How live baccarat works and what each bet costs
Live baccarat is the busiest table game in Asian casinos because the rules take a minute to learn and the house edge is low. Here are the rules, the true cost of each bet, one round worked through and the Live Casino House offers that apply.
On this page
Live studios in the lobby
Live baccarat rules in plain words
In live baccarat the dealer deals two hands, Player and Banker. You bet on which will finish closer to 9, or on a tie. The names are only labels, and anyone can back either side.
Aces count 1, cards from 2 to 9 count their face value, and tens and picture cards count 0. Only the last digit of a total matters, so 7 + 8 = 15 is worth 5. A total of 8 or 9 on the first two cards is a natural and ends the round.
Otherwise a third card may be drawn. Player draws on 0 to 5, and Banker’s draw depends on its own total and on Player’s third card. The dealer applies this fixed rule automatically, so you never decide anything after the bet.
Payouts for Banker, Player, Tie and pairs
Figures are for the standard eight-deck game. Side bets vary by studio, so check the paytable first.
| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Banker | 1:1 less 5% commission | 1.06% |
| Player | 1:1 | 1.24% |
| Tie | 8:1 | about 14.4% |
| Player Pair or Banker Pair | 11:1 | about 10.4% |
On a tie, bets on Banker and Player are returned. The Tie bet itself is the expensive one on the layout.
Table variants in the studios
Speed
Cards are dealt face up and the betting window is shorter, so a round takes roughly half the usual time. The odds are identical.
No Commission
Banker wins pay 1:1, except a winning Banker total of 6, which pays half. The Banker edge rises to about 1.46%.
Squeeze
Cards are turned over slowly, corner by corner. That adds suspense and time, and changes nothing in the odds.
Lightning
A fee is added to every bet, 20% on Evolution’s Lightning Baccarat, and random cards carry multipliers. Wins swing far more widely.
One round, worked through
You bet 200,000 VND on Player. Player receives a 6 and a 9, which is 15 and so worth 5. Banker receives a king and a 4, worth 4. With no natural, Player draws on 5 and gets a 2, making 7.
Banker holds 4 and Player’s third card was a 2, so the rule makes Banker draw. The card is a 9, and 4 + 9 = 13 is worth 3. Player wins 7 to 3 and you receive 200,000 VND profit. The same stake on a winning Banker hand would have paid 190,000 VND after commission.
Bankroll, patterns and the roadmap
The cost of baccarat is the house edge multiplied by everything you stake. Sixty hands at 100,000 VND is 6,000,000 VND staked. The expected cost is about 63,600 VND on Banker, 74,400 VND on Player and 864,000 VND on Tie.
Roadmaps record past results and nothing more. Streaks appear in any random sequence, and following or opposing them leaves the edge where it was. Keep stakes flat, and set a loss limit and a stopping time before the shoe starts.
Which Live Casino House offers count on baccarat
Baccarat counts as live casino, which has no welcome bonus at LCH. Bronze and Silver members can take the Daily Reload for Live Casino (5% up to 380,000 VND, wagering x12) or the weekend version (10% up to 250,000 VND, Friday to Sunday, x12). All members can take the 8% Live Casino Thursday Deposit Bonus (x6). Terms are on the promotions page.
Without a bonus, bets earn rebate and cashback from 0.35% and 2% at Bronze, as the VIP club page shows. Baccarat is for adults aged 18 and over, and the responsible gaming page explains how to set limits. Other tables are in the live casino overview, and Dragon Tiger is the faster one-card cousin.
Live baccarat FAQ
Is Banker always the best bet in baccarat?
On a standard commission table, yes, by a small margin: 1.06% against 1.24% on Player. On a No Commission table Player becomes the cheaper bet.
Why does a Banker win pay only 0.95 to 1?
The drawing rules favour Banker, which wins about 45.9% of hands against 44.6% for Player, with the rest tied. The 5% commission cancels that advantage and leaves the house its 1.06%.
Are the pair side bets worth playing?
A pair pays 11:1 but lands only about 7.5% of the time, which gives the house roughly 10.4%. That is about ten times the cost of a Banker bet.
How many hands are dealt in an hour?
A standard live table deals roughly 60 to 75 hands an hour, and a speed table more than 100. At 100,000 VND a hand on Banker, a standard table costs about 64,000 to 80,000 VND an hour on average.