road that shows whether each column follows the same pattern as the column two before it. In the same way, the road that compares each column with the column three before it is called the Cockroach Pig. |
| Bead Plate (basic record) |
The most basic scoreboard, which records each result in order, one box at a time. |
| Streak | A run of consecutive wins by the same side. On the Big Road, the marks for a streak extend downward in a single column. |
| Dragon | A long streak by one side on the Big Road. Each column of the Big Road has room for only six rows, so when one side wins seven or more times in a row, the line bends and runs to the right. This part is called the dragon tail, and betting on the streak to continue is known as “following the dragon.” |
| Ping Pong (Chop) | A pattern such as Player → Banker → Player → Banker, in which one side wins once and then the other side wins once. |
| Two-and-one pattern | A pattern such as Player → Player → Banker, in which one side wins twice and then the other side wins once. |
A scoreboard, or road, is a chart at the baccarat table that shows the results of previous rounds. The best-known road is the Big Road, which shows Banker wins in red and Player wins in blue; when the same side wins several times in a row, marks of the same color line up vertically. Each round is independent, however, and the roads are only a record of past results. You cannot predict the next result from the patterns.
Terms Related to Baccarat Variants
| Speed Baccarat | Baccarat played at a faster pace than standard baccarat. Speed Baccarat does not use the squeeze; the dealer turns the cards face up as soon as they are dealt. The time allowed for betting is also shorter than in standard baccarat. |
|---|---|
| No Commission Baccarat | Baccarat in which no commission is charged on Banker wins. However, the payout is reduced when the Banker hand wins with a total of 6, and the house edge is higher as a result. For details of the payouts and house edge, see “No commission” below. |
| Baccarat Squeeze | Baccarat in which the cards are squeezed in every round. In land-based casinos, some tables use the squeeze and others do not, depending on each table’s settings. |
| Mini Baccarat | Baccarat played at a smaller table that usually seats up to seven players. The dealer handles all the cards, so there is no squeeze, and the minimum and maximum bets are lower than at a standard baccarat table. |
| RNG Baccarat | Baccarat in which a computer determines the results with a random number generator. There is no time limit for placing bets, and each round finishes in a few seconds, so play is fast, but the maximum bet is lower than in live baccarat. |
Baccarat comes in many variants. Choose the one that suits your style of play: Speed Baccarat if you want to play many rounds at a quick pace, or Baccarat Squeeze if you want the suspense of watching the cards being revealed.
Other Common and Important Terms
| House edge | The casino’s built-in advantage in a game, expressed as a percentage of each bet. The lower it is, the smaller your losses over the long run. The house edge in baccarat is about 1.06% on Banker bets and about 1.24% on Player bets, which is low compared with lotteries and slots. A low house edge still means that, over the long run, you lose a portion of the money you bet. |
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| Commission | The 5% commission deducted when a Banker bet wins. Because the Banker hand wins slightly more often than the Player hand, 5% of the bet is collected as commission on a win, so a Banker bet pays 0.95 to 1. For example, a winning $10 bet on Banker wins $9.50, and you get $19.50 back in total. |
| No commission | Baccarat in which no commission is taken when a Banker bet wins, so the bet pays 1 to 1. However, when the Banker hand wins with a total of 6, the payout is halved to 1 to 2, so a $10 bet wins $5. For example, a winning $10 bet on Banker returns $20 in total if the winning total is anything other than 6, but only $15 if it is 6. Because the reduced payout offsets the missing commission, the house edge on Banker bets rises from about 1.06% in standard baccarat to about 1.46% in No Commission Baccarat. Paying no commission does not make it a better deal. |
| Squeeze (card squeeze) |
A way of revealing face-down cards in baccarat, in which the card is turned over little by little to draw out the reveal of its value. When one short edge is lifted slightly, a single symbol in the center means a 2 or 3, columns of symbols on both sides mean a 4–10, a vertical line and part of a figure mean a face card, and no symbol or figure means an ace. If columns appear on both sides, the long edge is then squeezed to confirm the value. Players count these columns as “sides”: two sides means a 4 or 5, three sides a 6, 7 or 8, and four sides a 9 or 10. |
The house edge and the commission are important terms for managing your bankroll in baccarat. Understanding them makes it easier to avoid unnecessary losses. The squeeze is one of the great pleasures of baccarat, and you can enjoy it not only in land-based casinos but also at online casinos.
