Baccarat Banker vs Player: Which Bet Is Better, and Why Banker Wins More
Banker has the lower house edge in baccarat, by a small margin. With 8 decks, Banker wins 45.86% of hands and Player wins 44.62%. After the 5% commission on Banker wins, Banker's house edge is 1.06% and Player's is 1.24%.
So Banker costs a bit less. Below is where that gap comes from, what the commission is actually doing, and how little the difference is in real money.
Banker vs Player win rates in baccarat
| Banker | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 45.86% | 44.62% |
| Wins, ties left out | 50.68% | 49.32% |
| Pays | 0.95 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| House edge | 1.06% | 1.24% |
Both bets push on a Tie, which happens 9.52% of the time. With 6 decks the house edges are the same to two decimals.
Why Banker wins more often than Player
It's the drawing rules. Player decides first, and only looks at its own total. Banker decides second, and gets to see the Player's third card.
That extra information is the whole edge. On naturals, where nobody draws, Banker and Player win exactly as often as each other. Banker's advantage comes only from hands where cards are drawn. The full chart is in baccarat third card rules.
If Banker used Player's simple rule instead, draw on 0 to 5 and stand on 6 or 7, both sides would win 45.31% and the game would be perfectly even.
What the 5% Banker commission really costs
Without a commission, a Banker bet would have a 1.24% edge in the player's favor. The commission takes that away and then some.
A $100 Banker win pays $95 instead of $100. Over the long run that brings Banker to a 1.06% house edge.
| Banker house edge | |
|---|---|
| 5% commission | 1.06% |
| 4% commission | 0.60% |
| No commission, pays 1 to 1 | -1.24% (player edge) |
You won't find a table paying Banker 1 to 1 with no catch. No commission games use a special rule instead, like pushing a Banker win on a three-card 7. I compared those in no commission baccarat.
How much the Banker vs Player gap is worth in money
Say you bet $10 a hand for 100 hands. Over the long run, Banker averages a loss of about $10.60 for that session and Player about $12.40.
The difference between the two is less than $2 per 100 bets. Short sessions swing far more than that in either direction, so you'd never feel the gap in a single night. It only shows up over thousands of hands.
Does Banker vs Player depend on the scorecard?
No. Betting the side that's on a streak, or the side that's "due," doesn't change either number. I simulated 2 million shoes and the next hand after six Banker wins in a row still went to Banker about 45.88% of the time. That's in baccarat streak odds.
What does move the odds is the cards left in the shoe. Usually by a few hundredths of a percentage point.
Watch Banker and Player odds shift in Baccarator
Baccarator is a free iPhone app. Enter the cards after each hand, tap Calculate, and it recalculates Banker, Player and Tie odds and each bet's expected value from the cards that are left.
6 or 8 decks, virtual chips, no real money.
Baccarat Banker vs Player FAQ
Is Banker or Player better in baccarat?
Banker has the lower house edge, 1.06% versus 1.24% for Player with 8 decks. Banker costs a little less on average, but any single hand can still lose.
Why does Banker win more in baccarat?
Banker acts second and draws based on the Player's third card. That extra information lifts Banker's win rate to 45.86%, versus 44.62% for Player.
Why do casinos charge commission on Banker?
Without it, Banker would have a 1.24% edge over the house. The 5% commission turns that into a 1.06% house edge.
Baccarator is a math tool for education. No real-money gambling. 21+ only.
