A coup is one complete round of a table game: a single deal in baccarat or a single spin in roulette. The word is French for a blow or stroke, and it survives in the language of baccarat and French-style roulette. Counting coups is the most useful way to see how the house edge adds up over a session.
A coup is one round: one baccarat deal or one roulette spin.
In eight-deck baccarat, Banker wins 45.86% of coups, Player 44.62% and a tie happens 9.52% of the time.
In punto banco, drawing the cut card signals that the next coup is the last of the shoe.
Your average cost is the cost per coup times the number of coups, so faster games cost more per hour.
Meaning
One round or decision of a table game
Origin
French for a blow or stroke
Banker wins (8 decks)
45.8597% of coups
Speed Baccarat
27 seconds per round (Evolution)
Standard live baccarat
About 48 seconds per round
What a coup is in casino games
A coup is the smallest complete unit of a table game: bets go down, the result is decided, and bets are settled. In baccarat that means one deal of the Player and Banker hands; the Wikipedia baccarat article (opens in a new tab) describes each coup, or round of play, as having three possible outcomes. In roulette a coup is one spin of the wheel.
The word comes from French, where it means a blow, stroke or turn, and it travelled with the games from French casinos. English-speaking players usually just say "hand" or "spin", so you'll mostly meet coup in baccarat writing, roulette history and on results boards. See the glossary for other table terms.
Coups in baccarat: odds per round
Every baccarat coup ends in a Banker win, a Player win or a tie. Standard game maths for an eight-deck shoe gives the frequencies below, and the edges follow from the payouts: Banker pays 19 to 20 after commission, Player pays even money, and Tie pays 8 to 1 or 9 to 1 depending on the table.
Outcome of one baccarat coup (eight decks)
Outcome
Share of coups
Bet pays
House edge
Banker wins
45.8597%
19 to 20
1.06%
Player wins
44.6247%
1 to 1
1.24%
Tie
9.5156%
8 to 1 or 9 to 1
14.36% or 4.844%
On a tie, Banker and Player bets push. A shoe is a run of coups dealt from six or eight decks shuffled together. A cut card sits near the end, and according to the Wikipedia article, when it appears the next coup is the last of the shoe before a reshuffle. Our pages on the banker bet and the tie bet look at each bet in detail.
Coups in roulette
In roulette each spin is a coup, and each is independent of the last. On a single-zero wheel, red wins 18 times in 37 (48.65%) every coup, whatever came before. Older roulette writing uses coup in phrases about runs of results, but no sequence of coups predicts the next one. That's why tracking hot and cold numbers doesn't help.
Under La Partage, an even-money bet loses only half when zero lands, which halves the edge on those bets to about 1.35% per coup. Inside bets, dozens and columns keep the 2.70% edge.
Cost per coup and coups per hour
The cost of one coup on average is stake × house edge. Multiply by the number of coups and you have the cost of a session. To work out your own figure:
Find the house edge of your bet, for example 1.06% on Banker.
Multiply by your stake: £10 × 1.06% = 10.6p per coup.
Estimate coups per hour from the round time: 3,600 seconds ÷ seconds per round.
Multiply cost per coup by coups per hour for the average hourly cost.
Average hourly cost at £10 a coup
Game
Round length or pace
Coups per hour (max)
House edge
Average cost per hour
Evolution Speed Baccarat, Banker
27 seconds
About 133
1.06%
About £14.10
Evolution standard Baccarat, Banker
About 48 seconds
75
1.06%
About £7.95
Red on a single-zero wheel at Evolution Auto Roulette pace
60 to 80 games an hour
60 to 80
2.70%
£16.20 to £21.60
Round times come from Evolution's Speed Baccarat page (opens in a new tab) and Evolution's Auto Roulette description, and assume you bet every coup. Sitting out rounds lowers the hourly figure in proportion. The cost per hour page has more games, and speed games explains why faster versions cost more per hour at the same edge.
Why recording coups doesn't change the odds
Baccarat tables often display scorecards of past coups, and some players chart them looking for patterns. Each coup comes from the cards left in the shoe, and the charts can't tell you which way the next deal will fall, so the edge on each bet stays the same. Our baccarat strategy page explains what does matter: choosing the lower-edge bets and setting a budget. The same goes for staking systems in roulette, covered in betting systems.
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Frequently asked questions
What does coup mean in baccarat?
A coup is one round of baccarat: one deal of the Player and Banker hands, ending in a Banker win, a Player win or a tie. With eight decks, Banker wins about 45.86% of coups, Player 44.62% and ties 9.52%. The term comes from French. Our how to play baccarat guide explains how each coup is dealt.
Is a coup the same as a spin in roulette?
Yes. In roulette a coup is one spin of the wheel, with bets placed, the ball landing and bets settled. Each spin is independent, so the chance of red on a single-zero wheel stays at 18 in 37 every coup. Our roulette odds page lists the chance for every bet.
What is the last coup of the shoe?
It's the final baccarat round before a reshuffle. A cut card is placed near the end of the shoe, and when the dealer draws it, that signals the next coup will be the last. After it, the cards are shuffled and a new shoe begins. Our cut card entry explains where the card goes and why.
How many coups an hour are there in live baccarat?
It depends on the game. Evolution says its Speed Baccarat completes a round in 27 seconds, against about 48 seconds for its standard baccarat, which works out at roughly 133 and 75 coups an hour at most. At £10 on Banker, that is about £14.10 and £7.95 an hour on average. See speed baccarat for the full rules.
Can past coups predict the next result?
No. Scorecards of past coups show what happened, not what will happen. No pattern in the record changes the edge on the next bet, which is why charting systems don't help. Treat the scoreboard as entertainment, not information. Our page on the gambler's fallacy explains the mistake behind "due" results.
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