Baccarat is one of the world’s best-known casino games. With an illustrious past that once limited it only to royalty and elite society members, baccarat is now widely played worldwide in casinos – especially Macau which accounts for 88% of gaming market revenues worldwide! Popular in Singapore as well, and quickly making inroads into America through virtual gaming platforms.

Baccarat (pronounced ba:k@raet) is a card game played between two hands: player and banker. Each baccarat coup (round of play) may end in one of three ways: either player win, banker win, or tie. Rules may differ slightly depending on which variant is being played; generally though, players place bets on either player or banker hand with hopes of achieving nine point victory by closest scoring hand.

At a typical round of baccarat, each hand receives two cards that total 8 or 9. If these combine into an 8-9 total for a natural win and pay out your bets accordingly; otherwise this results in a reversal and the bettor must place new bets.

If neither the player nor banker wins, a third card is drawn – typically a reversal card which pays out 9/1. This form of baccarat known as “punto banco” is typically played in the United States; however some variants, particularly those based on original Chemmy games may use fixed drawing rules instead.

Baccarat rules are straightforward and accessible, unlike other casino table games which require in-depth knowledge of mathematics and probability such as roulette, blackjack and slot machines. Baccarat is designed to be simple for novice or casual gamblers to grasp quickly; in fact it has one of the lowest house edges at only 1.06% giving more playing time from your bankroll than with other casino games.

Those new to baccarat should familiarize themselves with its rules and procedure before playing for real. A dealer distributes one card into each of the Player and Banker boxes before assessing bets made against either side. If the Player hand is a winning one, the game ends and bets are paid out immediately. However, if the Banker hand wins instead, play will continue until his score drops lower than that of the Player hand and then it is time for them to stop and stop betting altogether. Before betting in baccarat, it’s essential that you understand its rules. Otherwise, it could cost you dearly! Therefore, before sitting down at any table, set a budget and stick to it – otherwise baccarat can quickly become addictive and send you bankrupt before your night at the casino is done!