Glossary of Baccarat Terminologies

A

Action- This is the total amount of money wagered by a particular player or gambler at the end of a gambling session. In other words, the money used to bet in total after a day of gambling.

B

Baccarat- While this is the name of the game, it is also used to refer to the “worst hand in the game.” The worst hand is any hand that adds up to be zero. It can be confused with the name of the game but when the game is ongoing, this is what Baccarat means.

Banco- This is another designation for the banker during a game of Baccarat.

Banco Prime- If multiple players call the number or banco at the same time, the player that is nearest to the dealer can match the stake wagered by the bank. This privilege is also known as the Banco Prime.

Banker – One of the two hands in a game of Baccarat is called the banker.

Banker Bet- Banking on one of the two hands during a game of Baccarat. This hand is neither the dealer nor the house.

Banque - A special variation of Baccarat, played on two conjoined tables. However, the banker sits in the middle of the table and plays against the gamblers. This version of Baccarat is commonly played in Europe.

Bankroll - A commonly used term in gambling to mean the total amount of money a particular gambler spends.

Burning - Burning happens when cards are discarded from the card deck that was just shuffled. It can also be said to happen when cards are discarded at the start of a new game. It is a commonly used terminology in Baccarat.

C

Caller - Any member of the casino staff is known as the caller. Among his responsibilities include shuffling the cards, dealing the cards, dealing extra cards, calling the points, and enforcing the rules.

Carte - The term “Carte” means “Hit me” when translated. It is commonly used by players to tell the dealer to deal more cards.

Chemin De Fer - Another name for the European version of Baccarat. In this version, the player acts as a bank and deals the cards while taking bets. Apart from being common among Europeans, it is ever present in physical casinos and scarce among online casinos.

Cheval – Cheval is a special kind of bet jointly placed by two gamblers. When both gamblers win, they win the bet and when the both lose, they lose the bet. When one gambler wins and the other loses, the situation is known as the standoff.

Cheques - A slang used during the game of Baccarat. The chips used when the game of Baccarat is played are known as Cheques. Again, it is mostly used in physical casinos.

Coup - A term used to describe one round of the game of Baccarat. It originated in France.

Croupier – A term used to describe the dealer during a game of Baccarat. It originated in France.

Cut - After shuffling a deck of cards during the game and the deck is divided, the half is called a cut.

Cut Card - The plastic card used in cutting a shuffled deck off card during a game of Baccarat.

D

Dealer: A dealer is the one responsible for enforcing the rules and dealing the cards. He also cuts and draws the card. Finally, he sees to it that everyone enjoys the game and that the game runs smoothly.

Delux Tableau - Baccarat en Banque is also referred to as Delux Tableau. It is a commonly used slang in the game.

Discard Tray - The tray that holds all discarded cards after they are discarded immediately after the deck is shuffled.

Down Card - Another name for a face down card or a hole card.

Dragon Bonus – A type of side bet. During this bet, gamblers can place bets on both the banker and one of the players at the same time. Players can also bet on the points with which a hand will win. It is a commonly used term during any game of Baccarat.

E

Edge Sorting - A special strategy employed by players so they can identify cards. Although all the4 cards come with a unique pattern on the back, there are some minor differences through which to identify each card.

F

Face Cards – A term referring to any card that has a face on it. It is the same as the normal cards we know: Jack, King, and Queen.

Fading – Another term meaning to place a bet. It does not refer to placing bets online though.

Flat Bet: It happens when a gambler continues to bet the same amount of money for winning and for losing. Flat bet happens in the game from time to time, and it is a defense strategy for some gamblers.

H

Hand – The ‘hand’ is a term that refers to the total number of cards played or discarded during one round of a game of Baccarat.

High Roller - The High Roller is a player who plays with only higher stakes.

House Edge – Every game in the casino has a house edge. This is the advantage the house has over the players, and it ensures that the casino will profit, no matter what the outcome of the game is. It is the difference between the true chance of a hand winning, and the return offered by the casino when that hand wins, which will be slightly lower. This is why some gamblers lose money overtime even if they occasionally win.

