Baccarat is an exciting casino card game that exudes sophistication and often evokes images of high rollers in luxurious casinos. It is easy to learn and has one of the lowest house edges in casino games. However, players should make sure to understand the rules of the game before they play it for real money.

Regardless of whether you’re playing the traditional “punto banco” or chemin de fer form of baccarat, the basic rules are the same. Two cards are dealt to each player and the banker, and your goal is to bet on a hand that has a value closest to nine. You can also bet on a tie, which pays out 8-to-1. Score sheets are available at the table to help you keep track of your score.

In baccarat, you’ll find that the game is played with six, seven, or eight standard decks of 52 cards. The dealer and players sit at a round or oval baccarat table, and the player’s and banker’s spaces are marked with names. The dealer passes out the cards and announces the initial betting amount before the game begins. Players can add additional bets if they want to play against the banker’s amount.

The dealer deals an ace and a king to the banker, and a seven and a six to the player. The winner of the hand is whoever has the total closest to 9. To determine the winning hand, add up the values of all the cards in the player and banker’s hands. Then, subtract 10 for all scores over nine.

It is important to remember that the banker always wins about 51% of the time, so you should bet on the banker’s hand if you want to increase your chances of making a profit. On the other hand, the player’s hand wins only 9.52% of the time, so you should bet against it if you want to minimize your losses.

Besides the banker and player bets, there are other interesting side bets that you can place. These bets vary by establishment and platform, but they include a Player Pair bet, which pays out 11:1 odds; a Banker Pair bet, which has the same payout and wagers that the banker will receive identical cards to the player’s; and a Tie bet, which pays eight-to-one.

Baccarat is one of the few casino games that features a tie bet, which makes it an excellent choice for players who like to play for a high payout. However, you should know that this bet isn’t guaranteed to win and it’s best to leave it alone unless you’re a seasoned professional. Otherwise, you could end up losing a lot of your hard-earned cash. To avoid this, you should only bet with the amount of money that you can afford to lose. This way, you can enjoy the game without worrying about your bankroll.