Fruit slots, roulette, poker, blackjack and baccarat were the first games that started it all. And while they obviously set off a massive craze, creativity only went so far back in the day.
The modernisation of casino games was a major stepping stone for the industry. Players took to the internet to spin and place bets rather than heading to land-based casinos where their options were a lot more limited. Online casinos bred dynamic mechanics, all-new themes and totally unique gameplay thanks to cutting-edge solutions. On top of that, the digital shift also made way for all-new game terminologies. Casino games nowadays sport more mechanics, more bonuses, more side bets etc, so it comes as no surprise that there’s a lot more to learn.
Baccarat is easily one of the most popular Live Casino games, but how much has it changed since the golden days? With this glossary of baccarat terms, we’ll give you a detailed overview of common baccarat terminology to help you set your foundation before diving into online baccarat tables. A baccarat glossary can serve as a brilliant tool for newbies and veterans alike!
A
Action: A generic baccarat term used to describe the total amount of money wagered by a player in a game round. This term is not limited to the game of baccarat as it can be used in any casino game.
Automatic Dealing Machine: Also known as the shoe. This machine is used both at brick-and-mortar and online casinos to hand out cards automatically.
B
Baccarat: The worst hand in a game Baccarat. The name of the game describes a hand of cards with zero value, including jacks, queens and kings.
Baccarat Banque: A baccarat variation that is played with two conjoined tables. The banker sits in the middle and plays with one bet against two player bets — one at each table. The French term ‘En banque’ means ‘zero in bank’ in English.
Banco: The Spanish word for bank or banker. It refers to the player who has the shoe and deals the cards in a baccarat game.
Banco Prime: Baccarat slang referring to the player closest to the banker. This player must match the stake wagered in the case there is more than one banker. This is only common in land-based baccarat games.
Banker Bet: One of the three betting options you’ll have in a game of baccarat. The banker bet involves wagering on the banker hand and offers a payout of 1:1. Land-based baccarat games charge a 5% commission which is deducted from the winning bets. The banker bet is often regarded as the best bet in terms of odds at 45.843%, as opposed to 44.615% for the player bet. In widespread baccarat variations at land-based casinos, the banker can also refer to a casino member who supervises the baccarat game, runs the shoe, deals cards, and ensures the quality of play.
Banker Position: Refers to the position of the banker at the table.
Bankroll: A bankroll is the amount of funds a player has in their casino wallet to spend on online gaming.
Big and Small: This is a bonus bet that involves wagering on the combined number of cards the player and banker’s hands will finish the round with. A successful bet on four cards usually has a payout of 3:2 and a successful bet on five or six cards usually has a payout of 2:1.
Bonus Bet: An additional wager offered at a table that enhances gameplay and may potentially boost a player’s payout. Bonus bets are part of what makes baccarat popular.
Burning: When the top three to six cards are discarded right after shuffling and before the start of a new baccarat game.
C
Caller: A casino employee whose job is to turn the cards, call out the points, and deals additional cards according to the third-card draw rules of baccarat. Not spotted at online versions of baccarat.
Carte: A French word for “Hit me”. Used to request another card from the dealer. Also not available at online casinos. Players would instead click the option provided to them on the user interface.
Chemin de Fer: Often referred to as European Baccarat, Chemin de Fer is one of the many baccarat versions you’ll find at land-based casinos. In this version of the game of baccarat, the shoe moves across the table, and a player deals the cards and takes bets, acting as the banker. Chemin de Fer is very popular in European casinos, specifically casinos in France. It is not super common in American casinos and is rarely available at online casinos.
Cheval: The French term ‘cheval’ can be translated to ‘across’.. In a game of baccarat, a cheval bet is won if both active players win the bets, and is lost if both baccarat players lose. In the case where one player wins and the other loses, this is referred to as a standoff, with the cheval bet remaining intact. This bet is only used in European versions of Baccarat.
Cheques: In land-based casinos, the game of baccarat is played with special chips known as cheques, used to enhance the feel of exclusivity.
Commission: Although the game of baccarat has a very low house edge on both player and banker bets, the banker bet is considered to be more beneficial to the player as it generally offers better odds. However, if the player wins with a banker wager, a 5% commission will be charged. This implies that the house will retain 5% of the player’s winnings. For example, if the bet is €5 (or currency equivalent), at 1:1 odds, the player wins €10 minus the 5% commission — €0.50. The actual amount won would be €9.50. Some casinos offer lower commissions and there are also No Commission Baccarat games. However, these casino games find other ways to make up for the lack of commission, like paying 2:1 odds on the banker wager, for instance.
Coup: A French term used to describe a round in a game of baccarat where one banker hand and one player hand are dealt.
Croupier: Another term for ‘dealer’.
