Baccarat is a casino game of pure chance that’s played for big money. It’s usually found in high-stakes tables and is often portrayed as formal and elegant, such as the game Sean Connery played in the first James Bond movie. It doesn’t require any technical skill, but there are a few things to know before you play.
To start, you must understand that a winning Player or Banker hand will have the highest total after the third card is dealt. The player side wins if their total is closest to nine, but the banker will always win if their total is eight or 9. In addition, it’s important to note that when the player and banker both have a natural, then no additional cards are drawn.
A tie bet pays 8-to-1 if the two hands have the same total. A winning Super Six bet pays 12-to-1 if the banker hand has 6 points, while a winning Pair Bet is paid 11-to-1 if the player has a pair of cards.
Baccarat’s history is a bit hazy, but it is believed to have originated in Italy and France around the 1400s. It later appeared in the casinos that sprung up in the 19th century, and is one of the few casino games still played with real cash. American casinos tend to use $100 bills, while European casinos use oblong chips. Whatever type of baccarat you play, be sure to set betting and playing time limits so that you don’t end up losing control of your money.