Baccarat – pronounced bah-ka-rah – is a casino game with a Zen-like minimalism that belies its complexity. It is played by betting on either the “Player” or “Banker” hand; whichever side’s cards total closest to nine wins the hand. Picture cards count as zero, tens and face cards are worth their face value, while aces are one.
Players place bets on the player’s hand, banker’s hand or tie. The game’s dealer deals two cards to the player and banker. The player and banker then compare the hands. The winning hand is the one that totals closer to nine than the other.
The game is quick, with each round lasting only about 30 seconds, and the decks are reshuffled after each deal. As a result, a losing streak can wipe out a large bankroll in minutes. A good strategy, however, can help a Players win more than they lose.
A well-known baccarat strategy involves increasing the bet size after each loss and reducing it after each win. This is known as the Martingale system and it can be used to balance losses and wins over time. The game also has a number of other betting systems, including the D’Alembert and Paroli strategies, which aim to optimize profits over time.
Baccarat’s house edge is lower than that of most casino games, making it more attractive to players. The casino’s advantage of 1.06% is smaller than that of roulette, blackjack, and slot machines. Plus, baccarat rounds are fast and take up very little of a casino’s floor space.
The game’s popularity among high rollers in Asia has grown rapidly in recent years. According to Bill Zender, who literally wrote the book on managing casino games and has seen the industry from the trenches to the executive suite, Asian high rollers make baccarat their game of choice because it fits their cultural preferences.
In the 2007 movie Rush Hour 3, main characters James Carter and Genevieve first meet in a Paris casino playing baccarat. Unsure of the rules, Carter is unsure what his card totals should be and mistakenly believes that he has a three-king hand (aces are worth one, and a king and a six add up to seven). He is correct, but the other players have covered for him so he only receives a $10 payout for his win.
The game has many variations and rules, but the basic rules are the same. The banker’s hand wins more often than the player’s, and the game usually pays out eight to one on a win on a banker bet. The game’s payouts on ties and side bets vary depending on the rules of the specific game. A rule sheet is typically available on the baccarat table or a click away when playing online. A player should always check this to be sure that they are following the correct rules. If they are not, a player should ask the dealer or press the ‘i’ button to be shown the correct procedure.