Baccarat is a simple game to learn and play, though its Bond-dipped mystique can obscure its true Zen-like minimalism. Players bet on either the Player or Banker hand and the side whose total cards come closest to nine wins. Picture cards and tens count as zero, aces count as one, and all other numbers are added as they appear on the hand’s two cards.
The best bet to place is the Banker bet, which pays out 1:1 minus a five percent commission. This is the most statistically favorable bet on the table, and it’s a great place to start for new and casual players. It’s also the easiest to understand, since the house edge is a coinflip. The Player bet is more complex, and has a lower house edge but a higher minimum bet amount (20 to $25).
In its modern form, baccarat is played with a standardized deck of cards that are shuffled together before the dealer deals them to the table. Six decks are typically used, and players are seated in random order around an oval table. The croupier then draws a card to the Player and Banker boxes, followed by a second card if the first card was a natural (as in, it wasn’t a seven or eight). The winning player and banker are determined by adding up the values of these two cards.
A third card may be drawn, but only if the croupier believes that the hand is a treble or quadruple. If a treble or quadruple is drawn, the croupier will ask the players to declare their bets. If the treble or quadruple is not a treble or a quadruple, the players must then decide whether to stand or if they want to change their bet.
Aside from the three types of bets, baccarat also allows players to bet on a tie. A treble or quadruple is a win, but it isn’t possible to have more than three wins in a row. This feature is a good way to add excitement to the game, but it can quickly eat into your bankroll. If you don’t have a large enough bankroll to keep up with this bet type, it’s best to avoid it.