EZ Baccarat: Rules, Payouts, House Edge and Origin
Summary EZ Baccarat is a commission-free variant of Punto Banco baccarat in which the standard 5% commission on winning Banker bets is removed and replaced with two structural rules that preserve the house's edge without a commission mechanism: the Dragon 7, which turns a Banker win on a three-card total of 7 into a push rather than a win, and the Panda 8, an optional side bet tied to a Player three-card total of 8. The game is dealt from the same shoe and follows the same drawing rules as standard Punto Banco baccarat. It is offered at commercial and tribal casinos across the United States and at Loto-Québec properties in Canada, including Casino de Montréal. Rules EZ Baccarat is dealt as standard Punto Banco: two two-card hands, Player and Banker, are dealt from a shoe, typically eight decks, with a fixed table of drawing rules determining whether either hand draws a third card based on its two-card total. Players wager on Player, Banker or Tie before the cards are d...