Cut: Cutting the cards involves dividing the deck of cards in half after the cards have been shuffled. Generally, the dealer shuffles the cards and places them face-down on the table, asking a player to cut the cards by taking a section of cards from the top and placing them on the table. The dealer will then complete the cut by placing the remainder of cards at the top of the deck. In some versions of baccarat players are allowed to shuffle, cut, and deal the cards. In high-roller games, the person with the largest player bet is allowed to cut the cards. This obviously can’t happen when playing at online casinos.
Cut Card: A special plastic card used for cutting the deck once the cards have been shuffled. A player inserts this plastic card in the deck and the dealer makes the actual cut at that exact point of the deck. The cards are then placed in the shoe.
D
Dealer: Another term for ‘croupier’. In a game of baccarat, the dealer can be either a player or a casino employee. They would be in charge of dealing the cards, drawing extra cards, and making sure the card game runs smoothly. In some land-based tables, players may take turns to act as dealers. Some baccarat tables like Baccarat en Banque, have two dealers or even three dealers.
Deux Tableau: Another name for ‘Baccarat en Banque’.
Developer: Also referred to as a provider, the developer is the creator of a casino game.
Discard Tray: A discard tray is a special tray used to place discarded cards during a game of baccarat.
Down Card: A card turned face-down. Can also be referred to as a hole card, and is a common term used in other table games as well.
Dragon Bonus: The Dragon Bonus is a popular bonus bet in baccarat that allows players to bet on the player or the banker as well as on the number of points the winning hand beat the other. The Dragon Bonus pays out if the hand wins with a natural (an eight or a nine) or if the margin is more than four points.
Dragon Tiger: Dragon Tiger is an Asian-themed game developed by Evolution. Players must choose between the Dragon or the Tiger as their main bet. The drawn card with the highest value wins. Players can also place bets on Tie and Suited Tie to potentially boost their payout, but may risk losing a larger wager.
E
Edge Sorting: Edge sorting is a technique that helps identify card values based on small differences in the pattern on the back of the cards as a result of the manufacturing process. Although most casinos consider this technique cheating, players are often not held accountable as it is the casino’s responsibility to ensure the consistency of the cards. This technique cannot be used when playing live dealer games at online casinos.
Evolution: Evolution, previously known as Evolution Gaming, is a top-notch game provider and was established in 2006 in the Stockholm region of Sweden. The company was rebranded from ‘Evolution Gaming’ to ‘Evolution’ in early 2020.
F
Face Cards: Face cards refer to the cards that depict a person rather than a number. Include jacks, queens and kings of any suit.
Fading: A term used to describe placing bets against a person. In sports betting, it generally involves betting against an unsuccessful punter. In open dice games, it’s used to refer to betting against the person throwing the dice. This can only be seen when playing at a land-based casino.
Flat Bet: Placing a flat bet involves placing a wager with the same value no matter if the player holds a winning hand or a losing one.
H
Hand: The set of cards dealt to the player in a round of baccarat.
High Roller: A high roller is a punter who places high-value bets.
Hole Card: The hole card is the first face-down card dealt.
House Edge: The house edge is a term used to describe the mathematical advantage the casino has over players as they place bets over time. The house edge assures a percentage return to the house and a percentage loss of what a player bets — a casino will always make a profit regardless of the outcome of the round, especially if commission is involved. The house edge may also vary from one casino to another, depending on the casino rules.
L
Ladderman: A dealer that is responsible for running a typical game round.
La Grande: Also referred to as ‘The Big One’, La Grande is a baccarat hand that contains a natural nine and is the best hand a player can earn in baccarat.
La Petite: ‘La Petite’ is another French word that translates to “The Little One”. La Petite refers to the second-best hand in baccarat, which is a natural eight.
Layout: The baccarat table layout features a series of boxes and designated betting areas for punters to place their wagers. The table will feature all betting options available to players, including the player, banker, and tie bets, as well as any bonus or side bets offered by the game itself.
Lightning Baccarat: A Live Casino variant of baccarat that was developed by Evolution. It features many classic baccarat elements that are supercharged with lightning multipliers and bonus bets.
Live Casino Baccarat: Live Casino baccarat refers to the series of baccarat tables offered online. Live Casino tables offer an immersive experience that is as close to the real thing as a player can get, featuring live dealers, lavish studios, HD streaming, and cutting-edge tech.
LiveG24: LiveG24 is a live game providers based out of Malta and began its online journey in 2005 as a casino operator — Medialive Casino. The company gradually transitioned from operating an online casino to supplying games and was rebranded as LiveG24 in 2019.
Lose/Losing Streak: A succession of losing bets.
Loss Bet: The loss bet refers to the bet against the banker due to its high house edge. A loss bet may also refer to a player’s losing wager, in which case the house/banker wins.
