BACCARAT TERMS

While baccarat is easy enough to get the hang of, it’s good practice to brush up on the basic terms and jargon for every new casino game you set out to explore. Read this glossary of baccarat terms, found in land-based and online casinos, to connect the dots the next time you find yourself sitting down for a gripping game of baccarat!

Baccarat Terminology — The Baccarat Glossary

A

Action: A generic term in baccarat describing the total sum of money wagered in a round by a player. This term is one of many used in a range of casino games.

Automatic Dealing Machine: Used at online and land-based casinos, this machine automatically hands out cards. Useful to prevent human error, an Automatic Dealing Machine is common in card games using six or eight decks.

B 

Baccarat: The game’s name, baccarat, means ‘zero’ in Italian. It is, therefore, a hand with zero value, the worst hand to have when you play baccarat.

Baccarat en Banque: French for ‘zero in bank’, this baccarat variation is played with two tables. The banker plays one bet against two Player bets on each table.

Banco: The French word for ‘banker’. It refers to the player that has the shoe and deals the cards. In land-based casinos, the banker may also refer to a casino employee who supervises a game, runs the shoe and deals the cards in widespread baccarat variations.

Banco Prime: This is baccarat slang, found chiefly in land-based baccarat. Referring to the player closest to the banker, this player must match the stakes wagered in case there is more than one banker.

Banker Bets: One of three betting options available in a game of baccarat. With a notably reduced house edge, a Banker bet is widely regarded as the player’s best bet statistically, paying 1:1.

Banker Position: The position of the banker at the table.

Bankroll: The number of funds a player has in their online casino account.

Big and Small: A bonus bet that involves wagering on the total number of cards that the player and banker will finish with in a round within their respective hands. Successful bets on four cards pay out at 3:2, while bets on five or more cards pay out at 2:1.

Bonus Bet: A side bet offered in a round to raise the stakes of a game that potentially earns players more winnings.

Burning: The top three to six cards are put in the discard tray after shuffling at the start of a new game.

C

Chemin de Fer: Chemin de Fer is one of the various baccarat versions at land-based casinos. After Chemin de Fer travelled out of 19th century France, where it was born, and into the USA, American players nicknamed this baccarat table ‘Chemmy’. In this version, the shoe moves across the table, with a player acting as the banker, dealing cards and taking bets. Due to its popularity in European casinos, it is frequently called European Baccarat, although it is hard to find online.

Cheval: Another French term, ‘cheval’, translates to ‘across’. When both active players win their bets, a Cheval bet is won. If both baccarat players lose, the bet is lost. If one player wins and the other loses, the Cheval bet remains intact. Cheval bets are exclusive to European variants.

Cheques: This term refers to special chips used in a game of baccarat in brick-and-mortar casinos.

Commission: While baccarat is renowned for its low house edge, Player bets and Banker bets which result in a win are charged a 5% commission, which means the house retains 5% of players’ winnings. Therefore, if a player wins a Banker wager, the payout is 1:1 minus the 5% commission. Lower commissions are offered at certain casinos, and No Commission Baccarat games. However, keep in mind that casinos will find a way to compensate for the lack of commission.

Coup: Yet another French word! In baccarat, coup is simply a round where one banker and one player hand each are dealt.

Croupier: Another term for dealer.

Cutting cards: At land-based tables, cutting cards means dividing the deck in half after shuffling it. Usually, the dealer shuffles the cards, places them face-down on the table and asks a player to ‘cut the cards‘, that is, taking a section of cards from the top and placing them on the table. The dealer sets the remainder of the cards at the top of the deck to complete the cut. Some versions of baccarat allow players to shuffle, cut and deal the cards, while the person with the most prominent Player bet cuts the cards in high-roller games.

D

Dealer: Unlike other table games, the dealer can be either a player or a casino employee in a game of baccarat. The dealer’s responsibilities include dealing cards, drawing extra cards and ensuring everything runs smoothly. In land-based venues, players take turns acting as dealers, and two or even three dealers can sit at some baccarat tables like Baccarat en Banque!

