Baccarat is an entertaining casino game that’s easy to learn and offers high payouts. The game is based on a simple premise: Players bet on either the Player hand, Banker hand or a tie. The object is to have the winning hand’s final digit when all the pips are added up be closest to nine. Face cards and tens count as zero points, while aces have a value of one.

The game starts with four cards being dealt to the table. The Player and Banker hands are then compared to determine which has the higher value. A third card may be drawn if the initial total is 8 or 9. If the Player and Banker hand equal, it’s considered a tie and all bets are paid out.

While the rules of baccarat can seem complicated and difficult to understand, there are some basic principles that can help players make smart decisions when betting on the game. To start, players should place their chips in the designated bet areas, which are usually marked as ‘Player’, ‘Banker’ or ‘Tie’. There are also sometimes side bets that players can place, but they should always check the payouts and house edge before placing a bet.

Once the bets are placed, a dealer will deal two cards to each hand. The first card will be placed in the Player box, while the second will go into the Banker box. The cards will then be compared to determine the winner. In cases where the combined value of the cards exceeds ten, the first numeral will be dropped (e.g. 3 and 7 becomes 3) – this is to prevent the hands from becoming too large.

The best way to win in baccarat is to bet on the Banker. This is because the banker’s chances of winning are the highest when compared to the Player and Tie bets. This is why most players stick to this bet type.

A winning Banker bet pays out 1:1, while a winning Player bet pays out 9:1. In addition, some casinos will offer payouts of 9:1 on winning tie bets as well. However, players should be aware that these bets will have a much larger house edge than the Banker and Player bets.