Baccarat Glossary

Stephen Gatchalian
8 min readApr 9, 2021

What is Baccarat

Most players while playing Baccarat feel bamboozled when the dealer or other players start using the Baccarat slang. One unknown term and boom, they get distracted.

While playing alone online, not being able to understand common Baccarat terms is one thing, but while playing in live online casinos or land-based casinos, it becomes crucial to know your Baccarat words and be fluent in them.

Hence, we have compiled a list of all the crucial Baccarat phrases that can help players in understanding Baccarat better and play with unmatched confidence! But before we dive right into the glossary of Baccarat terms, let’s first understand what Baccarat is all about.

What is Baccarat

Baccarat is a card game that’s played with 2 to 3 cards. The game comes with three outcomes — the banker wins, the player wins or there is a tie between the both. The dealer handles everything at the Baccarat table and ensures the game goes smoothly.

The dealer deals with two cards for players as well as the banker. Both cards facing up. The hand value nearest to 9 wins the game. If you bet on the player and the hand value comes near to 9, you get double what you had wagered.

Here are some more rules a player needs to understand before he chooses to sit on a Baccarat table.

  1. If the hand value of the player and the banker equals 9 or 8, they both stand.
  2. If the hand value of a player is less than 5 or equal to 5, he gets another card. If it’s greater than 5, he gets to stand.
  3. When the player stands, the banker gets to hit on the hand value lesser than 5 or 5.
  4. Pretty simple, right? Now that we know how the game of Baccarat is played, let’s take a look at the popularity of the game.

Why is Baccarat Popular Among Gamblers?

There was a time when Baccarat was considered a high roller affair. But not anymore. All thanks to the surge in online casinos, Baccarat has become more accessible to everyone.

Baccarat is popular in several regions that include the USA, the UK, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, Sweden and many more. Baccarat is also immensely popular in Asia, China to be more specific. One can spot countless Baccarat tables in land-based casinos of Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, the Philippines and much more.

There are several factors because of which Baccarat is popular in several regions. Below is the list:

  • Superstitions
    Several gamblers who play the game of Baccarat are superstitious. Most gamblers can be seen performing rituals on the Baccarat tables. It’s true that several casino dealers don’t even let the players touch the cards or the table, but in the case of Baccarat, these rituals are welcomed as these are a great way of keeping players interested and entertained.
  • Better Chances of Winning
    The house edge in the game of Baccarat is comparatively low. This means players have a better chance of winning the game.
  • Fewer Skills Required
    The game of Baccarat doesn’t require many skills. And creating strategy is also quite simple. Most gamblers identify the patterns in the game and switch strategies. They switch their bets by identifying the losing and winning streaks.
  • Rise of Online Casinos
    The rise of online casinos has also made the game of Baccarat popular among users. Now Baccarat is accessible to serious as well as casual gamers who are willing to make quick cash or are looking for ways of getting entertained. In addition to this, online casinos offer convenience to users. There are several Baccarat mobile apps available that enable gamblers to play wherever, whenever they want.
  • Live Dealer Games
    Live dealer games are another reason for the surge in popularity of the game. Live dealers use their charm to make the game more engaging and attract more users to the online platforms. Now that we know what makes Baccarat popular, let’s jump right into the Baccarat glossary.

