Is the tie bet in baccarat worth it?
No. At the usual 8 to 1 it is one of the most expensive bets in the casino, and even at 9 to 1 it costs several times more than banker or player.
On an 8-deck shoe a tie comes up 9.52% of the time, so a fair payout would be 9.51 to 1. The house edge is 14.36% at 8 to 1 and 4.84% at 9 to 1, against 1.06% on banker.
The tie bet on every shoe
| Shoe | Tie | Pays 8 to 1 | Pays 9 to 1 | Banker bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 decks | 9.52% | 14.36% | 4.84% | 1.06% |
| 6 decks | 9.51% | 14.44% | 4.93% | 1.06% |
| 4 decks | 9.49% | 14.59% | 5.10% | 1.05% |
| 2 decks | 9.44% | 15.02% | 5.58% | 1.04% |
| 1 deck | 9.36% | 15.75% | 6.38% | 1.01% |
Why
A tie comes up a little less than one hand in ten, so a fair price would be about 9.5 to 1. Paying 8 to 1 keeps a big slice of every tie bet. Some casinos pay 9 to 1, which helps a lot, but still leaves the bet far behind banker. Fewer decks make ties slightly rarer and the bet slightly worse.