Live Baccarat How to Play — Canadian Beginners Guide 2026

Live baccarat is available at iGO-registered Ontario platforms and other Canadian-facing casinos. It is among the simplest live casino games — after placing your bet, the dealer handles everything. This guide gives you all you need to start.

The Objective

Two hands are dealt — Player and Banker. You bet on which will be closer to nine. Your options: Player, Banker, or Tie. After betting, the dealer draws cards according to fixed rules. No further decisions are needed from you.

Card Values and Scoring

Aces = 1. Cards 2-9 = face value. Tens and face cards = 0. Totals above nine drop the tens digit — a 7+8=15 counts as 5. A 9+6=15 also counts as 5.

Draw Rules

Both hands start with two cards. A natural (8 or 9 total) ends the hand immediately — highest natural wins. Otherwise: Player draws a third card on totals 0-5, stands on 6-7. Banker drawing rules depend on Banker total and whether Player drew. The dealer applies these automatically — you do not need to memorise them.

The Three Bets

Player bet: pays 1:1, house edge approximately 1.24%. Banker bet: pays 1:1 minus 5% commission, house edge approximately 1.06% — the best bet. Tie bet: pays 8:1, house edge approximately 14.4% — avoid entirely.

Practical Tips

Default to Banker bet — lowest house edge. Never bet Tie. Avoid side bets. Check table minimums before joining.