Baccarat Drawing Rules: Third-Card Rules Explained

In baccarat, the third-card rules are fixed, so nobody chooses whether to draw. After two cards are dealt to each hand, the drawing rules decide automatically whether the Player hand, the Banker hand, both or neither receives a third card. The Player hand draws on a total of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. The Banker hand follows a table that depends on its own total and on the Player’s third card. If either hand has a natural, a total of 8 or 9, nobody draws.

The rules matter because they shape the house edge. Over 8 decks, they give the Banker hand a small advantage in how often it wins, 45.86% against 44.62% for the Player, and the casino balances this with a 5% commission on winning Banker bets. The result is a house edge of 1.06% on the Banker bet and 1.24% on the Player bet, both low compared with most casino bets.

This guide gives the Player rule, the full Banker table, two worked hands, the payout and house edge for each bet, and what to check at the table. Commission and Tie payouts vary by casino, so the placard has the final word.

What the Baccarat Drawing Rules Are

Baccarat compares two hands, Player and Banker, and you bet on which will finish closer to 9. Card values are simple: an ace counts 1, the cards 2 through 9 count their face value, and the 10, jack, queen and king count 0. A hand’s total is the last digit of the sum, so 7 + 8 = 15 counts as 5, and a 10 with a king totals 0. “Player” and “Banker” are only names for the two hands; neither refers to you or to the dealer. For the full flow of a round, see how to play baccarat.

Each hand starts with two cards. A total of 8 or 9 is a natural, and if either hand has one, the round ends at once with no third card. Otherwise the drawing rules decide. They are set by the casino and printed in the game rules, and neither the dealer nor the players can change them in the middle of a round.

This is why baccarat is a game of bets, not decisions. A blackjack player chooses to hit or stand, but a baccarat player only chooses which bet to place before the cards are dealt. The standard punto banco rules used at 8-deck tables are the ones described here, and the same table applies at mini-baccarat, midi and big tables, where the difference is mainly how the cards are dealt and how fast play moves. Some variants change payouts or add side bets, so read the placard.

The Player and Banker Third-Card Rules

The Player hand draws first

If neither hand has a natural, the Player hand acts first. With a total of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, it draws one card. With a 6 or 7, it stands. The Player hand never draws more than one extra card, and it does not look at the Banker hand to decide.

If the Player hand stands

When the Player hand stands on 6 or 7, the Banker hand follows a simple rule: draw on 0 to 5, stand on 6 or 7. This is the same rule the Player hand used, and it is the only case in which the Banker ignores the table below.

If the Player hand draws

When the Player hand takes a third card, the Banker hand’s decision depends on its own total and on the value of the Player’s third card. In the table, a card value of 0 means a 10, jack, queen or king.

A useful way to read the table is that the higher the Banker total, the narrower the set of Player third cards that makes the Banker hand draw. A Banker total of 7 never draws, and a total of 8 or 9 is a natural.

Worked Examples: Two Hands Played Out

Suppose the Player hand is 2♦ and 3♣, a total of 5, and the Banker hand is 4♠ and 2♥, a total of 6. Neither is a natural, and the Player hand totals 5, so it draws. It receives 7♦, making 5 + 7 = 12, which counts as 2. The Player’s third card has a value of 7, and the table says a Banker total of 6 draws when the Player’s third card is a 6 or 7. The Banker draws 3♠, making 6 + 3 = 9. The Banker hand wins, 9 to 2.

Now take a second hand. The Player hand is 4♠ and 10♦, a total of 4, so it draws 8♥, making 4 + 0 + 8 = 12, which counts as 2. The Banker hand is 5♣ and 8♦, which is 13, so a total of 3. The Player’s third card is an 8, and the table says a Banker total of 3 stands only when the Player’s third card is an 8. The Banker stands on 3 and wins, 3 to 2.

On a $100 Banker bet, either hand wins $100 minus the 5% commission, a net $95. A $100 Player bet loses its $100 in both cases. Both examples are hypothetical hands chosen to show the rules, not a prediction about future rounds.

Payouts and House Edge by Bet

The drawing rules produce unequal outcomes. Over 8 decks, the Banker hand wins 45.86% of rounds, the Player hand wins 44.62% and a Tie occurs 9.52% of the time. On a Tie, Player and Banker bets are returned. The Banker hand wins more often, which is why a bet on it is charged a 5% commission on wins, and the Player bet pays 1 to 1 with no commission.

These figures are for standard punto banco with 8 decks. The Banker bet carries the lowest house edge of the three main bets, and the Tie bet carries the highest, because a Tie occurs only 9.52% of the time. Over a long run, the figures are averages and do not predict any single session. For the numbers behind the Tie, see the Tie bet, its payout and its house edge, and for the idea of an edge itself, see how the house edge works.

Common Mistakes and Myths About the Drawing Rules

The first myth is that players can influence whether a hand draws. They cannot. The rules are fixed, so no player, and no dealer, can choose to draw or stand. At big tables a player may handle the cards, but the outcome still follows the table.

A second mistake is avoiding the Banker bet because of the commission. The commission is already built into the 1.06% edge, and the Banker bet is still cheaper than the Player bet at 1.24%. Where no-commission versions are offered, the edge depends on the rule that replaces the commission, so check it.

A third mistake is reading the scorecard as a forecast. Each round is dealt from a shuffled shoe, and a run of Banker or Player wins does not make the next result more or less likely. This is the same trap behind why betting systems such as the Martingale fail. Finally, the Tie bet looks attractive because it pays 8 to 1, but a high payout is not the same as a good bet: at 14.36%, it costs the most.

Practical Tips at the Table

Before you play, read the placard for the commission and the Tie payout. Check whether the Banker bet pays 1 to 1 minus 5% or whether the table offers a no-commission version, and check whether the Tie pays 8 to 1 or 9 to 1. Each change moves the house edge, and these rules vary by casino.

You do not need to memorize the drawing table to play. The dealer applies it for you, and knowing it only helps you follow the round. What matters for cost is the bet you choose, so the Banker and Player bets are the cheaper options, and the Tie bet is the most expensive. Set a budget before you play, treat it as the cost of entertainment, and never raise bets to chase losses. Legal age and the rules for casino gambling vary by state and venue.

Where to Learn Next

Once the drawing rules make sense, the next step is to compare baccarat with other casino bets. A Banker bet at 1.06% is among the cheaper bets on the floor, and the lowest house edge games and bets shows where it sits against blackjack, craps and roulette.

It also helps to practice reading a table placard until the commission, Tie payout and number of decks become habit, since those three details are enough to estimate what a baccarat table costs.

Sources & References

• Gambling Regulatory Authority (Singapore) — Commission Baccarat game rules