Deux Tableau: Another term for Baccarat en Banque.

Developer: Also called a provider, developers create a casino game.

Discard Tray: A designated tray used on land-based baccarat tables for discarded cards.

Down Card: A card with its face down. A common feature in other table games, where it may sometimes be known as a hole card.

Dragon Bonus: A popular bonus bet in baccarat, the Dragon Bonus permits the players to bet on either Player or Banker, in addition to the number of points by which the winning hand won. This bonus bet pays out only if the hand wins with a natural or if the margin of points passes four.

Dragon Tiger: Evolution’s Asian-themed game of baccarat; instead of player and banker, the choice lies between Dragon or Tiger for the main bet. The drawn card with the highest value wins. Additionally, players can potentially boost their payout by betting on Tie or Suited Tie, which risks losing the main wager.

E

Edge Sorting: Edge sorting is a technique whereby card values are identified through minuscule differences in the pattern on the back of the cards due to manufacturing imperfections. Most casinos view this as cheating, but often, players are not held accountable since the consistency of a deck is the casino’s responsibility. Needless to say, edge sorting is not possible at online casinos.

Evolution: Established in 2006 in Stockholm, Evolution (formerly Evolution Gaming) has grown to become one of the core providers of casino games, taking over the industry.

F

Face Cards: These cards portray a figure rather than a number and include jacks, queens and kings of any suit.

Fading: Only encountered in land-based venues, fading is used to describe placing bets against another player. In sports betting, this means betting against a losing punter. In open dice games, it relates to betting against the person throwing the dice.

Flat Bet: A flat bet is a wager placed with the same value, regardless of the player holding a winning or losing hand.

H

Hand: The set of cards a player is dealt in a card game.

High Roller: A player placing high-value bets.

Hole Card: Another term for a down-card, a card dealt facing down.

House Edge: A term describing the mathematical advantage a casino has over players over time. The house edge guarantees a percentage return to the casino and a percentage loss of what a player bets. Casinos will always make a profit whether a player wins or loses. The house edge may vary depending on the casino rules for each individual establishment.

L

La Grande: A baccarat hand containing a natural nine, La Grande (or ‘The Big One’) is the best hand a player can earn in the game, a direct opposite to having baccarat.

La Petite: This French term translates to “The Little One”. In baccarat terms, this is a natural eight, the next best hand after a natural nine.

Layout: The table layout for baccarat features a series of boxes and designated betting areas where players place their wagers. All betting options are available on the table, including Player, Banker and Tie bets, along with side bets offered in-game.

Lightning Baccarat: Evolution’s Live Casino baccarat version played with the essential elements of the game but throwing lightning multipliers and bonus bets into the mix.

Live Casino Baccarat: Baccarat tables offered online at Live Casinos are referred to as Live Casino baccarat. These tables will feature live dealers, pristine studios, HD streaming and state-of-the-art technology to create an experience as close to a brick-and-mortar table as possible.

Losing Streak: A series of losing bets.

Loss Bet: The bet placed against the Banker is known as the loss bet due to its high house edge. This term may also refer to a player’s losing bet.

M

Match Play: ‘Match Play’ is a type of promotion that casinos use to incentivise player registration and get more players on their live tables. These promotions can be claimed only once on even-money games and come with a list of Terms and Conditions. For instance, bonus availability may be affected by jurisdictional limitations. 

Mini Baccarat: A full-size baccarat table scaled down. Mini Baccarat seats up to seven players and one dealer, similar to a standard blackjack table. In land establishments, cards are dealt face-down, while in online casinos, the cards face up. In addition to its compact size, players can observe lower baccarat table limits and speedy gameplay, making Mini Baccarat a well-worn choice for players looking for an exciting game.

