Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games worldwide. It has a reputation for being an intimidating game, but it is actually quite easy to learn and maintains a low house edge. It is also featured in many James Bond movies and offers the thrill of a real casino floor from the comfort of your home or mobile device.

There are a few things you need to know before playing Baccarat. First, you need to understand the rules of the game. The game is played with a standard deck of cards and consists of three main parts: the Player, Banker, and Tie bets. The game is dealt by a live dealer on a large table in high-roller rooms at casinos and can have stakes of up to $100 or more. It is also a very slow-moving and ritualistic game.

The objective is to correctly predict which hand will win the round, the Player or the Banker. The winning hand is the one with a total closer to nine, and this is determined by adding up all the pips on each card (the dots that represent clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) and counting the number of ones. The ace counts as one and the two and three counts as zero. If the total is above ten, subtract 10 to determine the score.

After betting, the dealer deals a pair of cards to each player and the banker. If the Player and Banker hands are equal, a third card is drawn if necessary. The Player and Banker bets are then compared to determine the winner. If the Banker hand is a winner, the player must wait for the Banker to reveal their card before they can win.

Traditionally, the game was a very private affair with the Player and Banker’s two-card hands being concealed while the draw decisions were made. The players only saw the third card if it was called for, and the original hands were not exposed until all the draw decisions had been made.

When it comes to baccarat payouts, the Banker bet pays out 1:1 and the player bet pays 8:1. The game also offers a Super Six Bet where the Player wins if the Banker hand has a total of 6 points. There are also Pair Bets where the player wins if the Banker and Player have a pair of cards.

Lastly, there is the Tie bet which pays 9:1 but has a 14.1 percent house edge. Smart players avoid the tie bet and focus on the Player and Banker bets. This allows them to earn more money in the long run and reduce their risk of losing big. Online baccarat is incredibly popular and offers similar rules to in-person casino play. Despite this, the rules can vary from casino to casino and can be complex for newcomers. It is important to look for an online baccarat site with a clear and concise set of rules and helpful resources for newcomers.