Baccarat — rules

Punto banco, as the continental rooms dealt it — chemin de fer’s house-banked cousin. One coup for the whole room every 35 seconds; bets close after 27 seconds. The house deals two hands, Player and Banker, from a freshly shuffled 8-deck shoe, and nobody makes a decision: the tableau does. Back the hand you think comes closer to 9.

• Aces count 1, twos to nines their face, tens and faces 0. A hand is the last digit of its total: 7 and 8 make 5.
• Cards go Player, Banker, Player, Banker. If either hand has 8 or 9 (a natural), both stand.
• Player draws a third card on 0–5 and stands on 6 or 7.
• If Player stood, Banker draws on 0–5. Otherwise Banker draws on 0–2; on 3 unless Player’s third card is an 8; on 4 against a 2–7; on 5 against a 4–7; on 6 against a 6 or 7; and stands on 7.

Player

Pays 1 to 1; a tie returns it. Wins 44.62% of coups; returns 98.76%, house edge 1.24%.

Banker

Pays 1 to 1 less 5% commission, so it goes down in $20s ($20 brings back $39). A tie returns it. Wins 45.86%; returns 98.94%, house edge 1.06%.

Tie

Pays 8 to 1. Comes up 9.52% of the time; returns 85.64%, house edge 14.36%.