Baccarat is one of the most popular card games in casinos around the world. It’s also a favorite among high rollers, who often play it for large sums of money.

The game of baccarat is played with eight 52-card packs, which are shuffled together and then dealt by the dealer from a shoe. Two cards are then dealt to each hand, the Player hand and Banker hand.

When the first two cards are dealt, players may place bets on either the Banker or Player hand. They can also wager on a third card to be drawn, depending on house rules. The third card is used to determine whether or not a winning hand has been made. The hand closest to 9 wins, paying 1 to 1.

In baccarat the card values are as follows: 2s through 9s count face value, tens and picture cards have zero point values, and aces are worth one. The highest score possible is nine.

There are different variations of baccarat, including Punto Banco and Chemin de Fer. The latter is similar to the original baccarat, but with the house being the bank instead of the player.

The rules of baccarat are very simple and straightforward, but they do have a few differences from other casino card games. For example, players must bet on the player or banker and not the tie, which pays off 8 to 1. In addition, players have to bet the amount of their own bet before a hand begins.

Before the player bets, he or she must check the table layout to see how many players are in play and where they are sitting. There are seven to 14 seats at the Baccarat table, and green felt covers the entire surface. Besides these seating areas, there are other numbered spaces where bets are placed.

While the table minimums vary from casino to casino, $20-$25 seems to be a popular amount. Moreover, you should always keep a journal of past hands so that you can make adjustments to your strategy based on previous outcomes.

Baccarat has an average house edge of only 1.2 percent on the player and banker bets. However, there are some times when the house edge will be higher – especially when the player side has a slight statistical advantage.

Most serious baccarat players stick to the player or banker bets, but there is a third betting option called the tie that has an average house edge of over 14 percent.

In the baccarat table there are seven to 14 spots where a player can place a bet on the Player or Banker hand. The betting area is covered with green felt and the numbers 1 to 12 are marked on it.

The dealer begins by distributing the cards from the shoe, face down. The first and third cards form the Player hand, and the second and forth cards form the Banker hand.

The third card is drawn when both the Banker and the Player hands have a total of eight or nine points. If neither hand has a total of eight or nine, the dealer draws an additional card to each hand.