Baccarat Draw Rules Chart 2026: Player and Banker Third Card

In standard baccarat the Player draws a third card on a total of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. The Banker’s choice then depends on the Banker’s own total and on the value of the Player’s third card, using a fixed table. Nobody at the table makes these decisions, and the dealer applies them for you.

This page is a printable version of those rules, with worked examples and a short explanation of why the Banker’s table looks as it does. Card values for reference: aces count 1, cards 2 to 9 count face value, and tens and picture cards count 0. Only the last digit of the total counts, so 7 + 8 is 5, not 15.

Step 1: Check for a natural

Each side is dealt two cards. If either side has a total of 8 or 9, that is a natural. Both hands stand and no third card is drawn. The higher total wins, and equal totals are a tie.

Step 2: The Player’s rule

If there is no natural:

Step 3: The Banker’s rule

If the Player stood (on 6 or 7), the Banker acts like the Player:

If the Player drew a third card, use the table below. Find the Banker’s total on the left and the value of the Player’s third card across the top. “D” means the Banker draws, “S” means the Banker stands.

Third card values: tens and picture cards count 0.

The same table as a quick-reference list

• Banker 0, 1 or 2: always draw.
• Banker 3: draw unless the Player’s third card was an 8.
• Banker 4: draw if the Player’s third card was 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.
• Banker 5: draw if the Player’s third card was 4, 5, 6 or 7.
• Banker 6: draw if the Player’s third card was 6 or 7.
• Banker 7: stand.

The “draw if” lists make a nice memory aid: the window of cards that triggers a Banker draw starts at 2-7 for a Banker 4, narrows to 4-7 for a 5, and 6-7 for a 6.

Worked examples

Example 1: Player stands, Banker draws. Player: 4 + 2 = 6, stands. Banker: 3 + 2 = 5. Because the Player stood, the Banker follows the simple rule: draw on 0 to 5. The Banker draws a 7 and finishes on 2 (5 + 7 = 12, last digit 2). Player 6 wins.

Example 2: Player draws, Banker stands on 3 against an 8. Player: 2 + 3 = 5, draws an 8 and finishes on 3. Banker: K + 3 = 3. The Player’s third card was an 8. Look at the Banker 3 row, column 8: S. The Banker stands on 3. Tie at 3 (the totals are equal).

Example 3: Player draws, Banker draws on 4. Player: 5 + 0 (a king) = 5, draws a 2 and finishes on 7. Banker: 2 + 2 = 4. The Player’s third card was a 2. Banker 4, column 2: D. The Banker draws a 6, finishing on 0 (4 + 6 = 10). Player 7 wins.

Example 4: Natural. Player: 9 + K = 9. Banker: 5 + 2 = 7. The Player has a natural 9, so both hands stand even though the Banker would normally draw. Player wins.

Example 5: Banker 6. Player: A + 3 = 4, draws a 7 and finishes on 1. Banker: 4 + 2 = 6. The Player’s third card was a 7. Banker 6, column 7: D. The Banker draws. If the Player’s third card had been a 5, the Banker would stand.

Why the Banker’s table looks like that

Because the Banker acts second, the Banker’s rule can use the Player’s third card as information. The table is a fixed convention, and the broad pattern is easy to see: the lower the Banker’s own total, the more Player third cards make drawing worthwhile, and at 7 the Banker never draws. A Banker 0, 1 or 2 always draws, a Banker 3 draws against everything except an 8, and the windows then narrow as the total climbs.

You cannot rebuild the exact numbers at the table, and you do not need to. What is worth knowing is that the Banker side wins slightly more often because it decides after seeing more, and that the 5% commission on Banker wins is the casino’s way of taking that edge back and a bit more.

What the rules do to the bets

The Banker hand wins slightly more often than the Player hand, which is why the Banker bet pays 19 to 20 (even money minus a 5% commission) while the Player bet pays even money. Tie bets pay 8 to 1. With 8 decks the house edges (as listed by the Wizard of Odds) are:

A tie is a push for Player and Banker bets: you get your stake back.

Printing and remembering the chart

To print this page as a reference, the Banker table above is the only part that needs a reference sheet. The Player rule and the simple Banker rule fit in one line each.

If you want to memorise it, work from the Banker rows in this order. Row 7: never draw. Rows 0, 1, 2: always draw. Row 3: always draw except against an 8. Rows 4, 5, 6: draw only when the Player’s third card falls inside a window, 2 to 7, 4 to 7 and 6 to 7. Every window ends at 7, which makes them easy to recall. Once those six lines are fixed in your head, you can follow any hand at the table without looking, though you never need to act on it.

Common mistakes

• Counting 10 as 10. In baccarat a ten is 0. A hand of 7 and Q is 7.
• Forgetting only the last digit counts. 9 + 6 is 5, not 15.
• Expecting to choose. In punto banco there is no discretion on third cards. The rules do not change by the player’s wish.
• Misreading the Banker table row. The first thing to check is whether the Player stood. If so, ignore the table and use the simple rule.
• Treating the draw chart as a betting system. Knowing the chart lets you follow the game. It does not change which bet has the lowest house edge.

Try it yourself

The baccarat third card tool lets you enter any Player and Banker totals and a Player third card, and shows whether the Banker draws. Use it to test the five examples above, then try random totals until you can recite the Banker 3, 4, 5 and 6 rows from memory.

Baccarat’s house edge is small on the Banker and Player bets and large on the Tie, so choose a budget before you start and treat it as the cost of the entertainment.

Related guides

• Do baccarat strategies work?: roadmaps, banker-only, Martingale and dragon streaks tested.
• Baccarat next to every other casino bet: about 30 bets in order, with cost per hour.