The house edge is the single most important number in baccarat — it is the percentage of every bet the casino expects to keep over the long run. The good news is that baccarat’s main bets carry some of the lowest edges in the building. This guide shows you the exact figures, where they come from, and how to make sure the edge working against you is as small as it can possibly be.
What “house edge” means
| Bet | Probability | Payout | House edge | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main bets | ||||
| Banker | 45.86% | 1:1 (after 5% commission) | 1.06% | Best |
| Player | 44.62% | 1:1 | 1.24% | OK |
| Tie | 9.52% | 8:1 | 14.36% | Avoid |
| Side bets | ||||
| Banker Pair | 7.47% | 11:1 | 10.36% | Avoid |
| Player Pair | 7.47% | 11:1 | 10.36% | Avoid |
| Either Pair | 14.55% | 5:1 | 12.69% | Avoid |
| Perfect Pair | 3.34% | 25:1 | 13.03% | Avoid |
| Big (5–6 cards) | 58.66% | 0.54:1 | 4.35% | OK |
| Small (4 cards) | 41.34% | 1.5:1 | 5.27% | OK |
House edge is the share of each wager the casino expects to win on average over a very large number of hands. A 1.06% edge means that for every $100 you bet on the Banker, the casino expects to keep about $1.06 in the long run — and you keep the rest. It is a long-run average, not a per-hand certainty: any single hand wins or loses in full. For a sense of how this plays out over a session, our odds calculator does the arithmetic for you.
The exact figures for eight-deck baccarat
And the full breakdown, including the rarely-seen 9:1 Tie and the matching RTP:
| Bet | Payout | House edge | RTP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banker | 1:1 (−5% commission) | 1.06% | 98.94% |
| Player | 1:1 | 1.24% | 98.76% |
| Tie | 8:1 | 14.36% | 85.64% |
| Tie | 9:1 | 4.84% | 95.16% |
Two things stand out. First, the Banker and Player bets are both excellent by casino standards — most slot machines carry edges of 4–10%. Second, the Tie is dramatically worse, and the payout you are offered (8:1 versus 9:1) changes its edge enormously, which is why reading the table rules matters.
Where the Banker’s 1.06% comes from
The Banker hand wins about 50.68% of decided hands because it acts last and can react to the Player’s third card — the mechanics are on our rules and third-card chart page. Left unchecked, that would give the bettor an advantage, so the casino levies a 5% commission on Banker wins. Work the maths through and the net result is a 1.06% edge in the casino’s favour. The commission is not an extra fee on top of the edge — it is the edge.
How deck count and rules nudge the edge
Most games use eight decks, but you will occasionally see six or even single-deck baccarat. The differences are tiny but real:
| Variant | Banker edge | Player edge |
|---|---|---|
| Eight decks | 1.06% | 1.24% |
| Six decks | 1.06% | 1.24% |
| Single deck | 1.01% | 1.29% |
The shifts are too small to chase. Far more important is avoiding bad rule variations, covered next.
Side bets: where the edge explodes
Side bets such as Dragon Bonus, Perfect Pair and Lucky 6 dangle big payouts but carry house edges from roughly 2.5% to well over 10%. They are pure entertainment, not value. The Tie bet — technically a main bet — belongs in the same conversation at 14.36%. Our Banker vs Player breakdown shows why the two simple bets are the only ones worth your money.
Turning the edge to your advantage — sort of
You cannot erase the house edge, but you can minimise its bite: bet the Banker, skip the Tie and side bets, avoid bad rule variants, and control how much you wager per hour through bankroll management. No betting system changes the edge — only your bet selection and stake size do.
Where to go next
Compare the two main bets head-to-head in Banker vs Player, return to the odds overview, or brush up on the rules that produce these numbers.
What is the house edge in baccarat?
In standard eight-deck baccarat the Banker bet has a 1.06% house edge, the Player bet 1.24%, and the Tie bet 14.36% at 8:1. The Banker is the lowest-edge bet on the table.
Is the 5% commission separate from the house edge?
No. The 1.06% Banker edge already includes the 5% commission. The commission is the mechanism that creates the edge, not an extra charge on top of it.
Are no-commission baccarat tables better?
Usually not. To offset the missing commission they typically pay only half on a Banker win of 6, which raises the house edge to around 1.46% — worse than the standard game.
Does the number of decks change the odds?
Only slightly. Single-deck baccarat has a marginally lower Banker edge (about 1.01%) but a higher Player edge. The differences are too small to be worth chasing.
What house edge do baccarat side bets have?
Side bets like Dragon Bonus or Perfect Pair carry edges from about 2.5% to over 10% — far worse than the main bets. They are entertainment, not value.