Baccarat (pronounced bah-kah-rah) is a casino game that has been popular in Europe and Latin America for many years. It’s been given new life in Asia and is now a favorite with high rollers in casinos around the world. It looks serious and intimidating but is actually one of the simplest games to play. The goal of the game is to bet on which hand will come closest to nine. The cards are dealt from a dealing shoe and all values are based on numbers, not letters. Tens and picture cards count as zero, while Aces count as 1. The total is figured by adding up the values on each hand. If the sum exceeds 9, it is adjusted by dropping the first digit or subtracting 10.
The Player, Banker and Tie bets are made before the cards are dealt. The rules of baccarat are very simple and the game requires no skill. The player places his or her bet and then the banker deals two cards to the player and to himself. The Player and the Banker hands are compared and the hand that is nearest to 9 wins. The player and the banker must then pay out bets according to the results of the hand.
Most baccarat players prefer to bet on the banker’s hand because of its lower house edge. However, some high rollers will place a bet on the player’s hand because of its better payouts. The game also offers a third option, the tie, which pays 8 to 1 if the player and banker have the same total. However, this bet is more risky and has a higher house edge.
There are several baccarat betting strategies to choose from, but one of the most common is to follow pattern trends. These systems usually follow the premise that shoes will zigzag between banker and player winning streaks and double win streaks for both sides. This baccarat strategy can help reduce the house edge and keep your bankroll lasting longer.
The game is played with either eight or six decks of cards and is dealt from a dealing shoe. The cards are dealt to the player, the banker and any other bettors. The Player and Banker hands are compared and the hand with the best total wins. The ties are paid out at 8 to 1, although some casinos offer 9 for 1 payoffs on winning tie bets.