Baccarat is an elegant casino game that has long been a favorite of high rollers. It looks serious and intimidating, but it’s actually a simple game with one of the lowest house edges in the casino. It’s also easy to play online, although some casinos have slightly different rules than those found in land-based casinos.
Baccarat has several variations and side bets, but the basic game is played in the same way. Depending on the game, from seven to 14 players sit around a table and a dealer’s area. Each player puts in a bet, either on the Player Hand, Banker’s Hand, or Tie. Once all bets have been placed, the cards are dealt. The winning hand is the one that comes closest to nine without going over. The other option is a tie, which pays out at odds of 8:1 or better (although this may vary from casino to casino).
To begin the game, each player places their bets on the table, using chips that match their denominations. In some American casinos, this is done with actual cash, while in European casinos it is more common to use oblong “plaques.” Baccarat is typically played for high stakes, and the gaming table is often blocked off from the rest of the casino action.
The initial two cards are dealt to the Player and Banker hands. Then, based on the total of each hand, bets are paid out or lost. The Player Hand is the hand that wins if it has a total of 9 or higher; otherwise, it loses. The Banker Hand is the hand that wins if it is closer to 9 than the Player Hand; otherwise, it loses.
After the initial two cards are dealt, a third card is drawn for each hand if necessary. This is done if the first two cards equal a total of 8, or if the first two cards equal a number between 4 and 7. The third card is drawn by comparing the total of each hand against the value of the third-card rule.
The third card is then compared against the second-card rule to determine the winner of each hand. Then, the third-card rule is compared to the second-card rule to determine whether the Banker or Player hand should stand. The dealer then pays out winning bets and collects losing bets. In addition, the dealer collects a 5% commission on winning bets on the Banker’s hand. This is tracked in a commission box by the dealer, and collected for each winning Banker’s hand. This is how the casino makes money on Baccarat, and it’s why some players avoid placing bets on the Banker’s Hand.