Third Card Rule in Baccarat Explained

Thanks to the elements of chance and luck that always come hand in hand with Baccarat, high rollers with a flair for a bit of risk have always been attracted to this game. Although there are no proven ways of predicting the outcome and adjusting your bets accordingly, Baccarat still abides by certain rules which are employed by the Dealer. Unlike Blackjack, where the players are the ones to decide whether or not they will hit or stand, Baccarat uses pre-determined drawing principles which are implemented without exception.

General Baccarat Rules

Baccarat is played with either 6 or 8 card decks, drawn by the Dealer from the card shoe; the Baccarat session starts when the player submits the bet on one of the following betting options – Banker, Player, or a Tie.  The most common Baccarat “strategy” (using the word liberally) is always playing on the Banker bet since it has the lowest house edge of all three. The next best thing is the Player bet, while Tie, although carrying the best payout value, is often referred to as “the fool’s bet”.

When the bets are confirmed, the Dealer will draw two cards for the two main betting positions, placing them face up. Hand with the total of 8 or 9 wins by default, overriding all other rules. Busting is not possible in Baccarat as the cards have point values – zero points are awarded to 10, K, Q, and J cards, and when the total has a double-digit value, the first digit is removed. For example, a hand with 6 and 7 has a total of 3, not 13.

The Third Card Rule

If neither of the two dealt hands has the desired value, the third card is drawn from the shoe, according to the rules listed below:

• When the Player hand total is 0 to 5. The extra card will not be drawn if the total is 6 or 7 or in case of a natural win, as mentioned below (8 and 9).
• When the Banker’s total value is 0 to 5. The third card will not be drawn for the banker if the total is 6, 7, 8, or 9.

Things become a bit more complicated when the third Player card comes into play. This will directly affect the Banker’s next move, depending on the value of the third card:

• When cards 2 or 3 are drawn for the Player, the Banker will also be entitled to the third card if its hand value is 0-4. Otherwise, Banker will have to stand;
• When the Player’s third card is 4 or 5 the Banker will receive an additional card for the hand total of 0-5 and stand on 6 and 7;
• When 6 or 7 is drawn as the third card for the Player, the Banker will also have to draw if the hand total is between 0 and 6. The Banker will stand on the hand value of 7;
• Drawing an 8 as the third Player’s hand will have the Banker stand on the 3 – 7 total or receive the additional card for a hand of 0 – 2;
• With 9, 10, Ace, Jack, Queen, and King as the third Player’s card, the Banker will hit on the total of 0-3 or stand on the total of 4-7;

The easier way to keep track of the 3-Card rule would be by referring to the following tables:

3-card rule – Player

3-card rule – Banker

At first glance, this may seem overwhelming, but it will not take more than a few sessions to memorize the rules without even trying. And, since the 3 card rule is not optional, you can just let the Dealer take care of it and enjoy the game.