Almost every baccarat game you will find today is Punto Banco: the house is the bank and every draw follows a fixed chart, so players only choose a bet. Chemin de Fer is the older version where players take turns as the bank and the Player hand may choose to draw or stand on 5. Mini baccarat and no-commission games are Punto Banco with a smaller table or a different payout.
Types of baccarat compared
The name "baccarat" covers a small family of games. They share the same card values and the same goal, getting closest to 9. What changes is who holds the bank and whether anyone gets to make a drawing decision.
| Who is the bank | Drawing decisions | Where you see it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punto Banco | The house | None, the tableau decides every draw | Almost every casino table and online game |
| Mini baccarat | The house | None, same rules as Punto Banco | Smaller, faster tables |
| Chemin de Fer | Players take turns | Player may draw or stand on 5; the banker has some choices too | A few European clubs |
| Baccarat Banque | One fixed banker | Some player choices, two Player hands | Very rare today |
If the drawing rules are fixed, it is Punto Banco, whatever the table is called.
Punto Banco: the version almost everyone plays
"Punto" is Player and "Banco" is Banker. The casino banks every bet, the dealer handles the cards, and the third card rules decide every draw. You can read the full chart in baccarat third card rules.
Because nobody makes drawing decisions, everyone at the table faces the same odds: Banker 1.06%, Player 1.24%, Tie 14.36% at 8 to 1.
Chemin de Fer: when Player can choose on 5
In Chemin de Fer the bank passes around the table. One player banks, the others bet against them, and the house takes a commission on the banker's wins. The Player hand also gets one real choice: with a total of 5, it may draw or stand. The banker has some choices too, depending on the club.
We calculated what that one Player choice is worth. In Punto Banco, Player always draws on 5. If Player stands on 5 instead, with Banker following the usual chart, the numbers move like this.
| Player draws on 5 | Player stands on 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Banker wins | 45.86% | 46.16% |
| Player wins | 44.62% | 44.64% |
| Tie | 9.52% | 9.19% |
| House edge on Player | 1.24% | 1.52% |
| House edge on Banker (5% commission) | 1.06% | 0.79% |
Standing on 5 makes Player's edge worse by about 0.28 points, from 1.24% to 1.52%. Drawing on 5 is the better play, which is exactly why Punto Banco builds it into the rules.
The fixed Punto Banco chart already makes the better choice for you on 5.
Mini baccarat, no-commission and EZ Baccarat
Mini baccarat is the same game at a smaller table, with the dealer handling all cards and faster hands. The odds don't change. We compare them in mini baccarat vs baccarat.
No-commission and EZ Baccarat change the payout instead of the drawing rules. No-commission tables pay Banker 1 to 1 but only half when Banker wins with 6, which brings Banker to 1.46%. EZ Baccarat pushes a Banker win with a three-card 7, which happens on 2.25% of hands, and that brings Banker to about 1.02%. See no commission baccarat for the details.
Different names, same cards. What matters is the payout table in front of you.
Which version has the best odds?
For a player in a casino today, the choice is between payout variants of Punto Banco. Classic Banker with 5% commission sits at 1.06%, EZ Baccarat Banker at about 1.02%, and no-commission Banker at 1.46%. Player is 1.24% on standard tables.
At the start of a fresh shoe every one of these bets has a negative expected value. Betting systems can't change that. Only the cards left in the shoe can, briefly, and that is true in every version.
Follow the shoe in any version
Baccarator works the same way whatever the table is called. After each hand you enter the cards and tap Calculate, and it recalculates the odds and expected value for Banker, Player, Tie, pairs and side bets from the cards still in the shoe. If a bet briefly turns positive, it shows a Kelly sizing suggestion; that only appears when expected value is positive, it is a long-run average, and the next hand can still lose. Positive moments are rare and short. You can practice with virtual chips, with no real money involved.
Types of baccarat FAQ
What is the difference between baccarat and Chemin de Fer?
Modern baccarat (Punto Banco) is banked by the house and every draw is fixed. In Chemin de Fer players take turns as the bank, and the Player hand may choose to draw or stand on 5.
What is Punto Banco?
The standard casino version of baccarat. "Punto" means Player and "Banco" means Banker, and the drawing rules are fixed for both.
Should Player draw or stand on 5?
Draw. With 8 decks and Banker on the standard chart, standing on 5 raises the house edge on Player from 1.24% to 1.52%.
Baccarator is a math tool for education. No real-money gambling. 21+ only.