Other Baccarat Terms
Finally, this section explains terms that are not strictly part of the baccarat rules but will help you get more out of the game.
Picture, Sides and Negative Progression
Picture (monkey) and sides
Both terms are used during the squeeze. “Picture” refers to a face card (a J, Q or K), and many players also call it a “monkey.” In Macau and Hong Kong, players may call for “kong” instead.
“Sides” refers to the columns of symbols along the edges of a card, which players count as the card is squeezed: no sides means an ace, 2 or 3; two sides a 4 or 5; three sides a 6, 7 or 8; and four sides a 9 or 10. While a card is being squeezed, players may shout “monkey” or “picture” when they want a card worth 0, or call for the number of sides they want. These calls are only part of the show and have no effect on the result.
Negative progression
Betting systems raise and lower the bet to adjust the swings in your results. A negative progression is a type of betting system in which the bet goes up the longer a losing streak lasts.
In the Martingale system, for example, you double your bet after every loss, aiming to recover all previous losses with a single win. The chance that one win will recover your losses is high, but a single losing streak can leave you with a large loss, so the system is a double-edged sword. It does not raise your overall win rate or expected value.
Card Counting, Return to Player and Expected Value
Card counting
A technique of remembering the cards used in previous rounds to estimate which cards, and how many of each, remain in the shoe. Unlike blackjack, however, baccarat offers no decisions for you to make during the game, and counting cards does not improve the expected value to any practical degree.
Return to player (RTP)
A measure of how much of the money you bet comes back to you. It is the flip side of the house edge. In 8-deck baccarat, the RTP is about 98.94% on Banker bets (with a 5% commission), about 98.76% on Player bets and about 85.64% on Tie bets (paying 8 to 1).
Expected value
The theoretical gain or loss on a single bet. Every casino game is designed to have a negative expected value. Baccarat has a relatively high RTP, but its theoretical expected value is still negative. Casino promotions such as bonuses can reduce your effective losses, but they do not eliminate the house edge, and they do not guarantee a positive expected value or a win.
Side Bets, No Commission, Shoe and Stop-Loss
Side bet
Any bet in baccarat other than the three main bets: Player, Banker and Tie. One example is the Pair bet, which wins if the first two cards are of the same rank. Side bets can be placed without betting on Player or Banker. Side bets pay larger amounts when they win, but their house edge is far higher: about 10.36% on the Pair bet (paying 11 to 1, so a $10 bet wins $110), and the Tie bet (paying 8 to 1, so a $10 bet wins $80) is also high at about 14.36%, compared with about 1.06% on Banker bets and about 1.24% on Player bets. Over the long run, the expected losses are far greater than on the main bets.
Shoe
The box-shaped container used in baccarat. It holds 6–8 shuffled decks, and the cards for each round are drawn from it. Once the cards have been dealt up to a predetermined point, the remaining cards are discarded and newly shuffled decks are loaded. The card inserted to mark this point is called the cut card, and the proportion of the shoe that is dealt is called penetration. The position of the cut card varies according to each casino’s rules.
Stop-loss
Quitting the game once your losses reach a limit you set in advance, and accepting that loss. If you set a stop-loss limit in advance, such as “I will stop for the day once I have lost $50,” and always stop as soon as you reach it, you can avoid losing more than you intended. A stop-loss limit does not change the expected value, however. It is a bankroll management rule that caps how much you can lose in one session.
Dealer, Bet Sizing and Dragon 7
Dealer
The person who runs the baccarat game. Besides dealing cards to the Player and Banker hands, the dealer has many other tasks, such as calculating and paying out winnings, passing the cards to the player with the largest bet for the squeeze, and exchanging cash for chips.
