By Olivia - November 19, 2022

Baccarat is one of the popular casino games that use multiple decks of cards during normal play. However, the actual number of decks of cards casinos use for baccarat varies, depending on the type or variant of baccarat you are playing.

You will likely play baccarat at online casinos with eight decks of cards. Some casinos use six decks of cards for their baccarat games, too. The number of both decks and cards in each deck will eventually impact the odds in casino table games, such as blackjack, video poker, and baccarat.

Note that each deck used in almost every card game, including baccarat, typically contains 52 standard playing cards. That means the six-deck shoe has a total of 312 standard playing cards, while the traditional 8-deck shoe is made up of 416 cards.

You can expect to tie around 9.5% of the time in baccarat. That means tie bets are pretty rare to win. The only advantage of placing a tie bet when you play baccarat is the higher payout of 8 to 1. Some casinos pay 9 to 1 for tie wins.

Despite the high payout, we do not recommend placing a tie bet in baccarat. In fact, tie bets can theoretically win around 19 times out of every 200 hands.

Moreover, a tie bet has a very high house edge of 14.4%. On the other hand, the house edge for bets on the banker’s hand is pretty low at 1.06%.

In fact, it is the lowest for any bet on casino table games. Meanwhile, a bet on the player’s hand attracts a low house advantage of 1.36%.

Besides, banker wins and player wins are more likely than tie wins. You can expect the bank hand to win 45.86% of the time (2293 out of 5000 hands), meaning you’re likely to win more than half the time. The player hand is expected to win 44.62% of the time or 2231 out of 5000 hands.

Both the banker’s hand and the player’s hand pay 1 to 1 or even money. The standard baccarat table has three-bet boxes or circles in front of each player. One bet box is for a Tie, and the other two are for the Banker and the Player hands, respectively.

Is baccarat a poker?

No, baccarat is not a poker game, but a card game. No, baccarat is not a poker game, but a card game. There are many differences between baccarat and poker in terms of game design, skills required by the game, and format.

01

In baccarat, the player plays against the dealer. In poker, players play against one another.

02

The goal in baccarat is to bet on which hand, whether the banker’s hand or the player’s hand has the higher point total. The goal in poker is to win the pot, which contains all the chips other players have placed so far. You can win the pot by having the best poker hand at the showdown or forcing all other players to fold before the showdown. 

03

Baccarat is easier to understand, play, and master. On the other hand, poker can be difficult to master. It can take months, if not years to become a professional poker player.

04

Baccarat tables are usually longer and larger with more spaces for the chips, the cards, and the bank. Poker tables are typically spherical with a rounder layout.

05

The casino has a house advantage in baccarat and not in poker. Casinos and poker rooms usually take a buy-in fee from players. The RTP for 8-deck baccarat is 98.936%, and 98.938% for the 6-deck variants. A high-paying video poker game like 9/6 Jacks or Better has a higher return to player (RTP) percentage of 99.54%.

06

Most baccarat games use 8 decks of cards, while the standard game of poker has a shoe of two decks of 52 playing cards.

Baccarat has only three main types: à deux tableaux (also known as Baccarat Banque), punto banco, and baccarat chemin de fer. On the other hand, there are many variants of poker, including Five Card Draw, Texas Hold’em, Seven-card stud, Omaha, High Low Chicago, and Caribbean Stud.

How many cards are dealt in baccarat?

A total of 4 cards are dealt in baccarat once all the bets have been made. Once betting has started, the first two cards are dealt to the player’s hand and another two cards are dealt to the banker’s hand, one card at a time to each hand.

The goal in baccarat is to bet on the best possible hand of the two. Each face card (J, Q, and K) is worth zero points. Similarly, all Tens (10s) are worth zero points. Number cards (2 through 9) are each worth their face value. An ace is worth a point.

For instance, 3s are each worth three points, while 8s are worth each 8 points. Each hand is worth the sum of the points value of all the cards dealt by the dealer.

For example, a banker hand with a 3 and a 5 is worth 8 points, which makes it a natural hand. If a hand has a queen and a 6, it is worth six points since the face card has no value.

If the two cards add up to a double-digit total, the first digit is dropped and the second digit becomes the hand’s value. For instance, a hand with cards 7 and 8 has a value of 5, not 15. 

The hand with the highest value closest to nine automatically wins the betting round. For instance, a 7-point hand wins over a 6-point hand.

The player and the banker can draw a third card under certain conditions. The player goes first when drawing the third card. The third card rules of baccarat betting vary between casinos.

Player Third Card Rules

Generally, the player can draw a third card when the total of the first two cards is between 0 and 5. The only exception is when the banker has an 8 or 9. In that case, all bets on the banker’s hand win, and the betting round is over.

The player draws no additional cards if the hand’s value is eight or nine points. That’s a natural win for any player bet. The player will also stand on a total of six or seven points.

