Baccarat (pronounced bah-cah-rah) is one of the most lavish and least understood casino games. While it looks intimidating at a distance, with gorgeous women seated around the large table and both players and dealers in tuxedos, the game is actually easy to play and has one of the lowest house edges of all casino games.

When a player places a bet on baccarat, they must choose between betting on the Banker, the Player, or a Tie. The dealer then deals two cards to the Banker hand and the Player hand. A third card is sometimes dealt to either hand, and the winner is determined based on whose total value is closest to nine. The game is usually dealt from a six or eight-deck shoe, and all tens count as zero, aces count as 1, and other cards equal their face value.

The first step to becoming a winning baccarat player is understanding the rules. Each table has a number indicating the position of each customer, with a lined-off area for placing a banker bet and another for a player bet. Upon placing a bet, a marker is placed in the appropriate area. The dealer then shuffles the deck and places it in a special box, called a shoe, to begin the deal. In some cases, a member of the staff may cut the deck to ensure the cards are shuffled properly.

At the beginning of each round, all a player has to do is decide what they want to bet on – the Banker, the Player, or if they want to place a bet on a Tie. After this, the Banker and Player hands are dealt according to a predetermined system of dealing that the dealer knows by heart. The player and Banker hands are scored and the results are announced. If the Player or Banker hand has a value of eight or nine, it is a “natural,” and the winner is paid out at a rate of one to eleven. If the Banker and Player hands have a tie, the bet is refunded.

A popular baccarat strategy is the Martingale System, which involves increasing your bet size after each loss. However, this can result in high losses over time, so it is important to monitor your bet size and stick to a budget. A safer betting strategy is the Paroli System, which works by doubling your wager after each win and then returning to your initial bet size after each loss.

While many casinos use paper and a bead plate to keep track of the game’s results and trends, most now have electronic displays that display all this information instantaneously. These displays are a vast improvement over the bead plates and paper records, because they not only display the results of the game but also provide a full suite of trend information. In addition, the electronic displays make it much easier for customers to see their individual bets and winnings.