Baccarat is a popular casino game that’s enjoyed around the world. It originated in Europe and has gained popularity in Asia, attracting high-rollers who like to make big bets on a single hand. The game is easy to play, and has a house edge that can be reduced by practicing good stake management.

Before the cards are dealt, players place bets on the banker or player hand. The dealer will then pass two cards face up to the banker and player. The cards are then drawn in turn to determine which hand will win. The winning hand is the one that wins closest to nine points.

If both the Banker and the Player have equal numbers, then the hand is a Tie. This is the third betting option, and it pays out 8-to-1. If you’re playing baccarat for real money, there are score sheets at the table to keep track of your score.

The first two cards are dealt to each of the Banker and Player hands, and are worth their face value – tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings count as 0 points, while Aces and faces have no value. The player must draw a third card.

Once the third card is drawn, all hands are shown and bets are paid. If a banker has a better hand than the player, then all bets on the banker are paid; if the player has a better hand than the banker, then the player collects all bets on that side of the table.

A baccarat table holds eight decks of cards. The decks are passed from player to player, counter-clockwise, every time a player hand wins.

Each deck in the baccarat shoe has a different number of cards, and each card is valued differently. The highest hand is 9 and the lowest is 0.

In a baccarat game, the first card of each round is dealt to the Player’s hand. If the player’s hand has a total of 9, then the player wins and no more cards are drawn.

If the Player’s hand has a total of 0, then they are out. The first card of the second round is then dealt to the Banker’s hand, and if they have a total of 8 or 9 they are deemed a natural. This means they win automatically, except if the player and banker produce “naturals” of the same value.

The second card of the second round is then dealt to each of the Banker’s and Player’s hands, and is also worth its face value – tens, Jacks, and Queens count as 0 points, while Aces are 1 point. The third card of the second round is then dealt to both the Banker’s and Player’s hand, and is also worth its face value if they have a total of 8 points or more.

Once the third card of the second round is dealt to each of the Banker’s, Player’s, and Banker’s hands, then all of their totals are displayed and bets are paid accordingly.