Baccarat app guide

Baccarat in an app: what you're actually betting on

The version of baccarat in almost every UK casino app is Punto Banco. Two hands are dealt, one called Player and one called Banker, and you bet on which will finish closer to 9, or on a tie. Despite the names, you are not the Player and the casino is not the Banker: they are just labels for two hands dealt by fixed rules.

That makes baccarat unusually simple on a phone. There are no decisions after you bet, no hands to split and no strategy chart to follow. You pick a side, pick a stake and watch. The skill, such as it is, lies in choosing a cheap bet and a sensible pace.

You'll find both animated (RNG) baccarat and streamed dealer tables in apps. This page covers the rules and odds that apply to both; our separate page on live baccarat on mobile covers the studio tables. For other games, see the mobile casino games hub.

Baccarat card values and how hands are scored

Baccarat is usually played with eight decks. Cards are scored as below, and only the last digit of the total counts, so the highest possible hand is 9.

If either hand totals 8 or 9 with its first two cards, that's a 'natural'. Both hands stand and nothing more is drawn. Otherwise the third-card rules below decide whether either hand takes another card.

The third-card rules your app applies for you

The Player hand goes first. It draws a third card on a total of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7. If the Player stands, the Banker hand follows the same rule: draw on 0 to 5, stand on 6 or 7. If the Player draws, the Banker's decision depends on its own total and on the Player's third card.

You don't need to memorise any of this to play in an app; the software follows the table automatically. It's worth knowing, though, because it explains why Banker wins slightly more often than Player: the Banker hand acts with information about the Player's third card.

Baccarat app odds: Banker, Player and Tie

With eight decks, the Banker hand wins 45.86% of coups, the Player hand 44.62% and a tie happens 9.52% of the time. Because Banker wins more often, a winning Banker bet pays 19 to 20 rather than even money, which is even money less a 5% commission. A winning £10 Banker bet therefore pays £9.50 plus your stake back.

When a hand ties, Banker and Player bets are returned. The Tie payout varies: Wizard of Odds says 8 to 1 is the norm at almost all casinos, while Wikipedia says most UK casinos pay 9 to 1. Check the paytable in your game's info screen. At six decks the Banker and Player edges are the same to two decimal places; the Tie edges are 14.44% and 4.931%. Wizard of Odds' baccarat basics (opens in a new tab) has the full tables.

Commission, no-commission and EZ Baccarat in apps

Many app lobbies offer a no-commission version, because a 5% deduction is fiddly on a small screen. The trade-off is a rule that takes back more than the commission did.

• Classic (commission) baccarat: Banker wins pay 19 to 20. Banker edge 1.06%.
• Super 6 or Nepal style no-commission baccarat: a Banker win on 6 pays 1 to 2 and other Banker wins pay even money. Banker edge 1.46% with eight decks; Player and Tie are unchanged. Evolution's No Commission Baccarat uses this rule and offers a Super 6 side bet paying 15 to 1 when the Banker wins with 6.
• EZ Baccarat: Banker wins pay even money, except a three-card Banker 7, which pushes. Banker edge 1.02% with eight decks. It comes with the Dragon 7 and Panda 8 side bets.

So the classic game is cheaper than the Super 6 style, and EZ Baccarat is marginally cheaper again on Banker. The difference is small per hand but adds up over a long session. If you are unsure which rule a table uses, the paytable will show how a Banker 6 or a three-card 7 is paid.

Baccarat side bets and Dragon Tiger: where the cost jumps

Side bets sit around the main betting areas and pay big multiples, which is why they draw the eye on a phone. They also cost several times more than Banker or Player. The figures below are from Wizard of Odds' analysis of eight-deck games; paytables vary, so treat them as examples.

Dragon Tiger is a one-card cousin of baccarat: each side gets a single card, ranked ace low to king high, and the higher card wins. It is quick, but its main bets cost more than three times the Banker bet in baccarat. Evolution says its version pays 11 to 1 on a Tie and 50 to 1 on a Suited Tie.

What a baccarat session costs in pounds

Multiply your stake by the house edge and by the hands played, and you have the average cost. Here is 100 hands at £5 a hand, so £500 staked in total, on each bet.

