The king of casino games, baccarat has become the go-to game for many high rollers across the world. It has always been a popular choice in Asia, but over the past few years it has gained a resurgence among American players as well. Baccarat has a certain luster to it, and the fact that it is usually played with large sums of cash only further adds to its pristine reputation. The game was also featured in the James Bond film ‘Casino Royale,’ further attesting to its prestigiousness.

In a nutshell, the game is about predicting which hand will acquire a total closer to nine. Players can place bets on either the Banker, Player or Tie hand. A round is then completed once all the cards have been dealt and it is clear which hand has the higher score. Unlike games like blackjack and roulette, where players have a number of decisions to make, baccarat is mostly hands-off, with only one bet option before the cards are dealt.

Before playing baccarat, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the rules and scoring system. All the cards have a specific value, which is used to calculate the total of a hand. Cards from 2 through 9 are worth their respective pip values, while picture cards (Q, J, K) and tens are worth zero points. Aces are worth one point.

Players betting on a winning player or banker hand will receive a payout of 1 to 1. However, those who wager on a wining tie will need to pay a 5% commission, which reduces the odds to 8 to 1 for this type of bet.