Baccarat (also known as baccara or bakra) is a game of pure chance. It’s a slow-paced, simple game that has some of the best odds in the casino. Often portrayed as an elegant, high-stakes game in films – James Bond’s favourite, for example – it can be intimidating to the newcomer.

However, once you understand the rules of baccarat, it’s easy to get started. In a nutshell, you bet on which hand – Player or Banker – will have the highest total value when all the pips are added up. The goal is to get as close to nine as possible. Face cards and tens count as zero, while aces count as one.

The game is played with between six and eight decks of cards, which are dealt to the player and banker. Usually, all the cards are kept in a box called a shoe. The dealer will reveal the first card in the Player box, and then in the Banker box. If the first card is a 0 or 9, you win that round. If not, the dealer will draw a third card in order to determine the winner.

The dealer will then announce the results of that round if the Banker wins or the Player loses, and the game will proceed to the next round. Before you play, decide how much you want to spend and stick to it. Baccarat is easy to get carried away with, and it’s a good idea to treat your gambling as an entertainment expense and not an investment.