List of Baccarat Terminology

  • Action: Action is one of the most used terms in gambling which refers to the money that’s wagered by the gambler during the complete gambling session.
  • Baccarat: In Italian, Baccarat means 0. So, when a hand holds cards of zero value, it’s known as Baccarat.
  • Banco: Banco is Spanish for a banker or a bank. In Baccarat, Banco translates to the player who is dealing the cards or who has the shoe.
  • Banker Bet: One of the most used terms in Baccarat. Banker bet is a type of bet that can be chosen by a player. The payout remains 1:1 but, 5% commission is deducted from the bet that wins.
  • Banque: This is one of the Baccarat variations that is played with two tables, that are conjoined. The banker takes the middle seat and plays against two players. This variation of Baccarat is immensely popular across Europe.
  • Bankroll: Another widely used term in gambling. It refers to the sum of money a player spends.
  • Burning: Another common term from the list of Baccarat terminology. When up to 6 cards are discarded from the deck of freshly shuffled cards or during the start of a new game, it’s called burning.
  • Caller: The caller is one of the casino staff members. The roles and responsibilities include turning the cards, dealing with additional cards, and calling the points.
  • Carte: Carte translates to “Hit me”. It’s a way of asking for more cards from the dealer.
  • Chemin De Fer: Chemin De fer is also known as European Baccarat, and translates to “railroad”. In this version, the player acts as a bank and deals the cards while taking bets. This variation is again widely popular in Europe and one can easily find it in land-based casinos.
  • Cheval: Cheval is a type of bet that’s played by two players. The bet is won when both the players win, and lost when both players lose. When one player wins and another one loses, it’s known as a standoff.
  • Cheques: Another common Baccarat Slang. The chips with the help of which the game of Baccarat is played are known as cheques. It’s one of the widely used terms in land-based casinos.
  • Coup: Coup is a French term that is used to describe a Baccarat round.
  • Croupier: Another french term that’s used to describe the dealer.
  • Cut: When the deck of cards is divided in half after it’s been shuffled, it’s called a cut.
  • Cut Card: Cut card is a plastic card that’s used for cutting the deck in half.
  • Dealer: A dealer is responsible for dealing and drawing the cards. In addition to this, he makes sure the game goes smoothly.
  • Delux Tableau: One of the most commonly used Baccarat words. Baccarat en Banque is also known as Delux Tableau.
  • Discard Tray: The discarded cards that are picked during burning are kept in the discarded tray.
  • Down Card: A hole card or face-down card is also known as a down card.
  • Dragon Bonus: One of the common Baccarat terms in the Baccarat glossary. Dragon bonus is a side bet that enables players to place their bets on one of the players as well as the banker. In addition to this, it also enables players to bet on the points with which a hand will win.
  • Edge Sorting: Edge sorting is a technique that allows players to identify cards. Each card comes with a pattern on the back. There are small differences between the patterns that enable players to identify them clearly.
  • Face Cards: Cards consisting of portraits are known as face cards.
  • Fading: When someone places a bet against someone, it’s known as fading. It’s one of the most used terms in Baccarat that’s widely used in land-based casinos only.
  • Flat Bet: One of the most common Baccarat words. When a player keeps on betting the same sum of money for winning as well as the losing hand, it’s known as a flat bet.
  • Hand: The cards that are played in one round of the game are known as a hand.
  • High Roller: The player who plays with only higher stakes is known as a high roller.
  • House Edge: The margin which gives a casino its share of profits irrespective of the outcome is known as the house edge.
  • Ladderman: Another common Baccarat slang. The game of Baccarat consists of three dealers. A Ladderman is a dealer who runs the game of Baccarat.
  • La Grande: La Grande is the best hand in the game of Baccarat which consists of a natural 9.
  • La Petite: La Petite is the second-best hand in the game that consists of a natural 8.
  • Loss Bet: A bet that’s placed against the bank is also known as a loss bet due to a higher house edge. It’s one of the common Baccarat phrases.
  • Match Play: Casinos usually provide their players match play promotions that can be used only once in the game and are applicable on money games as well.
  • Mini Baccarat: Mini-Baccarat, as the name suggests is a small version of the game that can consist of 7 players and a dealer. It’s one of the most popular variations of Baccarat.
  • Monkey: Monkey is one of the slang Baccarat phrases in the Baccarat Vocabulary that’s used to describe a ten or a face card.
  • Muck: The 8 card decks that contain 52 cards each. These are used during the shuffling.
  • Natural: Another popular word in the glossary of Baccarat terms. When the first two cards are dealt and the total comes to 9 or 8, it’s known as natural.
  • Palette: Palette is a long wooden stick-like tool that croupiers use to move the cards around during the game.
  • Pass: A win is known as a pass.
  • Pit: The pit is a separate area for high rollers where they play at a higher stake.
  • Punter: A gambler is known as a punter.
  • Punto: Punto is a Spanish term that translates to a player.
  • Punto Banco: Punto Banco is another variation of Baccarat that was developed in Argentina around 1950.
  • Push: Push is neither a winning bet nor a losing bet.
  • Railroad: Railroad is another popular variation of Baccarat. In French, it is also known as Chemin De Fer.
  • Run: Run is a side bet that enables players to place bets on multiple hands.
  • Shoe: A shoe is a machine that deals cards automatically. It is often used to overcome human errors.
  • Shooter: A shooter is also known as a bank.
  • Shuffle Up: Early shuffling of cards is also known as shuffle up.
  • Standoff: Standoff occurs when the bank and player hold the same value of cards and it leads to a tie.
  • Streak: Streak means consecutive results. This could mean several losses or several wins in a row.
  • Super Pan Nine: Another popular variation of Baccarat in which one player acts as a bank.
  • Tie: In case of a tie, the banker and player get the wagers back.
  • Upcard: As the name suggests, the card facing upwards is known as an upcard. Upcard is another most used Baccarat word from the Baccarat vocabulary.
  • Vigorish: The percentage of money which the casino takes away from the player’s wins.
  • VIP: A term used for high rollers

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