Baccarat is the enigmatic card game that conjures images of men in tuxedos and women in elegant evening dresses laying down chips as the dealer distributes cards. It’s an exciting, fast-paced game that, with some practice, can be easy to master.

To play baccarat, you’ll need to decide whether to place a player, banker, or tie bet. Then, you’ll need to determine how large your bet should be (taking into account the minimum and maximum bets set by the table you’re playing at). Once you’ve settled on a bet size, move your chips into the player, banker, or tie area of the table. Then wait for the dealer to deal the cards.

The game is played with anywhere from six to eight standard decks of 52 cards, and each hand is worth its total value of nine points. The goal of the game is to correctly predict which hand, Player or Banker, will win the round, or if the hand will be a tie. A winning hand is the one that gets closest to nine, and the game can be won by betting on either the Player or the Banker.

Once all bets have been placed, the dealer deals two cards to the Bank hand and two to the Player hand. Depending on the variation of the game, the third card may be dealt to either or both hands. The hand with the highest total wins, and ties are rare. The values of the cards are determined by adding up the numbers and digits in each hand, with only the rightmost digit counting. In baccarat, 9 is worth nine points, while 8 and 7 are worth seven points each.

If you correctly predicted a winning player or banker hand, you’ll receive a payout of 1 to 1. If you bet on the tie and it is a winner, you’ll earn a higher payout of 8 to 1, but there is a 5% commission paid on this wager.

As with any gaming venture, you should enter Baccarat with a clear plan of how much you’re willing to lose and when you’ll stop. Rather than doubling your bet after every loss, keep your bet the same and only double it after a winning streak. By doing so, you’ll avoid over-betting and make your winnings last longer. It’s also important to set a loss limit and walk away once you hit it. This will help you stay in control of your money and avoid taking risks that can be difficult to recover from.