How to Play Mini-Baccarat – Rules and Strategy

Before we begin, we should note that most of the rules and features of mini-baccarat will be very familiar if you know how to play baccarat. There are slight differences, though, and we’ll be sure to point them out in our guide.

Mini-baccarat is played using standard decks of 52 playing cards each. A table typically uses 6 or 8 decks, though this may vary from example to example.

During the game, two card hands are dealt either 2 or 3 cards each. These hands are called Player and Banker, and they correspond to the main betting options.

The cards on each hand are added up, forming total values. However, cards in mini-baccarat are valued under specific rules:

• Aces count as 1 point
• Cards 2 through 9 count as their face value
• 10’s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings all count as 0 points
• The total value of a hand is always a single-digit number. If the cards add up to a value of 10 or over, only the last digit of the total is used. For example, a hand total of 16 counts as a 6.

The two hands are then compared, and the total closer to 9 wins. If you predicted the correct side will win, your bet also wins 1:1. You can also predict a Tie at 8:1 odds.

Game Setup and Table Layout

Mini-baccarat in land-based casinos usually has room for up to 7 players. The tables themselves are typically smaller and have lower betting limits, but this is not necessarily always the case. Additionally, mini-baccarat is generally faster than other variants because there’s no need to calculate commissions.

Betting positions on a mini-baccarat table are spread out in a fan-like layout. Each player has their own dedicated section of the table with three main betting positions – Player, Banker, and Tie. Some tables may also include additional positions for baccarat side bets.

In brick-and-mortar establishments, the dealer does all the work. They move all the cards, handle payouts, and ensure the game’s rules are enforced. All you have to do as a player is place bets.

It’s worth noting that some modern tables only have a single pair of betting positions. All bets are placed on these two positions which means the fan-like layout is unnecessary. This kind of design also increases the maximum number of players per table.

Most online and live casino mini-baccarat games use this kind of layout. Additionally, online baccarat calculates commissions automatically, negating some of the advantages of mini-baccarat.

As such, in online settings, the term mini-baccarat is used interchangeably with No Commission Baccarat. This refers to the lack of a 5% commission on banker Bets since all other differences to standard baccarat are irrelevant while playing online.

Gameplay Mechanics

In mini-baccarat, players have three main betting options:

• Player
• Banker
• Tie

Each option corresponds to a possible outcome of a mini-baccarat round. For example, if you bet on Player and the Player hand wins, your bet also wins.

The Banker bet works the same way in most situations.

However, in mini-baccarat, a Banker bet that wins with a hand total of 6 only pays half the usual payout. This is one of the main rules that distinguishes mini-baccarat from standard punto banco.

Payouts for Player and Banker bets are even money, which means your stake is essentially doubled for a winning bet.

The third betting option is a Tie. This predicts that both hands will have the exact same total value at the end of the round. The Tie bet pays the most at 8:1, but it’s also the least likely to win.

Once the betting period ends and the round begins, the dealer will deal two cards each to Player and Banker. The cards are dealt interchangeably – the first goes to the Player, the second one to the Banker, then the Player again, and so on.

Natural Hands

If either Player or Banker draws a total of 8 or 9 with only two cards, this is called a “Natural” hand.

A Natural hand in mini-baccarat wins outright unless the other hand is also a Natural. No further cards are drawn and the round ends immediately.

However, a Natural 9 still beats a Natural 8. Ties are also possible with these types of hands if both Player and Banker have the same total value.

Third Card Rules in Mini-Baccarat

Once both hands have two cards each, the dealer determines whether a third card is drawn. This depends on so-called Third Card rules.

So when does the dealer draw a third card in mini-baccarat?

The rules surrounding this question are the same as third-card rules in standard baccarat. The rules are also different for the Player and the Banker hands, which is why the Banker is slightly more likely to win. Let’s go through them one by one.

Player

• The Player always draws a third card if the total value of its first two cards is 5 or lower.
• If the first two Player hands total 6 or 7, no new cards are dealt to this hand.
• If the first two Player hands total 8 or 9, the hand is considered a Natural.

Banker

• The Banker always draws a third card if its first two cards are a total of 0, 1, or 2.
• In all other cases, the Banker only draws the third card if the Player also does
• If the Banker’s first two cards total 3, a third card is drawn unless the Player already drew a third card and this resulted in a total of 8.
• If the Banker’s first two cards total 4, the Banker draws a third card unless the Player has three cards with a total of 2 – 7.
• If the Banker’s first two cards total 5, the Banker draws a third card unless the Player has three cards with a total of 4 – 7.
• If the Banker’s first two cards total 6, the Banker draws a third card unless the Player has three cards with a total of 6 – 7.
• If the Banker’s first two cards total 7, no new cards are drawn.
• Totals of 8 or 9 result in a Natural Win, unless the Player also has a Natural hand.

Betting Options and Payouts

As previously mentioned, mini-baccarat offers three main betting options. Let’s take a deeper look at each of them.

• The Player bet wins if the Player hand wins and pays 1:1. This wager has a 44.6% chance to win, and it has a house edge of 1.24%.
• The Banker bet wins if the Banker hand wins and pays 1:1. However, if the Banker wins with a total of 6, you instead win 0.5:1. This wager has a 45.8% chance to win but has a higher house than Player edge due to its special rules – 1.46%.
• The Tie bet wins if both Player and Banker hands have the exact same total value and pays 8:1. It wins 9.6% of the time and suffers from a high house edge at 14.36%.

Note that standard baccarat applies a 5% commission on all Banker wins because it’s slightly more likely to win. However, even with this commission, Banker bets in standard baccarat have a lower house edge than in mini-baccarat at 1,06%.

The special rules surrounding Banker bets exist to make the two main bets more balanced. Banker is slightly more likely to win than Player in mini-baccarat due to Third Card rules so it pays slightly less on average.