The cool tuxedo, the martini (shaken, not stirred), the high roller atmosphere, and a flair for the dramatic at the baccarat table. Any fan of James Bond knows that the secret agent always seems to come out on top in this classic casino game, all the while scoping out the bad guys.
Bond gazes at the cards, considers his options, and always seems to come out ahead in classic films like Dr. No, Thunderball, Goldeneye, and The World Is Not Enough.
The game was also featured in Martin Scorsese’s Casino, and even The Beatles took a seat at the baccarat table in A Hard Day’s Night. Looking to play the game like 007 or John, Paul, George, and Ringo? Keep reading to learn more about Baccarat and how to play the “game of kings” like a pro.
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Baccarat History
The game dates back to the 15th century in Italy and France. French soldiers returned from battle in the Italian Wars during the reign of Charles VIII and brought baccarat back with them. In the 17th century, the game surged in popularity and could be found in palazzos across the country, catering to the country’s wealthy elite and hoi polloi.
That reputation has, for the most part, sustained in the intervening years and has been seen as the chosen gambling activity of the upper crust. Gamblers also enjoy the thin house edge that can be found at the baccarat tables – much better than those one-armed bandits on the rest of the casino floor. Even Mark Twain hoped to get in on the action – but preferred to act as the house.
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“A permanent and intense interest is acquirable in baccarat, or in any other game, but you have to buy it. You don’t get it by standing around and looking on, Twain wrote in his essay Aix, the Paradise of the Rheumatics after traveling through France and admiring the game.
“Constantly money and chips are flung upon the table, and the game seems to consist in the croupier’s reaching for these things with a flexible sculling oar, and raking them home. It appeared to be a rational enough game for him, and if I could have borrowed his oar I would have stayed.”
High Stakes Card Game
Baccarat is often featured in higher stakes salons, although casinos have also offered “mini-baccarat” with lower stakes on the traditional casino floor over the last couple of decades. The game remains associated with high-end gambling and wealth, and that plays out every month in Las Vegas.
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For Las Vegas casinos, baccarat means big bucks. The monthly revenue totals reported by the Nevada Gaming Control Board can swing dramatically depending on the results of wealthy gamblers heading to Sin City and looking for some action at the tables. While Las Vegas casinos struggled in 2025, baccarat revenue at Strip properties reached $1.4 billion, up 3.4% from the previous year.
Getting in the Action & Knowing Your Role
While Hollywood ramps up the game’s drama and makes the action look like there are deep strategic considerations, the simple truth is that baccarat is a simple game and most of the decisions a player has to make are already predetermined. There are some key things to know about how the game is played before getting started.
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Hand values – Most numbered cards keep their value. For example, a 4 will count as 4, and a 7 will count as 7. Kings, queens, jacks, and 10s have a value of 0, while aces have a value of 1. This is critical to understanding how the game works.
Finding a seat – Baccarat tables can vary a bit, depending on the casino. Larger casinos may feature tables seating up to 14 players. Mini-baccarat (also known as “EZ Baccarat”) games will seat fewer players and have lower betting limits.
In a game of baccarat, only two hands are dealt initially, and players bet on which will win. Here are the betting options available:
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Player – A hand dealt for the “player.”
Banker – This is the hand dealt to the house. In some older versions, such as Chemin de Fer (played by Bond in Dr. No), the banker role can rotate among players.
Tie – An additional betting option that allows players to wager that the player and banker hands will have the same number at the hand’s conclusion.
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What’s the Deal?
As a hand gets underway, players make their wagers on the player, banker, or a tie. The dealer then distributes two cards from a dealing shoe for both the player and the banker.
The goal of a hand is to get as close to 9 as possible, with any two-card hand adding to 9 referred to as a “natural.” For example, a player dealt 10-9 has a natural 9 with the 10 counting as zero and the 9 adding up to a perfect score of 9.
Under the game’s rules, no hand can go over 9. Any total beyond that simply drops to 10. For example, a player may be dealt 6-6 for a total of 12. This hand drops to 10, but it’s actually worth 2. An 8-6 hand would be worth 4 after dropping 10, and a 5-5 hand would be 0.
If either hand is dealt a natural 9, that hand is the winner, and bets are collected and paid. However, if neither hand has a 9, the next-best hand is an 8 (also called a natural).
If one hand has a 7 and the other a natural 8, then that 8 is the winner. If the player and banker hands are the same at 8 or 9, the hand is a tie, and neither hand wins. Tie bettors would win in this instance.
Drawing Card No. 3
So what happens when neither hand totals 8 or 9? Then a third card can be drawn, but unlike blackjack, you don’t have the option of whether to do this or not. Under the game’s rules, drawing a third card is predetermined. There is no choice in the matter for the player; the rules are automatic based on a few caveats:
The player stands with 6 or 7 – no third card.
If the player stands, the banker hits if the total is 5 or less.
The player has 5 or less, the player is dealt a third card.
If the player receives a third card, the banker also has this option based on predetermined rules:
if the Banker has:
0, 1, or 2 – always draws a third card.
3 – draws if the player’s third card is 1 to 10 (excluding 8).
4 – draws if the player’s third card is 2-7.
5 – draws if the player’s third card is 4-7.
6 – draws if the player’s third card is 6 or 7
The banker always stands with a total of 7.
The good news is that players don’t necessarily have to remember all of these banker rules. The dealer will know how to apply them, and there is usually a chart available at the table to help players keep up.
This is key to remember: after a third card, the hand closest to 9 is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, neither hand wins and the tie bettors are paid.
A Good Bet
The great thing about baccarat is that there is such a low house edge. In casinos filled with slot machines that can have house edges as high as 15% or more, baccarat certainly stands out as one of the better options.
Baccarat players enjoy a house edge of just 1.24% when betting on the player and will receive even money when winning. Placing money on the banker offers a lower casino advantage of just 1.06%, but bettors must pay a 5% commission.
So if a player bets $100 on the banker, they would owe $5 to the house after a win. It’s important to note that the commission is paid only on winning wagers. The dealer usually tracks these commissions in the dealer box, and they must be paid when a player exits the table.
Now the bad news. A tie wager pays a player 8 to 1. So, a $100 tie bet would pay out $800 if the player and banker have the same total. That payout would be nice, but comes with a gi-normous house edge of 14.36%. In short – savvy gamblers skip the tie bet altogether.
While you may not be a secret agent or have the good looks of Daniel Craig, Roger Moore, or Sean Connery. But gambling like the superspy is not only always an option, but beats many of the games in the casino meant to more easily separate you from that hard-earned cash.