Monkey: Any 10-value card (including face cards) in baccarat slang.

Muck: Another slang term describing eight-card decks of 52 cards each.

N

Natural: A common word that pops up in baccarat terminology. A natural is a total of either eight or nine with the initial two cards. A natural eight is a winning hand and ends the round automatically; unless your opponent holds a natural nine, which is baccarat’s most excellent hand.

P

Pass: A pass refers to a win in baccarat terms.

Paytable: A table which indicates the payouts within a game.

Payout: The respective winnings generated in a game of baccarat.

Payout odds: The statistical probability of earning a payout.

Pit: An exclusive area in a casino for high rollers to play baccarat at high stakes. Online casinos may offer an exclusive experience via live tables known as VIP tables. A VIP table allows larger chip values, tailoring it to the player interested in making heftier wagers.

Player Bets: Another of the three core bets available to make in baccarat games, alongside the Tie bet and Banker bet. The house advantage sits at just over 1% in these bets, paying out 1:1. Understandably, anyone just beginning their baccarat journey may confuse this term with the bets that players place on a table.

Pragmatic Play Live: Pragmatic Play Live is the Live Casino division of iGaming behemoth Pragmatic Play. When it was founded in Gibraltar in 2015, the company started out in the slot game market. Soon after, Pragmatic Play Live was launched in early 2019, incorporating Live Casino games alongside bingo and scratch cards.

Provider: The creators of casino games. Interchangeable with game developer.

Punter: A colloquial term for a person playing a cash-betting game.

Punto: A baccarat term in Spanish meaning ‘player’.

Punto Banco: Punto Banco (‘Player Banker’) is a descendent of historical baccarat, developed in Argentina in the 1950s. Spilling into Cuba and then the US, it is now one of the most widespread Baccarat variations around the globe. This version is the most common variant of baccarat, committing to fixed drawing rules, unlike its ancestor.

Push: A push is when both the Player and the Banker hand are equal. This results in neither a winning nor a losing hand. Most commonly, a push happens in a tie. All wagers are given back to the betting parties, although this may sometimes vary from casino to casino.

R

Railroad: An English name for the baccarat variant known by its French title ‘Chemin de Fer’.

Rapid Baccarat: An online version of baccarat.

Run: A bonus bet in baccarat allowing players to bet on successive hands.

S

Shills: Shills refers to casino staff whose job is to attract players to the game. Shills attracting players towards baccarat tables go back all the way to the casinos of Las Vegas in the latter half of the 20th century.

Shoe: A shoe is the designated box the dealer uses to store cards. Found in land-based venues, shoes come in different sizes according to the decks used for a game. The name derives from their resemblance to high-heeled shoes in the past. 

Shooter: Another term referring to the bank.

Shuffle Up: A term denoting the early shuffling of a deck by the dealer.

Side Bet: A side bet is an extra wager available to make at a baccarat table. These bets are most often optional choices, but they may be appealing to players by stimulating the gameplay as well as a potential boost to a player’s earnings.

Standoff: When both the Player and the Banker hand amount to an equal value, this creates a tie known as a standoff (also called a push).

Super 6: This refers to a side bet that pays out if the Banker wins the game with a hand total of six.

T

Table of Play: The list of rules in a game of baccarat, sometimes referred to by its French name ‘Tableau’. A table of play will detail everything you need to know before playing the game, including a breakdown of betting options, and when a third card is drawn, among others.

Tie Bets: The third of three primary wagers available in baccarat, along with the Banker bet and Player bet. All wagers push should a round end in a tie, implying all parties at the table have their bets returned. Offering odds of 8:1 (or 9:1 on some versions), the house edge for a Tie bet stands above 14%.

U

Upcard: A card dealt face-up

V

Vigorish: The percentage of a payout which the casino retains, also called a commission.

VIP: VIP stands for ‘very important person’, and in casino terms, it refers to high rollers.

W

Win Streak: A succession of winning bets.