L

Ladderman – There are usually three dealers during a game of Baccarat. The dealer who runs the game is also called the ladderman.

La Grande - The best hand during a game of Baccarat, which will usually have a ‘9’ is also known as the La Grande.

La Petite - The second-best hand during a game of Baccarat, which will usually have an ‘8’ is also known as La Petite.

Layout: - The table layout is a designated section of the table where gamblers place their bets and wagers. The layout could be some boxes or cubicles. There is also some layout for the cards being dealt for a particular hand from the deck of cards.

Loss Bet – When a bet is placed against the bank, it is known as a loss bet because naturally, the house has an edge over the gamblers no matter the outcome. The term is commonly used during a game of baccarat.

M

Match Play – These are play promotions awarded to players that can be used to play at most once during one round of the game. They can also be used to bet real money during a game of baccarat.

Mini Baccarat – This is a faster version of baccarat where all the cards are dealt face up. It can only be found on online versions. In physical casinos, cards are dealt face down and can make decisions regarding drawing cards. In mini baccarat, the drawing rules are followed without player interaction.

Monkey - A popular slang during the game of baccarat used to describe a face card or a ten.

Muck – 8 separate deck of cards that contain 52 cards each. The decks are used during shuffling.

N

Natural – This happens if the first two cards dealt to either the banker hand or the player hand total eight or nine, this phenomenon is known as a natural.

P

Player – This is a tricky one because it does not refer to you, the person playing the game. It refers to ‘one of the two hands dealt out in the game, the other hand is called the Banker.’ It is not really your hand, as you can bet on either one. A “Player Bet” means to bet on this hand to win.

Palette - Palette is the plastic or wooden tool that Croupiers use when moving cards around the table during a game of Baccarat.

Pass - A pass is another term for a win.

Pit - The pit is a separate area on the game table where high rollers play at a higher stake.

Punter- Another name for the person playing a game of baccarat.

Punto - Another name for the Player hand.

Punto Banco - Punto Banco is another variation of Baccarat that was developed in Argentina around 1950. With Banco, another term to mean the Banker hand, this gives us the other well used name for this game, Punto Banco.

Push - This is when your game is neither a winning bet nor a loss

Railroad - Railroad is the French variation of the Baccarat game. In France, it is also known as Chemin De Fer.

Run – This is a side bet that allows the gamblers to place bets on multiple hands.

S

Shills - Another name for the casino staff. In most cases, they are good looking women dressed sensually to add appeal to the game and attract players (male in most cases). The practice of using shills to lure players to a game of Baccarat started in Las Vegas casinos in the second half of the 20th century.

Shoe – Refers to the box where the deck of cards to be used for the game are kept. The term is commonly used during table baccarat games. In this game, it will contain all the decks used, which will be up to six or eight decks. For virtual baccarat games, the table takes the place of the shoe because all the cards are dealt from the table

Shooter- The bank is also known as the shooter.

Shuffle Up – This is when the cards are shuffled up very early in the game just before dealing the cards.

Skill – The joke usually made by any gambler enjoying a good run of wins.

Standoff – The term ‘Standoff’ is when the player and bank ties by holding the same value of cards.

Streak – A streak is when a player is getting the same result consecutively. It could either be a winning streak (consecutive wins) or a losing streak (consecutive losses). The dream of every gambler is to enjoy a winning streak.

Super Pan Nine - Another popular variation of Baccarat in which one player acts as a bank.

T

Table of Play: The set of rules in baccarat that allows players to receive a third card.

Tie – The situation where the value of money with the money equals the value of money with the banker. When that happens, the bets on both the player and banker are returned; bets on the tie bet are paid out.

U

Upcard – Any card that can be seen by the players.

V

Vigorish - The percentage of money which the casinos cut from the total winnings of any gambler or the money the casino takes away from the player’s wins.

VIP - Another name given to use for high rollers.