Banker is the best bet in baccarat: 1.06% house edge after the 5% commission. Player costs 1.24%. Tie costs 14.36% at the standard 8:1 payout. This page derives all three and prices the no-commission variant and the common side bets.
The main bets, derived
Eight-deck hand frequencies (from the fixed third-card rules): Banker wins 45.86%, Player wins 44.62%, Tie 9.52%.
Banker at 0.95:1 (5% commission): EV = 0.4586 × 0.95 − 0.4462 = −0.0106 → 1.06%.
Player at 1:1: EV = 0.4462 − 0.4586 = −0.0124 → 1.24%.
Tie at 8:1: EV = 0.0952 × 8 − 0.9048 = −0.1436 → 14.36%. At the occasional 9:1 table it improves to 4.85% — still the worst of the three.
The 0.18-point gap between Banker and Player is small but free: betting Banker every hand is the correct strategy in its entirety.
The no-commission catch
"No commission" baccarat pays Banker wins at full 1:1 — except when Banker wins with a total of 6, which pays half. That exception is the commission, restructured and enlarged:
| Variant | Banker edge |
|---|---|
| Standard (5% commission) | 1.06% |
| No-commission (push/half on Banker 6) | 1.46% |
If you want the math: Banker wins with 6 about 5.4% of all hands. Paying half on those costs 2.7% of Banker-win value — more than the 5% commission on all wins costs. The rebrand sells convenience and charges 0.4 points for it.
Side bets
| Side bet | Typical payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Player/Banker Pair | 11:1 | ~10–11% |
| Perfect Pair | 25:1 | ~13–17% |
| Either Pair | 5:1 | ~13–14% |
| Big/Small | varies | ~4–5% |
The pattern from blackjack side bets repeats: rare triggers, fixed payouts, edges an order of magnitude above the main game. Skip them; the main game's 1.06% is the product.
Practical summary
1. Bet Banker. Commission tables beat no-commission tables. 2. Never Tie, never pairs. 3. Unit-size from the bankroll guide — baccarat's pace makes per-hour volume the real cost driver.