Baccarat Glossary

Baccarat:This is the worst hand in Baccarat. The word Baccarat itself means zero. If you or the bank have a total of 0, this is known as Baccarat.

Banco: Banco is the Spanish word for bank or banker. As for the game of Baccarat, the dealer is sometimes called the banco.

Banker Bet: This is one of the three possible bets you can choose in Baccarat. The house edge is really small and if you win you will be paid 1:1. However, you have to keep in mind the 5% commission deducted from winning bets. Yet, the majority of players claim that the banker bet is the best bet in terms of odds. Banker can also refer to a casino staff member who is in charge of running the shoe, dealing the cards and making sure your game runs smoothly.

Banque:  is a Baccarat version, popular mainly in casinos throughout Europe. It comprises of three hands including one banker hand and two player hands.

Bankroll: The amount of money you intend to spend on gambling purposes.

Burning: Right after shuffling and before the start of a new game, the top three to six cards are discarded.

Caller: A member of the casino staff responsible for the cards on the Baccarat table.

Carte: The term is derived from French and it is used for requesting yet another card from the dealer. Carte is the French equivalent of “Hit me”.

Chemin De Fer: One of the most popular Baccarat variations, also known as European Baccarat. Chemin De Fer is intended mainly for high rollers. In this variation, one of the players is in charge of dealing the cards, taking all bets, and playing the bank. Chemin de Fer is also known as “Railroad”.

Commission: Baccarat is a game known for the really low house edge, but winning bank and player bets are subject to a 5% commission.

Coup: Yet another term of French origin meaning a round of Baccarat comprising of a banker hand and a player hand.

Cut: means do divide the deck of cards in half once the cards have been shuffled. Then, the cut deck is combined again.

Cut Card: This is a special plastic card used for cutting the deck once the cards have been shuffled.

Dealer: The staff member responsible for card drawing. Depending on the Baccarat variation you choose, players themselves may take turns and act as dealers. If you visit a casino in America, you will see that there are two dealers positioned at opposite sides of the Baccarat table. In American Baccarat, the dealer is in charge of collecting losing bets and announcing winning ones.

Discard Tray: The discard tray is available not only in Baccarat but also in other table games. It holds all cards that have been played or discarded for some reason.

Down Card: A card turned face down. Sometimes the down card is also called a hole card.

Dragon Bonus: Some casinos allow players to make side bets. As for the Dragon Bonus, it is a winning one if a chosen hand wins by at least four points.

Face cards: All cards, that have portraits on them are called face cards. This includes Jacks, Queens and Kings of any suit.

Fading: Fading is a term used for placing bets. However, it is applicable only to the land-based Baccarat games.

Flat Bet: The punter places the same amount no matter if the hand is a winning or a losing one.

House Edge: The advantage the casino has over the player. Basically, the house edge is the margin built in order to ensure a profit for the casino regardless of the outcome of the hand.

Ladderman: One of the three dealers who runs the game of Baccarat.

La Grande: The best hand in Baccarat, which translated from French 온라인카지노 means The Big One. It is referred to as a natural Baccarat totaling nine.

La Petite: Translated into English, La Petite means The Little One. This is a natural Baccarat, totaling eight.

Match Play: Match play promotions are used by casinos to incentivize players to bet on their games. These bonuses can be used only once and are applied in even money games. Depending on the casino rules, Baccarat can be considered an even money game and players can take advantage of the match play bonus and get paid double their actual cash bet without having you double their bet.

Mini Baccarat: A smaller version of the full-size Baccarat table, similar to a Blackjack table that can seat up to seven players and one dealer. The mini version of the game also offers lower table limits and a fast-paced gameplay, making it a preferred choice of mass players. In online versions of Mini Baccarat the dealer will draw the cards face-up, but at a land-based casino, they are dealt face-down.

Monkey: A slang term used for a 10-value card – a face card or a ten.

Muck: Eight card decks containing 52 cards each and used at the start of the shuffling.

Natural: When the two initially dealt cards total either eight or nine. A natural eight is a winning hand, ending the round automatically unless the other hand is a natural nine – the best hand in Baccarat.

Palette: A long wooden tool used by the croupiers to move the cards around the table during the game of Baccarat.

Pass: A win in the game.

Pit: Exclusive area in the casino, separated by a red rope where the high-rollers play Baccarat at high stakes.

Player: This term can cause quite a lot of confusion especially for new players as they would typically associate it with the people participating in the game. However, this is one of the three available bets in Baccarat along with Banker and Tie. Player bets are opposite to Banker bets, as in people playing the game can make a wager on either Banker or Player or choose a Tie. Player bets pay 1:1 and the house advantage is a bit more than 1%.

Punter: The person playing the game can be called a Punter, especially in the UK. A bettor. 

Punto: From Spanish – a player.

Punto Banco: Punto Banco is one of the most widespread Baccarat variations and an alias of the game worldwide. It was developed in the 1950s in Argentina, making its way to Cuba and then the USA. It translates as Player Banker.

Push: A bet that is neither a winning nor a losing one. As in Blackjack, the amount players have wagered is held over for the next round.

Railroad: Another Baccarat version which is commonly referred to by its French translation Chemin de Fer. It was very popular in France in the late 19th century. When it was introduced to the USA, it was called Chemmy.

Run: A side bet option allowing players to bet on a series of hands.

Shills: Members of the casino staff, usually young glamorous women whose purpose is to add appeal to the game and attract players. The practice of using shills to lure players to a game of Baccarat was employed in the second half of the 20th century at casinos in Las Vegas.  

Shoe: An automatic dealing machine used in Baccarat to prevent errors associated with the human factor in manual dealing. The shoe contains six or eight decks. It’s used in both land-based and online games.

Shooter: A term used to describe The bank.

Shuffle Up: A term to refer to the early shuffling of the cards by the dealer.

Skill: A joke made when a player is enjoying a good run.

Standoff: A term describing an outcome of a round when both the Player and the Bank hands have the same value and are joined in a tie.

Streak: If you have a streak in gambling, it means you’ve had a number of the same consecutive results. i.e. several wins in a row or several losses in a row.

Super Pan Nine: A variation of Baccarat popular at poker casinos in Los Angeles. All players are dealt three hands-down cards which are scored as in Baccarat. It differs in that one player acts as the bank.

Table of Play: The set of rules which describe the scores allowing players to receive a third card.

Tie: Besides Player and Banker, the Tie bet is one of the three possible bets in Baccarat. If a hand ends a tie, it’s a push which means that the player and the banker get their wagers back. The Tie bet pays 8:1 or 9:1 and has a house edge of more than 14%.

Upcard: A card turned face-up.

Vigorish: The percentage which is taken from the winnings of a bet by the casino.

VIP: An acronym for a very important person. In casinos, this term is used to refer to high rollers.