Most Used Baccarat Terms
Master the language of baccarat and experience it as a true master. If you want to play with finesse, confidence, and poise like a professional, then you’ll have to learn more than just betting strategies – you’ll need to know all the terms that experienced players use during their games. Impress your opponents by demonstrating an exceptional knowledge of baccarat rules without putting yourself in any uncomfortable situations! Are you a fluent English speaker looking to explore the world of gaming? Consider this your passport! Here is a comprehensive and concise dictionary containing an abundance of slang and expressions borrowed from other languages. If you want to learn something new, Baccarat-Tips team invites you to peruse our glossary so that when it’s time for action at the gaming table, you know all the lingo.
- Action is a term used in gambling to refer to the total amount of money bet by one player on some game or event. It can also refer to a single wager or bet that has been placed.
- Baccarat: The direst hand in Baccarat is known as ‘baccara’, which when translated to Italian, means zero. This abysmal combination of cards consists of 10s, Kings, Queens and Jacks – all with a value of nothing.
- Banco: Banco is the Spanish word for bank or banker. Its meaning in the game of Baccarat is quite different, referring to a player who holds and distributes cards from a dealing shoe.
- Banco Prime: The player situated closest to the dealer’s right has a unique luxury – they can choose to equal the wager made by the bank when more than one individual has requested banco.
- Banker Bet: The wager placed on the banker’s hand winning the round. The banker in this context refers to the dealer or the player who is dealing the cards.
- Banque: Banque is a variation of Baccarat which is mainly played in EU casinos, and less so in American ones. It involves two conjoined tables, with the Banker seated in the middle. The Banker makes one bet against two Player bets per table. The name Banque originates from French and translates to “Zero in Bank”.
- Bankroll: The sum of money a gambler is willing to commit to playing with. This might include the maximum amount they are prepared to lose as part of their gambling venture.
- Burning is a process which occurs before the start of every new game. In it, the top three to six cards from the shuffled deck are discarded and left out of play.
- The Caller is the casino employee responsible for turning the cards, announcing the point values and dealing additional cards, as per the third card draw rules in baccarat.
- “Carte” is the French equivalent of “Hit me” and can be used to ask the dealer for an additional card.
- “Chemin de Fer” is a variation of Baccarat, often referred to as European Baccarat. Translated from its French meaning of “railway” or “railroad”, the game involves the shoe with cards being passed around the table. One player is responsible for dealing and taking bets, acting as the bank in this type of game. It is especially popular at land-based European casinos, particularly in France, while it is hardly seen in American casinos or on online gaming platforms.
- “Cheval” is the French word for across, and it can refer to a bet in certain Baccarat games. If both active players win their bets in this case, the cheval bet is won. If they both lose, then the cheval bet is lost. In case one player wins and the other loses, it’s a standoff, meaning that the cheval bet remains intact. Some variations of Baccarat may also allow one player to have two hands and wager a cheval bet; if they win both hands it’s considered a victory, but if only one hand is won then it’s counted as a tie.
- Cheques: At physical casinos, a unique type of chips specifically referred to as cheques are used to add a sense of exclusivity to the game of Baccarat.
- Commission: In Baccarat, the Banker bet wins more often than the Player bet (45.86% vs 44.62%), but it comes with a 5% commission. For instance, if you place a $5 bet and get a 1:1 payout, your winnings would be $10 minus a 5% commission ($0.50), resulting in an actual win of $9.50. Some casinos may reduce the commission to 4%, or there are also No Commission Baccarat games which have different compensation rules such as 2:1 odds on the Banker or 0.5: 1 odds (paying $1 on a $2 bet) when the Banker wins with certain numbers like 8 or 6.
- A Coup is a French term that is used to describe a round of Baccarat, which consists of one Banker hand and one Player hand.
- Croupier: A French term for the dealer.
- Cut: Cutting the cards, known as “Cutting”, is when a deck of cards is divided in half after the cards have been shuffled. Typically, the dealer will start by shuffling the cards and then placing them face-down on the table and asking a player to cut them into two portions. Afterward, the dealer normally finishes up by taking the remaining pile of cards and putting it on top. In some Baccarat games, players can take turns shuffling, cutting and dealing out the cards. In high rollers games, the individual with the largest bet placed on Player will usually be asked to make the cut.
- Cut Card: Special plastic card of around the size of a playing card, usually one solid color. It is used to divide the deck in half once the cards have been shuffled. This card is inserted by a player into the deck and will be where the actual cut occurs at that point. Afterwards, the cards are placed in the shoe.
- Dealer: In the game of Baccarat, the Dealer can be either another player or a casino staff member. Their job is to deal the cards, draw extra cards for Player and Banker hands and monitor the game’s progress. In certain Baccarat versions, different players can take turns acting as Dealers. At certain tables like those in Baccarat en Banque, you may even see two Dealers present at once.
- Discard Tray: Used when cards need to be removed from the game, such as those that are burned before dealing. They are placed in the tray once they have been discarded.
- Down Card: A card that is placed face down. This can also be referred to as a Hole Card.
- Dragon Bonus: A popular side-bet in Baccarat that allows players to bet not only on Player or Banker, but also on the number of points by which the winning hand will outscore the other. Payouts can be made if the hand wins with a natural (8 or 9) or if it wins by more than four points.
- Edge Sorting: A technique which allows players to identify card values based on small differences in the back pattern due to the manufacturing process. While some casinos may view it as cheating, many players won’t be held accountable as it’s the casino’s responsibility to guarantee consistent cards. Edge sorting cannot be employed at online Baccarat for obvious reasons.
