Baccarat Side Bets

What baccarat side bets are and how they work

Baccarat, also known as punto banco, is one of the oldest and most popular games in casinos all over the world, and it is especially popular among high-rollers and Asian gamblers⁷. In its basic form it is a guessing game: two hands are dealt, one for the Player and one for the Banker, and you bet on which will score closer to 9 points. Aces count as 1, cards 10 through king count as 0, and only the rightmost digit of a hand's total counts, so a 7 and an 8 make a 5, not a 15¹.

Side bets are optional wagers placed alongside, or sometimes instead of, the main bets. They pay out on specific events within the same hand: the first two cards of a hand forming a pair, the Banker winning on exactly 6 points, a hand winning by a wide margin, and so on. Because these events are rarer than a simple win, the payouts are much higher, from 1 to 1 up to 100 to 1 or more depending on the bet and the table.

The range of side bets on offer varies enormously by venue. A traditional baccarat table at City of Dreams Manila, for example, lists Player, Banker, Tie, Player Pair, Banker Pair, Super Tie, Lucky 6, Small Tiger, Big Tiger, Lucky 7 and Super Lucky 7 among its betting options³. A Tiger Baccarat table at Hoiana in Vietnam offers a different family of Tiger bets, while online games may offer their own versions. Not all casinos offer side wagers at all, so it is worth checking the house rules before you play².

One thing to keep in mind from the start: side bets are where the house makes its money on baccarat. The main bets are among the cheapest in the casino, with a house edge of around 1 percent, while side bets typically run from about 10 percent to nearly 20 percent. They are a way to add variety and the chance of a big payout to a hand, not a way to improve your odds. For the full comparison, see our page on baccarat odds and house edge.

The main bets: Player, Banker and Tie

Before the side bets make sense, you need the three main wagers, because most side bets are built on top of them. Each player at the table finds three bet boxes, one each for Player, Banker and Tie, above their number on the felt⁸.

• Player pays 1 to 1 if the Player hand wins. On a 20 dollar bet you win 20 dollars with no deductions⁶.
• Banker pays 1 to 1 minus a 5 percent commission, which the dealer collects on winning bets¹. A 20 dollar bet returns 19 dollars.
• Tie pays 8 to 1 if both hands finish on the same total⁹. This is the standard payout on tables across the region.

The house edge tells you what each bet really costs. On a standard six-deck game, the Banker bet has a house edge of 1.06 percent, the Player bet 1.24 percent, and the Tie bet 14.44 percent¹⁰. On a single-deck game the figures shift slightly, to 1.01 percent on Banker, 1.29 percent on Player and 15.75 percent on Tie¹⁰. Online games quote similar numbers: Stake's baccarat lists 1.24 percent on Player and 14.36 percent on Tie¹¹.

The gap between roughly 1 percent and roughly 14 percent is the whole story of baccarat betting. The Tie bet, which we cover in detail on its own page about the tie bet in baccarat, already costs about fourteen times as much as the Banker bet. Most side bets sit at or above the Tie bet's house edge, which is worth knowing before you put money on them.

Pairs bets: Player Pair, Banker Pair, Either Pair and Perfect Pair

Pairs bets are the most widespread side bet family in baccarat. The basic idea: you are wagering that the first two cards dealt to a hand will be a pair, such as 5-5 or K-K. The bet loses on all other outcomes⁵.

The common versions are:

• Player Pair: the first two Player cards are a pair. Usually pays 11 to 1¹².
• Banker Pair: the first two Banker cards are a pair. Usually pays 11 to 1¹².
• Either Pair: a pair appears in either hand. Optional Pairs bets can be placed on the Banker's hand, the Player's hand, or both².
• Perfect Pair: a stricter version that pays more for exact matches, for example two cards of the same suit as well as the same rank. Payouts are higher for exact pairs¹³.

The standard payout for Player Pair or Banker Pair is 11 to 1, and this is what you will see on most tables from Hoiana's Tiger Baccarat to Paradise Casino's game guides in South Korea¹². Some venues and online games differ: Casino Corona in Vietnam pays pairs at 11 to 1, while CoinPoker's Baccarat Pairs VIP game pays 8 to 1 anytime a pair is dealt with the initial two cards¹⁵. Paradise City in Incheon pays 11 times on a pair bet¹⁷. The lesson is simple: check the payout printed on the felt or in the game rules before you bet, because the same bet name can pay differently at different tables.

Some tables add combined pair-odds bets that pay on the interaction between pairs and the result. FB88's classic baccarat rules, for example, pay 40 to 1 on a tie with pairs on both sides, 10 to 1 on a tie with one pair, 2 to 1 on a tie with no pair, 15 to 1 on a Player or Banker win with pairs on both sides, and 2.5 to 1 on a win with one pair¹⁸. These compound bets are rarer but appear on tables in the region.

