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Naturals, and when the Player draws

Lesson 3 of 24 · The third-card rule · 5 min

8 or 9: everyone stops. Otherwise the Player draws on 0–5.

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The third-card rule is the one thing in baccarat worth learning by heart. The dealer applies it for you, but once you know it you can follow every hand, and you'll see why the bets are priced as they are. It comes in three parts, one per lesson.

Part 1: naturals. After two cards each, look at both totals. If either hand has 8 or 9, both hands stand and the higher total wins. A natural 9 beats a natural 8. Two equal naturals are a tie. About a third of all hands (34.3%) end right here.

Part 2: the Player's rule. No natural? The Player goes first, and its rule is simple:

Player's two-card total Player
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Draws a third card
6, 7 Stands
8, 9 Natural: nobody draws

That's it. The Player never looks at the Banker's cards. On 0–5 the Player draws, and on 6 or 7 it stands. The Player draws in about half of all hands (50.3%).

Then it's the Banker's turn. The Banker's rule is a little more involved, and it gets the next two lessons.

  • Player 0–5: the Player draws a third card.
  • Player 6, 7: the Player stands.
  • Player or Banker 8 or 9 on two cards is a natural: both hands stand.
Show the math: How often each thing happens (8 decks, exact)

Natural on either side: 158222458/461223945 ≈ 34.30% of hands. Player draws a third card: 15479099/30748263 ≈ 50.34%. Banker draws a third card: 4136876519/9501213267 ≈ 43.54%. These are exact fractions over every possible order of cards in an 8-deck shoe.

Quiz

Player Banker

Player has and Banker has . What happens?

  1. Player draws
  2. Banker draws
  3. Nobody draws: Banker has a natural
  4. Both draw
Show the answer

C: Nobody draws: Banker has a natural. A natural on either side ends the hand. Banker's 8 beats Player's 7.

Quiz

The Player's two cards total 5. What does the Player do?

  1. Draws
  2. Stands
  3. It depends on the Banker
  4. Chooses
Show the answer

A: Draws. The Player draws on 0 to 5, whatever the Banker holds (unless the Banker has a natural).

Quiz

The Player's two cards total 6. What does the Player do?

  1. Draws
  2. Stands
  3. It depends on the Banker
  4. Chooses
Show the answer

B: Stands. 6 and 7 stand.

Quiz

About how often does a hand end with a natural?

  1. 1 in 10
  2. About 1 in 3
  3. About half the time
  4. 2 in 3
Show the answer

B: About 1 in 3. 34.3% of hands have a natural on at least one side.

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