Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games in Europe and Latin America. It’s also one of the easiest to play. It is a card game where the objective is to bet on which hand will have a total closest to nine, with a hand that scores a “natural” winning the most money. The game is played with eight or sometimes six decks of cards that are dealt from a shoe. Card suits are not relevant and all cards count as their face value, except for aces which have a value of one.

Players place their bets before the dealer deals the cards. There are three ways to win: betting on the Banker’s hand, betting on the Player’s hand, or betting on a tie. The Player’s hand must be higher than the Banker’s hand for you to win. If the two hands are equal, you get your bet back.

When a hand is dealt, it is placed in front of the table with its side facing up. If a third card is needed, it is drawn by the croupier after the initial deal. Once the third card is added, the Player’s and Banker’s hands are compared. The hand with a total closer to nine wins, and the ties push (or are paid out).

Once all bets have been placed, the dealer will flip over four cards in total – two for the Player’s hand and two for the Banker’s hand. The player and the banker each have to choose whether or not to draw a third card.

If the first two cards total 8 or 9, this is a “natural” win and the game ends. If the first two hands don’t total 8 or 9, the croupier draws a third card on one or both of the hands.

There are several side bets in baccarat, but they should be avoided by beginners as they have very high house edges. The Banker Pair and Player Pair bets pay out if the first two cards are a pair, while the Tie bet pays out if either the Banker or the Player has a pair.

In order to be successful at baccarat, you must know the rules and have a good understanding of how the game works. You must also set your bankroll and stick to it. Don’t chase your losses – it’s better to stop while you’re ahead than to lose all of your money. Ultimately, it’s important to be aware that the game is not fair and that you will always lose in the long run. This is why it is recommended that you only play with the money you can afford to lose. Then, if you’re lucky enough to win a few hands, you can take that money and move on.