The Basics of Bacarrat

Baccarat is a card game that features in numerous James Bond movies and has long been associated with the glamorous world of high-end gambling. The game is one of the easiest to play in a casino and maintains a relatively low house edge. It’s also a great choice for those looking to try out a different casino game.

The goal of baccarat is to have the hand you bet on, either player or banker, come closest to nine. To calculate the total, you must add up the value of all the pips (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) on the cards. Moreover, all cards 2 through 9 hold their value and aces count as 1 instead of 11. If the resulting total is less than nine, the hand wins. If the total is above nine, you must drop the first digit in order to determine the exact number of points.

After each player has placed their bets, the dealer deals two cards to each box. Then the player’s and banker’s hands are compared. If the player’s hand is closer to nine, you win the hand and receive a payout of 95% of your wager. Otherwise, you lose that round. Score sheets are available at live baccarat tables to help players keep track of their results.

While baccarat isn’t as popular as blackjack, the game still contributes significantly to the bottom line of some of Nevada’s biggest casino companies. In 2011, the state’s baccarat players won more than $1.26 billion, compared to around $1.2 billion from blackjack and less than $400 million from craps and roulette.