On the house edge side, a Baccarat 27 table at City of Dreams Manila lists the Player Pair bet at 10.36 percent⁴, which is high compared with the main bets but actually one of the cheaper side bets around. Note that the exact house edge and win rate for pairs bets vary with the number of decks in the shoe and the remaining cards¹⁹.

Dragon Bonus and Dragon 7

Despite the similar names, Dragon Bonus and Dragon 7 are two different bets.

Dragon Bonus pays on a natural win, or when a hand wins by a large margin, such as four points or more². It is offered on both sides: Player Dragon Bonus and Banker Dragon Bonus. The payout ladder from FB88's rules is:

A natural tie returns your stake¹⁸. Crown Sydney's approved rules give a similar Player Dragon Bonus ladder: 1 to 1 on a natural or a four-point win, rising to 30 to 1 on a nine-point win²⁰. So the top Dragon Bonus payout is 30 to 1, and the bet still returns something on modest margins, unlike most side bets which lose on anything but their exact target.

Dragon 7 is a different animal. It is one of the two side bets on EZ Baccarat tables, and it wins if the Banker's hand ends up being a three-card hand totaling 7, paying 40 to 1². The twist is what happens to your main bet: when a Dragon 7 occurs, all bets originally placed on the Banker hand are pushed, meaning all players have their original bet returned². That push is the mechanism that lets EZ Baccarat run without commission on Banker wins, which we come to below.

Lucky 6: the banker six bet

Lucky 6 is the side bet built around the Banker winning on exactly 6 points. It wins if the Banker wins on a total of six with two or three cards, and the number of cards is what decides the payout²¹:

• Two cards: 12 to 1
• Three cards: 20 to 1

These figures are consistent across venues. City of Dreams Manila's traditional baccarat and Baccarat 27 tables both list Lucky 6 at 12 to 1 with two cards and 20 to 1 with three cards³. NUSTAR in the Philippines calls it Lucky Six with the same payouts²². Hoiana's Tiger Baccarat offers the same bet under the Tiger name: 12 to 1 when the Banker wins on 6 with two cards, 20 to 1 with three¹². Macau's regulator approved the same bet, Lucky Six, for the territory's casinos, paying 12 to 1 on a two-card six and 20 to 1 on a three-card six²³.

The house edge on Lucky 6 is 16.68 percent, as listed at City of Dreams Manila⁴. That is slightly worse than the Tie bet, so this is a bet you make for the payout, not the price.

A note on names: the same idea appears under several brands. Super Six at Casino Corona pays 12 to 1 when the Banker wins on 6 points¹⁵, and Hoiana's Tiger Baccarat has Two Card Tiger at 12 to 1 and Three Card Tiger at 20 to 1, 23 to 1 or 25 to 1 depending on the option the casino chooses²⁰. If you see a bet on the felt that pays around 12 to 1 on a two-card banker six, it is this bet whatever it is called.

Panda 8 and other named side bets

Panda 8 is the mirror image of Dragon 7. It wins if the Player's hand is a three-card hand totaling 8, paying 25 to 1². As with Dragon 7, there is an effect on the main bet: winning Player wagers on a Panda 8 are paid 1 to 1¹. Panda 8 is the second of the two side bets on EZ Baccarat tables².

Beyond these, Wizard of Odds lists a whole family of named side bets you may encounter: Dragon Bonus, 4-5-6, Lucky Bonus, 3-Card Six, Dragon 7, Panda 8, Royal Match, Bellagio Match and Matching Dragon⁷. A few others worth knowing from tables in the region:

• Lucky 7 (Baccarat 27): wins when the Player wins on 7 points, paying 6 to 1 with two cards and 15 to 1 with three cards. House edge 18.30 percent⁴.
• Super Lucky 7 (City of Dreams no-commission tables): wins when the Player wins on 7 points over the Banker's 6, paying 30 to 1 with four cards, 40 to 1 with five cards and 100 to 1 with six cards²⁴.
• Big Tiger (City of Dreams): wins when the Banker wins on 6 points with three cards, paying 50 to 1²⁴.
• Big Dragon (Hoiana Dragon Tiger Baccarat): wins when the Player wins with a three-card 7, paying 30 to 1⁹.
• Super Tie (City of Dreams): a tie variant with a house edge of 16.51 percent⁴.
• Super 8 (CoinPoker): pays up to 6 to 1 anytime a natural 8 is dealt¹⁶.
• Twin Tiger Pair and Double Tiger Pair (Hoiana Tiger Baccarat): pay 100 to 1 and 20 to 1 respectively²⁵.

Dragon Tiger Baccarat tables at Hoiana also offer a full menu of side bets including Tie at 8 to 1, Player Pair and Banker Pair at 11 to 1, Small Dragon, Big Dragon, Small Tiger, Big Tiger and Dragon Tiger Fight⁹. Crown Sydney's approved rules run to Player and Banker Dragon Bonus, Perfect Pairs, Pairs, Super 6, Tiger Tie, Tiger Pair, Tiger, Big Tiger, Small Tiger, Dragon Tiger, Big Dragon, Small Dragon and 1-1-2 where offered²⁰. The message is that no two venues offer the same menu, so read the felt.

