No doubt, live dealer Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games played by a huge number of casino players from different parts of the world either offline or online. Baccarat is available in almost all online casinos today and many top casinos offer different variations of this game.
Apart from Baccarat casino game strategy many players are looking for ways to improve their gameplay. If you also want to enhance your Baccarat gameplay, you need to be aware of not only the rules of the game but also be familiar with the words and terms used in the game.
In this article, we have provided you with a list of important terms that are commonly used in Baccarat. By knowing the meaning of these terms, you will have no confusion while playing the game online or offline. So, let’s get started.
List of the Most Common Words Used in Baccarat

Action: This generic term can mean several things in Baccarat. It can refer to the total bet placed by a player during an entire playing session. It can also refer to the amount of bet placed by a player or all players during a hand. Also, it can refer to what is happening at any moment of the game.
Baccarat: This not only refers to the game. The worst possible hand with value 0 is also called Baccarat. When the sum of the card values in a hand is equal to 10 or 20, the hand value becomes zero. Baccarat is the Italian term for zero.
Banco: It is the Spanish word for bank or banker. In Baccarat, the dealer is sometimes referred to as Banco.
Banker Bet: This is one of the three main bets in the Baccarat game. Players can choose a banker bet to predict that the Banker hand will be better than the Player’s hand. The payout on winning is 1 to 1 but a 5% commission is deducted from the winning bets. In terms of odds, the banker bet is considered the best bet in the game.
Bankroll: It refers to the total amount of money a player has set aside for gambling purposes.
Burn Card: Before the start of the hand, the first few cards from a shoe will be discarded in many land-based casinos. Such discarded cards are called burn cards and the process is called burning.
Caller: A caller is a member of the casino staff who is responsible to turn the cards, deal additional cards when required, and calling out the points.
Carte: This French term is used by a player to request another card. It is equivalent to hit or hitting.
Chemin De Fer: It is the European Baccarat, a popular baccarat variant in Europe where a player gets to act as a bank by dealing the cards and taking bets. The French phrase “Chemin De Fer” means “railroad” or “railway” in English. In this Baccarat version, the shoe containing cards moves across the Baccarat table.
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Cheval: It refers to a type of bet which is either played by two players or a single player with two hands. This type of bet is available in some forms of Baccarat. For this bet to win, both hands should win. If both hands lose, the bet is lost. In case one hand wins and another hand loses, it is a standoff (tie).
Commission: Here, this is the commission on the banker bet which is 5% on winnings. If you place a bet on the banker and you win, you will get a payout of 1 to 1 minus 5% commission. The commission fee is there to ensure the house edge of the game remains in the favour of a casino.
The player bet is free from the commission. However, a banker bet is considered to be more beneficial to a player than a player bet in terms of odds. The winning odds of the banker bet is 45.86% whereas that of the player bet is 44.62%.
Coup: Coup is the French term for the round of play of the Baccarat game.
Croupier: Croupier is the French term for the dealer.
Cut: Cut means to divide the deck of cards in half after shuffling.
Cut Card: It is a special plastic card used for cutting the deck after cards have been shuffled.
Dealer: A dealer is usually a casino staff member who is in charge of dealing cards. In some versions of Baccarat, a player can also be a dealer.
Down Card: It is a card dealt face down by the dealer. Sometimes, down cards are also called hole cards.
Dragon Bonus: It refers to a side bet in a Baccarat game where a player can place a bet not only on Player or Banker but also on the number of points by which the hand will win.
For a dragon bonus bet to win, the selected hand should be a natural winner or win another hand by at least a margin of four. Considering the high house edge of this bet, it is not considered a beneficial bet for players.
Face Cards: These are the cards with portraits on them. Jacks, Queens and Kings are face cards.
Flat Bet: If a player wagers the same amount of bet consistently without any fluctuation, it is called a flat bet.
High Roller: High roller is a term for a player that wagers a high amount consistently.
House Edge: It is the margin of advantage a casino house has over the player irrespective of the game outcome. This is how the casino earns money. The house edge of the game is calculated in percentage over a long time.
Layout: The table layout of Baccarat contains a series of boxes and betting sections where a player places a bet either on the Player, the Banker or Tie. There are also sections on the felt for the cards of a particular hand.
Loss Bet: A bet that is placed against the bank is called a loss bet. It is called so because of the higher house edge.
Match Play: Match play promotions are offered by some casinos to players. This type of bonus can be used by a player in an even-money game only once.
Baccarat can be considered an even-money casino game by casinos depending on their rules. Players can utilise this bonus and get paid double without doubling their bet size.
Mini Baccarat: As the name suggests, Mini Baccarat is a smaller version of the Baccarat game. Up to 7 players and a dealer can participate in Mini Baccarat. This Baccarat variant is quite popular because of its fast gameplay and availability of lower bet limits.
Monkey: This is slang for a card of value 10 (a ten or a face card).
Muck: It refers to eight decks that get shuffled in a shoe. Each deck contains 52 cards. So, the total number of cards in the muck is (8 x 52) i.e. 416.
Natural: When the total of the first two cards dealt for a hand is 8 or 9, it is called natural. A natural nine is the best hand in the Baccarat game and a natural eight is the second-best hand.
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Palette: It is a long wooden tool used by a dealer to move cards around the table without touching with his/her hands.
Pass: Pass means a win in the Baccarat game.
Player: This term can confuse newbies as they might associate it with game participants. In Baccarat, Player is one of the three main bets of the game along with Banker and Tie. Participants can place their bets on either Player or Banker or Tie.
Punter: A bettor, person placing bets on the game.
Punto: A Spanish term for Player.
Punto Banco: Punto Banco is a very popular variation of the classic Baccarat game which can be played in many online casinos today. The term Punto Banco translates to Player Banker. This Baccarat variation was originated in Argentina around 1950.
Push: It refers to a bet that doesn’t win or lose. When the bet is pushed, it is held over for the next round.
Railroad: Another variation of Baccarat. It is called Chemin De Fer in French.
Run: It refers to a side bet on which players can wager on a series of hands.
Shoe: An automatic card dealing machine used in both land-based and online casinos to overcome manual errors in card dealing by humans.
Shooter: Another term for a bank or banker.
Shuffle Up: This is the action of shuffling of cards early by the dealer before placing them in the shoe.
Standoff: The situation is called standoff when both the Player and the Banker hand have the same value of cards resulting in a tie.
Super Pan 9: Another variation of Baccarat in which only cards from Ace to 6 and all face cards are used. This variation is most popular on the west coast of the USA.
Tie: One of the three main bets of the game. Tie bet wins if the Player and the Banker hand end up with the same value. Depending on the casino rules, the tie bet on winning can pay 8:1 or 9:1. If there is a tie, the bets placed on the Player and the Banker will be pushed.
Up Card: A card dealt face up.
VIP: This is an acronym for “Very Important Person”. Casinos use this term for high rollers.
Conclusion
Enrich your vocabulary with the above common terms used in the Baccarat game. By having a good understanding of these terms, you will have less confusion while playing Baccarat and interacting with the dealer or other players.
This will ultimately enhance your casino gaming experience. To enjoy a wide variety of online Baccarat with an exciting online casino promotion bonus, join BetBarter now.