M
Match Play: ‘Match Play’ refers to a promotion used by casinos as an incentive to get players to sign up and bet on their live tables. Promos like these can only be claimed once on even-money games and come with several Terms and Conditions. Bonus availability is subject to jurisdiction, so it might not always be possible to claim the offer. That said, online casinos offer a multitude of casino bonuses that players might be able to bag.
Mini Baccarat: A smaller version of the full-size baccarat table. Similar to a typical blackjack table, Mini Baccarat can seat up to seven players and one dealer. In online Mini Baccarat, the dealer will draw cards face-up, but at a brick-and-mortar casino, they are dealt face-down. The mini version of the game also offers lower baccarat table limits and fast-paced gameplay. Mini Baccarat is often a preferred choice for players who enjoy being on the edge of their seats.
Monkey: Baccarat slang that is used to describe a 10-value card, including all face cards as well as the 10.
Muck: A baccarat terminology used to describe eight-card decks containing 52 cards each.
N
Natural: When the first two cards dealt total to either eight or nine. A natural eight is a winning hand, ending the round automatically unless the other hand is a natural nine, which is the best hand in baccarat.
P
Palette: A long wooden tool used by dealers to move the cards around the table during a typical game round.
Pass: A win in the game.
Paytable: ‘Paytable’ or ‘pay table’ is a more common way of referring to the payout table.
Payout: The award a baccarat game pays in a winning game round.
Payout odds: Refer to the chances of earning a payout.
Pit: An exclusive area in the casino where high rollers play baccarat at high stakes. Online casinos generally offer live tables with gameplay tailored specifically for players who prefer to wager larger amounts of money, known as VIP tables. VIP tables would offer larger chip values.
Player Wager: One of the three common bets available at baccarat games aside from the Banker and Tie bet along with side bet options. Player bets pay 1:1 and the house advantage is a little more than 1%. This baccarat term can also cause some confusion, especially for new players, as they would associate the player wager with the people participating in the game.
Pragmatic Play Live: Pragmatic Play was founded in 2015 and is based in Gibraltar. While it first began releasing online slot machines, this provider also delved into bingo, scratchcards and Live Casino games with its Pragmatic Play Live branch.
Provider: A company that creates casino games. Can also be referred to as a game developer.
Punter: The person playing the game and betting cash.
Punto: A Spanish baccarat term used to describe ‘player’.
Punto Banco: Translating to ‘Player Banker’, Punto Banco is one of the most widespread Baccarat variations across the market. Punto Banco was developed in the 1950s in Argentina, eventually making its way to Cuba and then the US.
Push: A bet that is neither a winning nor a losing hand. A push often occurs when there is a tie, in which case, all wagers are returned to the players and the dealer.
Q
Quik Gaming: Quik Gaming is an up-and-coming Live Casino provider that is based in Malta. It was established with the aim of challenging the typical ‘cut-and-paste’ templates used in most casino games today.
R
Railroad: A baccarat variant commonly referred to by its French translation ‘Chemin de Fer’ that was once very popular in France in the late 19th century. It later was introduced to the USA, who referred to the baccarat table as ‘Chemmy’.
Rapid Baccarat: A version of video baccarat.
Run: A side bet that allows players to bet on a series of hands.
S
Shills: A casino staff member whose purpose is to add appeal to the game and attract players. The practice of using shills to get punters to play a game of baccarat began in the second half of the 20th century at casinos in Las Vegas.
Shoe: A card dealing machine used in baccarat that deals cards automatically. It helps prevent errors associated with the human factor of manual dealing, and often contains six or eight decks. It’s used in both brick-and-mortar and online baccarat games.
Shooter: A term used to refer to the bank.
Shuffle Up: A term which describes the early shuffling of the cards by the dealer.
Side Bet: A side bet is an additional wager offered by the baccarat table. These bets are often completely optional but are used as a way to boost the player experience by enhancing gameplay and potentially boosting the player’s payout.
Skill: A joke made when a player is enjoying a good run.
Standoff: A standoff occurs when both the player and the banker have an equal hand value, resulting in a tie.
Super 6: A side bet that awards a payout if the banker wins the game round with hand-value adding up to six.
Super Pan Nine: A baccarat variant that is mostly played at brick-and-mortar casinos in Los Angeles, California.
T
Table of Play: The set of rules in a game of baccarat which describes everything there is to know about the casino game. These may include a detailed explanation of the bets and gameplay options.
Tie Bet: The tie wager is one of the three main betting options available in baccarat. If a hand ends with a tie, all wagers push. This implies that both the player and the banker get their wagers back as all bets would be returned. The tie bet offers odds of 8:1 or 9:1 and has a house edge of more than 14%.
U
Upcard: A card turned face-up.
V
Vigorish: Refers to the percentage the casino retains from a payout.
VIP: An acronym for a very important person. In casinos, this term is used to refer to high rollers.
W
Win Streak: A succession of winning bets.