Baccarat is one of the world’s most iconic casino games. It’s featured in James Bond films, and it’s the game of choice at casinos all over the world, especially in Asia, where it generates more than 88 percent of Macau’s casino revenues. In fact, baccarat is so popular that it’s often associated with luxury and sophistication. Baccarat can be a difficult game to master, but with practice and the right strategy, you can become a pro in no time.

Unlike Blackjack, where you can choose to hit or stand, a player’s decisions are limited in baccarat. You can place a bet on either the Banker, Player, or Tie. A bet on the Banker predicts that the banker’s hand will have a total value closest to nine. A bet on the Player predicts that the player’s hand will have a similar value. A bet on a tie predicts that both the Banker and Player hands will have a total value closest to nine.

The game was first played in Italy and France in the 1400s. It became a favorite of the French royalty, even after public gambling was banned in the country. In the 1600s, it was a popular game at the casino palaces that sprouted up on the Riviera.

Today, baccarat is a staple of the casino industry, and it’s a popular game at online casinos as well. Baccarat can be found in both live dealer and video game versions. It’s played on large tables that can accommodate up to 14 players. The croupier will use a palette, a wooden or plastic tool, at particularly large tables to move the cards around more easily.

If you’re new to baccarat, you might want to learn the rules of the game before playing for real money. The basic rules of baccarat are simple. The Banker and Player hands are dealt two cards each. The one with a total closer to 9 wins. The cards are numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Aces count as 1, and the rest of the cards hold their face value.

In some cases, the croupier will need to draw a third card on either the Player or Banker hand. This is known as a “Tie.” The banker and the player have different rules for when this happens, but the banker must always decide whether to draw a third card.

It’s also important to understand how the game is scored. There are some specialized scoring systems for baccarat, including the Paroli System. This is a positive progression betting strategy that differs from the Martingale system in that you double your bet after every win and return to your initial bet size after a loss. This is a safer betting strategy that can help you build up a larger bankroll without risking too much money.