Online Baccarat Glossary

Banco – Term that stands for Bank or the House. Also refers to a wager made on the Banco hand – the hand that the dealer always bets on. Slightly more likely to win than Punto, but requires a commission be paid.

Bankroll – The total sum of money that a player has designated for use in gambling at any point in time. Bankroll management is one of the most important parts of a winning baccarat strategy.

Burn – Refers to discarding the first cards of a shoe – an action used to confound would-be cheats.

Callman – Term used to refer to the dealer – the employee that “calls” the baccarat game.

Commission – A sum of money that must be paid to the casino for the privilege of making a Banco bet. Typically worth 5% of the bet (with rounding favoring the house), but can occasionally be only 4%.

Down Card – Short hand term for a card that is facing down.

Face Card – A category of cards that includes Kings, Queens, and Jacks. These cards, along with tens, are worthless in baccarat.

La Grande – French term for a natural hand worth nine. In English, it means “The big one,” as opposed to its larger counterpart, which is worth eight.

La Petite – French term for a natural hand worth eight. In English, it means “The small one,” as opposed to its larger counterpart, which is worth nine.

Natural – Describes a two-card baccarat hand that is worth either eight or nine. If only one of the two hands is a dealt as a natural, then the round comes to a close and that hand is automatically the winner.

Punto – The player; also refers to the baccarat hand that sits opposite of the Banco hand.

Shoe – This is the box that is used to hold the decks of playing cards that are used in the baccarat game.

Standoff – This occurs when the two hands are of equal value. It can also refer to the Standoff wager, where one may bet that the hands will tie. This wager pays either eight to one or nine to one.

Up Card – Term used to describe a card which is facing up.

Please be aware that this list is not inclusive – in fact, no list is. Different groups of players, playing in different parts of the world are bound to have a unique set of terms. This is glossary should be enough to get you started but don’t be surprised if you come across some new baccarat words in the future.