Table game at Fair Go

How to play baccarat: rules, odds and the best bet

Learning how to play baccarat takes about two minutes, and at Fair Go it's the easiest table game in the lobby and one of the cheapest to play. You make one choice per hand, Player, Banker or Tie, and the cards do the rest. Here's how a hand is dealt, what each bet really costs, and why the Tie is the bet to leave alone.

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Baccarat at a glance

Check in-game

Player pays: 1:1
Banker pays: 1:1 less 5% commission
Tie pays: 8:1 (usual rule)
House edge, Banker / Player: 1.06% / 1.24%
House edge, Tie at 8:1: 14.36%

Edges are the standard figures for eight-deck punto banco. Fair Go doesn't publish its deck count, commission or Tie payout, so check them in the game's help.

Source: Fair Go casino games page. Checked 7 October 2026.

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Baccarat rules: card values and naturals

Two hands are dealt, one called Player and one called Banker. Despite the names, you're not either of them. You simply bet on which hand will finish closer to 9.

Aces count 1.
2 to 9 count at face value.
10s, jacks, queens and kings count 0.
Only the last digit counts. A 7 and an 8 make 15, which counts as 5.

Each hand gets two cards. If either totals 8 or 9, that's a natural and both hands stand. Otherwise fixed rules decide whether a third card is drawn. You never make a drawing decision, which is why baccarat is so quick.

The third-card rules

The software applies these automatically, but knowing them takes the mystery out of the result.

The Player hand draws a third card on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7.

The Banker hand follows the same rule if Player stood. If Player drew a third card, Banker's move depends on its own total and on that card:

Banker total	Banker draws when Player's third card is
0, 1, 2	Any card
3	Anything except an 8
4	2 to 7
5	4 to 7
6	6 or 7
7	Never (stands)

Banker acts last, with more information, and that's why the Banker hand wins slightly more often.

Player, Banker or Tie: what each Fair Go baccarat bet costs

With eight decks, the long-run results of a baccarat hand look like this:

Banker wins45.86%
Player wins44.62%
Tie9.52%

Because Banker wins more often, the casino takes a 5% commission on Banker wins. Even after that cut, Banker remains the cheapest bet, with a house edge of 1.06%. Player pays even money with no commission and costs 1.24%. Both are among the lowest-cost bets anywhere in a casino.

The Tie is a different story. At the usual 8:1 payout, its house edge is 14.36%, more than ten times the cost of the main bets. Some tables pay 9:1, which brings the edge down to about 4.8%, still several times worse than betting Banker. Look at the Tie payout in Fair Go's game, but in either case it's the bet to skip.

Some online versions drop the commission and instead pay only half on a Banker win with a total of 6. If Fair Go's baccarat works that way, the help screen will say so, and Banker is still usually the better of the two main bets.

Scorecards, streaks and patterns

Baccarat tables often show a history of recent results, and some players chart streaks and "roads" to predict the next hand. The cards don't care. With software baccarat, each hand is dealt from a shuffled shoe by a random number generator, and past results don't change the odds of the next one. A run of six Banker wins doesn't make Player "due".

A simple approach works just as well as any pattern: bet Banker, ignore the Tie, keep your stake the same and stop at a limit you set in advance. If you want a game where your decisions do change the odds, blackjack is the one to learn. If you're new to how chance plays out over many rounds, our RTP and volatility guide explains the same ideas with pokies.

Planning to play with a bonus? Bets are capped at $10 while you clear one, and many casinos limit how much baccarat counts towards wagering. Fair Go's game weighting isn't in our facts register, so read its bonus terms before you rely on baccarat to clear the 30x requirement.

If you like baccarat, try these

European roulette is the other bet-and-watch classic. Pai Gow Poker shares baccarat's commission system and its gentle pace, and pontoon is the quick card game if you'd rather make the decisions yourself.

Fair Go baccarat FAQ

How do you play baccarat at Fair Go?

Choose a stake and bet on Player, Banker or Tie. Two hands are dealt, a third card is drawn by fixed rules, and the hand closer to 9 wins. Fair Go lists Baccarat on its casino games page (checked 7 October 2026).

Which baccarat bet is best?

Banker. Even after the usual 5% commission, its house edge is 1.06%, against 1.24% for Player and 14.36% for Tie at 8:1.

Why does the Banker bet pay commission?

Because the Banker hand acts last under the third-card rules and wins slightly more often. Without a commission it would favour the player.

Is the Tie bet worth it?

No. The 8:1 payout looks generous, but a tie comes up only about 9.5% of the time, which gives the bet a house edge above 14%.

Can you predict baccarat results from the scoreboard?

No. Each hand is independent, so streaks and patterns on the scoreboard don't change the odds of the next hand.

Facts checked 8 October 2026 · page updated 9 October 2026