# item.guide
Side-by-Side Comparison Card Games

Baccarat vs. Hearts

Comparing 2 standards across 20 specifications. 20 key differences identified.

Comparing:
Baccarat
Hearts

Baccarat (Punto Banco) is a standard casino card game where players bet on whether the 'Player' hand or 'Banker' hand will achieve a point total closest to 9, or on a Tie. Cards 2–9 are face value, 10s and face cards count as 0, and Aces count as 1. Fixed mathematical tableau rules dictate when a third card must be drawn.

View full Baccarat spec sheet →

Hearts is an evasion-style trick-taking card game for 4 individual players where the objective is to avoid scoring penalty points. Each Heart card taken in tricks counts as 1 penalty point, and the Queen of Spades counts as 13 penalty points. If a single player takes all 26 penalty points in one hand ('Shoots the Moon'), all opponents receive 26 points instead.

View full Hearts spec sheet →

Specification Comparison Table

20 Parameters
Parameter / Spec
Standard Shoe Size
6 or 8 decks
Target Score
Closest to 9 modulo 10
Cards 2–9 Value
Face Value points
10, J, Q, K Value
0 points
Ace Value
1 point
Banker Bet Payout
1:1 (minus 5% commission)
Player Bet Payout
1:1
Tie Bet Payout
8:1 (or 9:1 at select tables)
Banker House Edge
1.06% lowest edge
Player House Edge
1.24%
Tie House Edge
14.36% (at 8:1) unfavorable
Total Players
4 individual play
Deck Size
52 cards (13 dealt per player)
Hearts Penalty Value
1 point per Heart card (13 total)
Queen of Spades Value
13 penalty points (Black Maria)
Total Points Per Hand
26 penalty points
Shooting the Moon Bonus
0 pts (or -26) to shooter, +26 to all opponents
Game Ending Threshold
100 points (lowest score wins)
Passing Rotation (4 Rounds)
Left -> Right -> Across -> No Passing
Opening Lead Card
2 of Clubs (2♣) mandatory first lead