- Face Cards: Face cards are all cards that have a portrait on them, including Jacks, Queens, and Kings of any suit.
- Fading: Fading is a term used to describe betting against someone. In sports betting, it usually applies to those who made an unsuccessful bet and in open dice games, it refers to betting against the one throwing the dice. This technique can only be used in land-based Baccarat games.
- Flat Betting is when the same amount is wagered regardless of whether the hand is a winner or loser.
- Hand: The cards dealt and played within one round of Baccarat.
- High Roller refers to a bettor who plays with high stakes.
- House Edge: Represents the margin present in the game which allows the casino to have a profit at the end of each round. Over time, it can weaken your bankroll, since it is the difference between the true probability of a hand winning and what the casino will give you when you do win with that hand – always slightly lower than the actual chance.
- Ladderman: one of the three dealers responsible for operating the game of Baccarat.
- La Grande: From French – “The Big One”, is the best possible hand in Baccarat – a natural nine.
- La Petite: From French – “The Little One”, is the second-best hand in Baccarat – a natural eight.
- Layout: The Baccarat table layout includes boxes and designated betting areas for players to place their wagers – Player, Banker, or Tie. On the felt, there is also space for cards being dealt in a given hand.
- Loss Bet: A bet against the bank has a higher house edge and is known as a loss bet.
- Match Play: By playing even-money games such as Baccarat, players can take advantage of match play promotions to double their cash bet without doubling their actual stake. These bonuses are used by casinos as a way to encourage players to wager on their games and can only be used once.
- Mini Baccarat: A scaled-down version of the regular Baccarat table, with seating for up to seven players and one dealer. This game has lower betting limits and a faster-paced gameplay compared to the full-size version, making it more appealing for casual players. In online Mini Baccarat, cards are drawn face-up, while at traditional land-based casinos they are dealt face-down.
- Monkey: A slang term used to refer to any 10-value card, such as a face card or a ten.
- Muck: A term used for the eight card decks containing 52 cards each that are used at the start of the shuffling process.
- Natural: A natural is what you call a hand with two initially dealt cards which total either eight or nine. If the total is an eight, it is a winning hand that ends the round automatically, unless the other hand has a natural nine – the best possible hand in Baccarat.
- Palette: A palette is a long wooden tool that the croupier uses to move cards around during Baccarat.
- Pass: A win in the game.
- Pit: The Pit is a secluded area in the casino, separated by a red rope, where high rollers can play Baccarat at higher stakes.
- Player: Player is an often misunderstood term in Baccarat. It refers to one of the three available bets, alongside Banker and Tie. Player bets are the opposite of Banker bets, and bettors can choose either one or a Tie. Wagers placed on Player have a 1:1 payoff and the house edge is slightly more than 1%.
- Punter: In the UK, the person playing Baccarat is often referred to as a Punter – another term for a bettor.
- Punto: From Spanish – a player.
- Punto Banco: Punto Banco is one of the most popular variations of Baccarat and an international alias for the game. Developed in the 1950s in Argentina, it eventually made its way to Cuba and then the USA. Its name directly translates to “Player Banker”.
- Push: A Push in Baccarat is a bet that neither wins nor loses – like in Blackjack, the amount wagered is held over for the next round.
- Railroad: Chemin de Fer, also known as Railroad, is a well-known Baccarat variant. It gained immense popularity in France during the late 19th century and was brought to USA, where it was nicknamed Chemmy.
- Run: Players can place a side bet called Run, which allows them to wager on a series of consecutive hands.
- Shills: During the second half of the 20th century, Las Vegas casinos used glamorous and young Shills as a part of the staff whose purpose was to make Baccarat more appealing and draw more players into the game.
- Shoe: The Shoe is a device used in Baccarat to prevent errors that can come from manual dealing. It’s used both in land-based and online versions of the game, and it contains between six and eight decks.
- Shooter: A term used to describe The bank.
- Shuffle Up: The term “Shuffle Up” is used to describe the act of shuffling the cards performed by the dealer at the beginning of a game of Baccarat.
- Skill: A joke made when a player is enjoying a good run.
- Standoff: A Standoff is the term used to describe when both the Player and Bank hands have equal values, resulting in a tie outcome at the end of a round of Baccarat.
- Streak: A term often used in gambling, describing a run of consecutive outcomes – whether these are wins or losses.
- Super Pan Nine: A popular variation of Baccarat played in poker casinos in Los Angeles. All hands are dealt face down, with players and the bank being scored according to the rules of Baccarat; however, there is one player that acts as the bank.
- Table of Play: A set of rules which determine when players may receive a third card in the game.
- Tie: The Tie bet is one of the three possible outcomes in Baccarat, alongside Player and Banker. If a hand ends in a tie, it’s a push – both the player and banker receive their wagers back. The Tie bet pays 8:1 or 9:1, with a house edge of more than 14%.
- Upcard: An Upcard is a card revealed to the public, placed face-up on the table.
- Vigorish: A fee taken by the casino from winnings on a bet, typically expressed as a percentage.
- VIP: VIP stands for a “very important person” and in casinos, this term is often used to describe high rollers.
Now that you have an extensive understanding of the lingo surrounding Baccarat, why not brush up on the basics? If so, our Guide to baccarat offers a comprehensive overview of its rules and features. Even if you already feel quite advanced in your knowledge of play, take a peek as we provide betting systems for those who wish to adopt more intricate strategies while playing!
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