Bet sizing (money management)
Adjusting your bet size to control the swings in your results and the rate at which your bankroll shrinks. It is closely related to betting systems and can also refer to methods for taking profits and cutting losses. For details, see “Betting system” below.
Dragon 7
The name of a side bet offered in EZ Baccarat, which wins if the Banker hand wins with a three-card total of 7. In EZ Baccarat, a Banker bet is a push in this situation (only the stake is returned), so the Dragon 7 side bet and EZ Baccarat’s no-commission rule are often confused. Dragon 7, however, is the name of the side bet, not of the no-commission format itself.
Paroli System, Burn, Sitting Out and Betting Systems
Paroli system
A betting system that can be used in baccarat and other table games. You double your bet after each win and return to your initial bet after a loss. A winning streak can grow your profits considerably, but a single loss wipes out all the profit made so far, so it is important to decide in advance after how many consecutive wins you will stop and lock in your profit.
Burn (burn card)
A procedure carried out before a baccarat shoe is put into play. The dealer draws one card and then removes from the shoe, face down, a number of cards equal to its value (J, Q and K count as 10), discarding them without anyone seeing them. This is done to prevent cheating, since the top card of the deck could otherwise be known in advance.
Sitting out (passing)
At a land-based baccarat table, watching the game without betting on either Player or Banker. Sitting out a few hands is fine, but if you take a seat and then sit out hand after hand, you may be asked to leave. It is best to avoid sitting out repeatedly, especially at busy tables with low minimum bets.
Betting system
A way of betting that controls the bet size to manage the swings in your results (bankroll management). Typical examples are the Martingale system, which doubles the bet after a loss, and the Paroli system, which doubles the bet after a win. Betting systems do not change the win rate or the RTP, so even those advertised as “winning systems” cannot guarantee a win.
Martingale System
Martingale system
A betting system that can be used in baccarat and other table games. You double your bet after each loss and return to your initial bet after a win.
A single win recovers all the losses from the preceding streak, but after 10 consecutive losses, for example, the next bet must be more than 1,000 times your initial bet, and by that point you have already lost 1,023 times your initial bet. Because the amounts required become enormous, we recommend always deciding in advance how many consecutive losses you will accept before you stop.
Note that a winning Banker bet in baccarat pays only 0.95 to 1 because of the 5% commission, so a win does not bring you back to a profit of one unit. If the win comes after five consecutive losses, you are still 0.60 units down; in other words, once you have lost five times in a row, a single win no longer gets you back into profit. A profit of one unit is possible only on Player bets, which pay 1 to 1.
Units, Live Games and Land-Based Casinos
Unit
The bet amount used as the basic measure when applying a betting system. In most cases, your initial bet is one unit. Because bets are expressed in units, the size of the unit determines both how much a betting system wins on a successful bet and how much money it requires.
Live game
A table game at an online casino in which a real dealer runs the game. Live baccarat is one example, and it offers the atmosphere of playing in a land-based casino.
Land-based casino
A physical casino, such as those in Las Vegas, Macau or Monte Carlo, as opposed to an online casino. Baccarat tables are popular, and even first-time players can join the same tables as everyone else. Private rooms for high rollers also have tables where the amounts wagered are orders of magnitude larger than at regular tables.
Summary: Learn Baccarat Terms Gradually Through Study and Play
Baccarat has very simple rules, so you can enjoy the game without learning any special terms.
Knowing about roads, game variants and the squeeze, however, lets you play the game in more depth. Understanding terms such as commission, stop-loss and betting system also makes it easier to manage your bankroll and make calm decisions as the game unfolds, although it does not change your chances of winning or the outcome of any round.
Learn the baccarat terms a little at a time, and enjoy the game with a deeper understanding of how it works.
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Bell | Editor of Online Casino Winners Club. Since the site launched in 2003, Bell has written guides to casino game rules, tested betting systems and covered land-based casinos around the world, and still plays the games before writing about them. Bell's core advice: choose the bets with the lowest house edge, and decide in advance how much you are prepared to lose.