Your actual result over 100 hands will swing well above or below these averages, and over time losses are the likely outcome. A deposit limit set before you start keeps the bill in check. The table's lesson is the gap: a habit of adding £5 on Tie each hand costs more than ten times what the Banker bet does. Pace matters too. RNG baccarat can deal a new hand as often as every 5 seconds under UK rules, which can mean far more hands an hour than a live table.

How to play a hand of baccarat in an app

Every app and game provider lays out the table a little differently, so follow the general sequence and use the game's help screen for its exact controls.

1. Open the table games or live casino section of your app and pick a baccarat game. Check whether it is classic, no-commission or EZ in the game info.
2. Read the paytable, including the Tie payout and any side bet tables, and the return to player figure.
3. Choose a chip value and tap Banker, Player or Tie. Leave the side bet areas empty unless you've decided to pay for them.
4. Confirm the deal. The app deals two cards to each hand and applies the third-card rules automatically.
5. The higher total wins. Banker and Player bets are returned on a tie, and winnings are added to your balance.
6. Check your net spend and session time on screen before the next hand. UK rules require both to be shown.

If you prefer a guided start, our guide to choosing a casino app covers what to check before you sign up, and how to find a game's RTP in an app shows where the figures live.

Baccarat on a small screen: history boards and patterns

Many baccarat games show a history of recent results as coloured grids or 'roads'. They're a record of what happened, nothing more. The next hand isn't made more likely by a long Banker streak or a zigzag pattern, and no pattern changes the house edge.

On a phone, those boards can take up a large share of the screen. If your game lets you hide or shrink them, the betting areas get more room, which reduces mis-taps between Banker and Player. Our guide to landscape and portrait mode explains when turning the phone helps.

Any guide that promises a 'baccarat system' based on streaks or roads is selling a myth. The maths is set by the cards and the paytable, as Wizard of Odds' figures show.

UK rules for baccarat apps

Baccarat counts as a casino game other than slots under the Gambling Commission's remote technical standards. That brings a specific set of rules, most of them in force since 17 January 2025.

• At least 5 seconds from the start of one game cycle to the next; the rule covers RNG baccarat as well as live tables.
• No autoplay: you must start every hand yourself.
• No playing several games at once.
• A live running total of your net spend and time played.
• Rules, paytables and the likelihood of winning available before you play, as set out in RTS 3 (opens in a new tab).
• Age and identity checks before you can deposit or play, including demo versions.

The £5 and £2 online slot stake limits don't apply to baccarat. For more on timings, see our page on game speed rules.

Which casino apps suit baccarat players

None of our partner apps publishes a list of its baccarat tables, so the honest advice is to open the table games and live casino lobbies and look. What their store listings and help pages do confirm is below.

• Casumo: live casino is named on both stores, and the Android app is called Casumo - Live Casino & Slots. Casumo says withdrawals to PayPal, Apple Pay, Skrill and Neteller arrive instantly after approval, which it aims to give within 3 days.
• 10bet: a combined sports and casino app whose store description mentions live casino tables. Its help centre says card and e-wallet withdrawals take up to 2 business days.
• Coral Casino: a dedicated casino app listing blackjack, roulette and Live Casino. Coral says it charges no withdrawal fees.

Our ranked list of the best baccarat apps compares the three in more depth.

Baccarat and casino app welcome offers

Welcome offers are a weak reason to choose a baccarat app. Free spins are for slots only, and deposit bonuses usually exclude table and live games or give them a reduced contribution to wagering, so check the terms before using bonus funds at a baccarat table. 18+, terms apply.

• Casumo: a 50% bonus up to £100 for new customers who opt in and make a first deposit of £20 or more. Wager the bonus 10x within 7 days; maximum £5 per bet while the bonus is active; game, play and payment restrictions apply.
• 10bet: a 100% match up to £25 for new UK customers who choose the casino welcome bonus at sign-up and deposit within 7 days. The bonus is wagered 10x on slots within 3 days; maximum bonus winnings £1,000; Skrill and Neteller deposits are excluded.
• Coral Casino: deposit and bet £10 or more on slots as a new player to get 100 free spins on selected games, worth 10p each. Accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days; no wagering on free-spin winnings; certain payment types don't qualify.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.