Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games, particularly for high-rollers. It is easy to play and requires no special knowledge of card dealing or rules. It has been around since the 1400’s and continues to attract players from all over the world.
The game is played with six, seven or eight standard decks of cards. The dealer is responsible for shuffling the cards and placing them in a shoe or other device to start the round. There are from seven to 14 seats for players at the table, and a space for the banker. Each player places a bet on either the banker or the player hand. The banker sets the initial bet amount, and other players can add to it in counterclockwise order. The banker then deals two hands of cards to the players. Each hand has two cards, and the winner is the hand whose total value (excluding the second digit) is closest to nine.
If the player’s and banker’s hands are equal in value, the game ends in a tie. Otherwise, a third card is drawn by the banker and analyzed to determine the winner. If the third card is a nine, the hand wins; if it’s a six or seven, the hand loses.
The banker side wins more often than the player’s, but ties occur in about 9.6% of rounds. When betting, players should always choose the banker hand to maximize payouts and minimize house edge.