Baccarat Terms

Action

This word refers to one of two things in baccarat. First, it can be the amount of money wagered during a hand by a single player or all players. Second, it can be the action of the hand and what is happening at any point.

Baccarat

The worst possible hand rank in the game. When your cards equal 10 or 20, your hand value is zero.

Banco / Banker

The dealer in some games and also a betting option. Banco is the French term. The banker bet usually has the lowest house edge of around 1.06%. A win with this wager means you have to pay a 5% commission to the house.

Bankroll

The total amount of money a player has to wager at an establishment.

Banque

A variation of baccarat where the bank is fixed and usually is house operated. On top of this, players can auction for the banker’s position and make the only allowed bet, which is the highest wager on the entire table, as determined by the auction mentioned above. Players can make multiple bets on different hands in this form of baccarat. They can also bank numerous times, depending on table action, separately from their hand. This form of the game is quite rare but still exists in many European casinos. The stakes in this form of the game will generally be relatively high.

Burn Card

In most brick and mortar casinos, the first few cards in a new shoe will be “burned” or placed in the dealer’s discard pile. This process happens before the start of the hand.

Button

A token that signifies the location of the dealer. To “pass the button” refers to the changing of the banker after each hand in some form of baccarat.

Carte

A French term for when a player wants another card. The same as a hit or hitting in blackjack.

Chemin de Fer / Chemmy

The traditional baccarat game where only one player can act as the bank and bet on the banker’s hand during a round. The other players at the table must wager on the player’s hand. The banker position is rotated around in clockwise order, so every player has a chance in this position. Quite often, the player that is the banker will also deal the cards under the watchful eye of the croupiers. This game is quite rare in America, but it’s still popular in European casinos and is the most popular form in France. Generally speaking, this game is for super high rollers.

Cheval

Some forms of baccarat allow a player to have two hands. If they win on both hands, then they win the round. However, if they only win on one of them, then it’s a tie. This unique feature is rare outside of French games.

Commission

Casino operators take a 5% commission on a player’s winnings from a bet on the banker. This fee ensures the house edge remains in the casino’s favor.

Coup

A single round or hand at the table.

Credits

The unit a player gets to bet on a machine or online casino game when converting money into virtual currency. They are usually in dollar denominations.

Croupier

A casino authority that oversees the action at a table. They control the shuffling, betting, and winnings of a game and also enforce the rules.

Cut

To split a deck of cards into two stacks after shuffling them. This move ensures a proper and fair shuffle.

Cut Card

A plastic card used to cut the deck and keep cards hidden while doing so.

Dealer

The person passing out cards at the table. Some baccarat versions assign a player to dish out the cards, while others always use a staff member.

Down Card

A card that remains face down when dealt. It isn’t visible to anyone at the table.

Dragon Bet

A side bet where a player wagers on a hand winning by a margin of four or more points with a natural. It is typically considered a sucker bet due to the high house edge and should be avoided.

Edge Sorting

A technique where card values may be determined by small differences in the pattern on the back of cards. These tiny printing variances happen during the manufacturing process. Most casinos call this cheating. However, many players won’t be held accountable since it’s the casino operator’s responsibility to ensure their cards are consistent. Edge sorting is not possible in online baccarat.

Face Card

All cards with portraits of characters on them. These include Jacks, Queens, and Kings. Their value in baccarat is always zero.

Fading

A term used at land-based casinos for placing your bets.

Flat Bet

A consistent bet made by a player without any fluctuation.

High Roller

A player that makes large bets consistently.

House Edge

The percentage that the casino wins over the player in the game. Over time, the house has the advantage, based on the math of any given game.

Ladderman

The casino employee who oversees a traditional baccarat game. The ladder man will sit near the middle of the baccarat table, keep an eye on the game, and enforce the rules. Essentially, another word for the croupier.

Layout

The series of boxes and betting sections on the table’s felt. There are spaces for the players to place wagers and also areas where the dealt cards go.

Loss Bet

A bet against the bank is known as a loss bet due to the higher house edge.

La Grande

This term, translated from the French meaning “the big one,” describes when a natural nine is scored with the first two cards.

La Petite

This term, translated from the French meaning “the little one,” describes when a natural eight is scored with the first two cards.

Live Dealer Baccarat

Live dealer baccarat lets online gamblers play games with a human dealer by streaming video from a casino studio.

Mini Baccarat

The most popular form of the game in North America and many other non-European countries. Mini baccarat uses a smaller table, and a casino employee is always the dealer. Betting options include the player and banker’s hands, a tie, and some side bets. The gameplay is casual and requires no skill.

Monkey

A slang term for a ten or face card, all of which have a value of zero.

Muck

Eight 52 card decks that get shuffled and used at the start of a new shoe. The total number of cards in the muck is 416. Some other table games refer to the pile of discarded cards as the muck.

Natural

When the first two cards in hand equal an 8 or 9, this event automatically finishes the hand, and payouts are rewarded accordingly.

Palette

A long flat stick that croupiers use at the baccarat table to move cards around without touching them with their hands.

Pass

A win in the game.

Player

One of the hands and betting options in the game. This term doesn’t refer to the participants, but usually, one of the two dealt hands.

Player Bet

A bet on the player’s hand beating the bankers’. It carries a house edge of 1.24% and is the second-best wager in the game. There is no commission to pay on winnings with this bet.

Punto

The French word for “player.”

Punto Banco

A very popular variation of the game that is found at most online casinos. It literally translates to Player Banker. Mini-baccarat comes from this same set of rules.

Push

A bet that isn’t winning or losing. Some tables count a tie as a loss while others let your wager carry over.

Railroad

Another form of baccarat which is commonly referred to by its French translation Chemin de Fer / chemmy.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

A computer algorithm used by online casinos to ensure entirely random shuffles and game outcomes.

Rapid Baccarat

A version of mini-baccarat where a dealer sits in the middle of many computer terminals. Players at each machine make bets on a digital table layout. It is a great option for beginners as it allows players to wager privately and learn the game at lower stakes.

Run

A side bet that lets you wager on a series of hands in succession.

Shoe

The device that is used to hold multiple decks of cards. You’ll see them on the felt near the dealer in most table games.

Shooter

Another term for the banker.

Shuffle Up

When the croupier freshly shuffles all the cards and places them in the shoe. Often used when the process is done early.

Super Pan 9

A variation of baccarat mostly played on the west coast of the United States of America. Only cards A to 6 and all face cards are in the shoe. Another notable difference is the ability to hit or stand once, no matter the hand value.

Standoff

When both hands result in a tie.

Tie

Also called a standoff or push, a tie is when the player and banker end up with the same value hand.

Tie Bet

A betting option for players to wager that the next hand is a tie. It pays out at 8 to 1 at most casinos. The house edge for tie bets is around 14.36%, so it should be avoided.

Up Card

A card that is face-up when dealt. Everyone at the table can see its value.

VIP

An acronym for a very important person. Casinos usually use this term for high rollers.