What is Baccarat?

If you have never played baccarat before, you may be wondering what it is. While it does not require any strategy, baccarat is a pure luck game. Baccarat is played at a separate table in a casino, usually a special alcove that is away from the rest of the casino’s activity. While most American casinos use $100 bills to play this game, European casinos use chips known as “plaques.” These chips look like $100 bills, but are not worth much.

The game starts with the banker putting down his initial stake. Players take turns placing their stakes until they equal the banker’s. Once the players have placed their bets, the banker will deal two cards, one to himself and one to each of their representatives. If the banker has a total of 8 or 9, then the bets will be paid. Otherwise, a tie will result in no payout. There are also poker-style sheets on the table to keep score.

As with all casino games, the goal of baccarat is to get the best hand. The winner of a game is the hand that gets closest to nine when all pips are added up. The ace is worth one, while the rest of the cards have face values of 0 or 1. If the player holds an eight and a seven, the score is 15 points. If the banker has an eight and a seven, the hand is a tie, meaning that the banker and the player’s hand have the same points.