Side bet rules at the table

A few practical rules govern how side bets work at the table.

Timing. All bets, main and side, must be placed before the cards are dealt⁶. In live games, bets must be placed before the dealer announces No More Bets and starts the round¹⁵. There is no betting after the first two cards in baccarat, unlike blackjack.

Main bet requirements. This varies by venue. At City of Dreams Manila, players may place side wagers without having placed a wager on Player or Banker, and may place several wagers on the same hand³. Online, Natural8 notes that depending on the tables you choose, you may be required to place a main bet before you can place a side bet⁶. 888 Casino's rules allow players to make traditional wagers as well as the side bet, or to make only the side bet⁵. Check the specific table before you assume either way.

Betting on both hands. You may only place a main bet on either the Banker or the Player, not both, but you may bet on a Tie outcome at any time even if you have an existing bet on one side⁶. Some online games are looser: 888 Casino allows players to bet on Banker and Player hands, or Banker and Player Pair or Tie, at the same time⁵.

Table limits. All wagers must fall within the table's minimum and maximum betting amounts, which are displayed at each table or in the game options¹⁴. Side bets usually have their own, separate limits, often lower than the main bet maximums.

Commission and no-commission tables: Super Six and the 50% rule

Side bets and table variants are linked, because the no-commission versions of baccarat are what make bets like Dragon 7 and Lucky 6 possible.

On a standard table, the dealer takes a 5 percent commission on winning bets on the Banker's hand⁸. This is how the house makes its money on the Banker bet, which would otherwise be the better side of a near coin-flip.

No-commission baccarat drops that fee entirely: winning Player and Banker wagers are paid even money, with one exception. When the Banker wins with a total of 6, winning Banker bets are paid at 1 to 2, meaning you get half your wager back as winnings²⁴. City of Dreams Manila states it plainly: when the Banker wins with a total of 6 points, winning Banker bets are paid at odds of 1 to 2²⁴. NUSTAR describes its Non-Commission Baccarat the same way: banker bets are paid half when the banker wins on 6 points, even money on other points²². Taiwanese guides summarize the convention as 1 to 1 normally, 1 to 0.5 on a banker six²⁶.

The reason for the 50 percent rule is arithmetic: the Banker wins on 6 more often than on any other specific total, and taking half on that one outcome lets the casino offer zero commission the rest of the time while keeping its edge.

Super Six is the related side bet on this structure. At Casino Corona, Super Six pays 12 to 1 when the Banker wins on 6 points, with no commission on the Banker's hand¹⁵. NUSTAR's version pays 12 to 1 on the same event²². Lucky 6, covered above, is the two-tier version of the same idea, and it is on no-commission tables that you will most often find it.

EZ Baccarat takes a different route to the same end: instead of halving a winning banker six, it pushes all Banker bets when the Dragon 7 (a winning three-card banker 7) occurs². Either way, the effect for you as a player is the same: no commission on winning Banker bets, with one specific outcome paying less or returning your stake.

How side bet limits and jackpots vary by venue

Side bet minimums, maximums and payouts are set by each casino, not by the game itself, so they vary widely.

Side bet limits vary widely by venue. At the Baccarat Wild Card Tournament 2025, side bets ran from 20,000 to 80,000 PHP¹⁹. Okada Manila's Super Baccarat offers side bets that can win up to 50 times the amount wagered²⁰, while its Hi Tie Baccarat side bet can pay up to 210 times your wager²¹.

In land-based casinos, the limits are tied to the table's overall minimum and maximum, and the house accepts bets up to the prescribed limit²⁷. When Banker and Player stakes are unequal, the house accepts bets up to that limit, as Macau's official baccarat rules put it²⁷. High-limit rooms in places like Macau run baccarat almost exclusively; baccarat is typically the only game offered in VIP rooms and is the preferred game among Chinese players²⁸.

Some venues attach big multipliers to baccarat side bets. Ultimate Baccarat side bets can pay up to 100 times your stake, available at the High Limit room or the Maharlika Club²⁹. Okada Manila's Hi Tie Baccarat advertises side bets that can win up to 210 times the amount wagered³⁰. These bets work like side bets in other games: a fixed stake on a rare outcome, with a payout set well above the usual even money.

The practical takeaway for a first visit: before you place any side bet, look at the felt or the electronic display for three things. First, the payout, because pairs pay 11 to 1 at one table and 8 to 1 at another. Second, the house edge if it is posted, because anything in the teens is a Tie-bet-level cost. Third, whether the table requires a main bet alongside your side bet. The main bets are the cheap part of baccarat; the side bets are the expensive part, and knowing which is which is most of what you need.