Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games in the world. It is played in several different ways, but the main rule is that only the hand that comes closest to nine wins. This game has a history of over 500 years and is enjoyed by high rollers around the world. In Las Vegas it is often found at the top casinos and is a staple of James Bond films such as Dr. No, Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and GoldenEye.
The game is easy to learn but there are a few important rules to know. First, it is best to play in cash only. This helps to avoid getting carried away by the excitement of the game and prevents you from overspending. Secondly, always decide how much you want to spend before playing and stick to it. Lastly, never bet more than you can afford to lose. If you don’t feel comfortable gambling with real money, baccarat is a great option because it is easy to practice in demo mode at many online casinos.
To begin, six decks of cards are shuffled together and players are seated in random order around the table. The dealer will then deal two cards to the player’s hand and the banker’s hand, which are both face up. The winning hand is whichever one is closest to 9. If neither the banker’s nor the player’s hand is closer to 9, a third card will be drawn.
Depending on the rules of the game, players can choose to bet on either the banker or the player hand. However, most serious baccarat players will only bet on the player or banker, as the tie bet has a high house edge of over 14 percent. Moreover, betting on the banker will require the player to pay a commission that varies by casino.
In addition, a 5% commission is added to all winning banker bets. This fee is not as high as the 5% that is charged to players on their winning bets, but it can add up quickly when you bet a lot of money on the banker side. Fortunately, this can be avoided by avoiding the tie bet. Players can also reduce the house edge by using a strategy called edge sorting, which is based on tracking patterns in a shoe of cards. This technique was used by Phil Ivey, who won over $10 million in baccarat at two Atlantic City casinos in 2012. However, this strategy is not legal in the United States and may result in criminal charges or lawsuits.