Banker Third Card Rules

The banker’s third card rules are more complex than the player’s. Winning bets and whether the banker draws a third card will depend on the extra card drawn by the player.

The banker can draw a third card if:

01

The hand’s value is 0, 1, or 2. In this case, the banker draws a 3rd card unless the player has a natural 8 or 9.

02

The bank hand’s value is 3 and the player draws a third card worth 0 through 9. The banker draws a third card unless the player’s third card is an eight, in which case the banker stands.

03

The banker’s hand has a total of 4. The banker draws if the Player’s third card is 2 through 7. Bank stands when the Player’s third card is 0, 1, 8, or 9.

04

The banker’s hand has a total of 5. The banker draws if the Player’s third card is 4 through 7. Bank stands when the Player’s third card is 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, or 9.

05

The banker’s hand has a total of 6. The banker draws if the Player’s third card is either 6 or 7. Bank stands when the Player’s third card is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, or 9.

The banker always stands at 7. The banker draws no additional card if the hand’s value is an 8 or 9, which is automatically a winning bet.

FAQ

How many decks do they use when you play baccarat?

Short answer: they usually use eight decks of cards in baccarat. That means the most common baccarat shoe has 416 cards. A shoe is a box used to hold decks of cards and it is from where the cards are dealt by the dealer.

Although most baccarat shoes have eight decks, some casinos use six decks of cards, too. A six-deck shoe has 312 playing cards in total, which makes it smaller and easier to follow than an eight-deck shoe. It is rare to find a baccarat game or casino that uses a one-deck shoe.

What is a natural 9 in baccarat?

A natural 9 in baccarat is when the winning hand you played, whether Player or Banker, has a total of nine. For example, if you bet on the Banker’s hand and the first two cards are 5 and 4, then you have a natural 9.

The same goes for when the winning hand has 3 and 6, 7 and 2, 1 and 8, or a face card and 9.

A natural 9 pays 8 to 1 or 9 to 1, depending on the type of baccarat game you play. The odds of landing a natural 9 are similar on both the Player and the Banker sides.

Why is there no 4 on a baccarat table?

There is no 4 on a baccarat table because the number four is regarded as very unlucky in most Asian cultures, including Chinese and Korean. For this reason, you are not likely to see numbers 14, 13, or 4 on the seats of baccarat tables in Macau and other gambling destinations in Asia. The individual digits of 13 add up to four.

What cards are used in baccarat?

Baccarat games use traditional playing cards. Casinos typically use six or eight decks of 52 standard playing cards. However, not all cards are valuable in baccarat.

All face cards and 10s are worth nothing

All aces are worth a single point each

All numbered cards are worth their respective face values

How many decks of cards do casinos use?

Casinos usually use eight decks of cards for baccarat. But some online gambling sites use six decks, each with 52 cards.

How many decks of cards does mini-baccarat have?

Mini baccarat is a casino game using eight decks of 52 cards. The aim of the baccarat game is to wager on the hand whose value is closest to nine. The hand can have two or three cards.

How often is there a tie in baccarat?

A tie often comes 19 times out of 200 hands. That means a tie wins 9.5% of the time. It is the rarest of the three possible outcomes. A winning bet on a tie will pay 8 to 1 or 9 to 1, notwithstanding side bets.

Should you bet on a tie in baccarat?

You should not bet on a tie in baccarat because…

  • It has the highest house edge in baccarat at 14.4%
  • The odds of a tie winning are low at 9.5%

The number of decks of cards used, side bets, and other factors can also affect the winning chances of a tie wager. 

What is a 10 in baccarat?

A 10 in baccarat is worth zero points. Therefore, it is a worthless card in baccarat.

What is a non-natural win in baccarat?

A non-natural win in baccarat is a winning hand whose value is not an 8 or 9.

How many decks do casinos use for baccarat?

Casinos typically use 6 to 8 decks of cards for baccarat games. The standard is 8 decks in a shoe, but some venues may opt for 6 to vary game dynamics. Knowing the number of decks can help players strategize in this popular casino card game.

What is the rule of 3 in baccarat?

In Baccarat, the Rule of 3 dictates that if a banker’s total is exactly 3, they will draw a third card unless the player’s third card is an

How many deck of cards do casinos use?

Casinos use approximately 23,000 to 27,000 decks of cards annually. They utilize “bricks” which are pre-shuffled 8-deck boxes, for efficiency. Bricks require less maintenance and are replaced less frequently compared to single decks.

Can you play baccarat with one deck?

Absolutely, baccarat can be played with one deck. In fact, single-deck baccarat is advantageous for players due to its lower house edge. When playing the banker bet in a one-deck game, the house edge is significantly reduced to just 1.01%, offering one of the best win probabilities in casino gaming.