Player Hand

The player hand is the second of the two hands dealt in baccarat, opposite the bank hand. The name is misleading: it is not your hand, and you may bet on either side regardless of where you sit. It is dealt first and acts first, drawing a third card on low totals and standing on higher ones according to a fixed rule that no one at the table can override. Winning player bets are normally paid at even money with no commission deducted, which reflects the fact that the player side wins slightly less often than the bank. Both sides carry a built-in house margin, and neither is a way to gamble without expected cost over the long run.