Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games worldwide, with an alluring history and glamorous associations. It’s also a game that has engendered a number of variations and side bets, including Mini Baccarat and EZ Baccarat. These new wagers, along with the more traditional player and banker bets, have increased the game’s popularity. But even with all these options, the game remains relatively simple to play. The object is to predict which hand will come closest to nine points, with cards 2 through 9 worth their face value and tens and aces counting as zero. A player can bet on either the player or the banker, and the payout depends on whether the bet is placed correctly.
The house edge on the player bet is 1.24%, and it’s lower than the banker’s 1.06%. However, if you bet on the banker, you must pay a commission to the dealer, which reduces your profits. This is why many players choose to bet on the player, which offers higher odds and a greater chance of winning.
Regardless of which bet you choose, it’s important to understand the rules and how baccarat is dealt before playing. Once the bets are placed, the dealer shuffles and deals two cards to the banker and player hands. If either hand totals eight or nine, the bet is a “natural win.” If it’s a tie, the dealer will draw another card according to a set of predetermined rules.
Baccarat is played everywhere from sticky-floor California card rooms to tuxedo-laden casinos in Monaco. But it’s perhaps best known as the card game played by Sean Connery in the first James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Baccarat’s origins are unclear, but some say it’s based on an Etruscan legend about a virgin who had to throw a dice to decide her fate. If she threw an 8 or 9, she was elevated to the status of priestess; a lower score meant she was banished to the sea.
There are several reasons why high rollers love to play Baccarat, but the most obvious is that it’s one of the safest bets in a casino. Unlike blackjack or craps, it has a very low house advantage on both the player and banker bets. A third bet, the tie, pays off eight to one, but it has a much higher house edge than the player and banker bets. This is why most serious gamblers stick with the player and banker bets.