The best possible hands that you can get in a baccarat game are a drawn 8 or a drawn 9. This means that in the first deal of the original 2 cards one of these sums is reached, be that a 4,5, a 5,8, a 9,9 – the means of reaching the total doesn't matter. These two hands are called a natural, and when a natural is dealt to either the Banker or the Player, no third card is ever dealt. A natural will always win unless in the situation where there are two naturals; one 8 and one 9 – in this case the 9 wins. If each position has the same natural, it's a tie and no one wins. The 8 natural will sometimes be referred to as le petite, whilst the 9 natural will sometimes be referred to as le grande.

The rules for whether a third card is drawn according to the rules for baccarat Banker positions on any totals other than the naturals, varies depending on the Banker's hand and that of the Player.

In the situation where the Banker's original hand comes to the value of 0,1, or 2 according to the rules for baccarat Banker he will always receive a third card. Remember that, If the Player has a natural, and the Banker doesn't, the Player automatically wins.

If the Bankers original two cards come to the value of 7, 8, or 9, according to rules for Baccarat Banker, the Banker will never receive a third card – remember that a natural is an automatic win.

So we know what the rules of baccarat Banker dictate for a 0,1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 total, but what about the totals in between; 3-6? Whether or not the Banker should receive a third card if his original total is a 3, 4, 5, or 6, depends on what the Player is holding – sometimes the Banker will draw, sometimes not. This can be a bit confusing but the table below will make it clear: