Baccarat (/bkrt/; French: [bakar]) is the enigmatic card game that conjures images of men in tuxedos and women in evening gowns, laying down chips as a dealer distributes cards. But don’t let the game’s mystique intimidate you-it’s easy to learn and a lot of fun to play. With a little practice, you’ll be playing like a pro in no time.

The object of baccarat is for players to correctly predict which of two hands-the Banker hand or the Player hand-will come closest to nine points. The game is played using a standard deck of 52 cards that are shuffled and dealt from a shoe. All tens, jacks, queens, and kings equal nine, while aces equal one. If a player’s hand or the Banker hand totals 9 points or more, that side wins the round. If either hand scores less than 9, the round ends in a tie.

In traditional baccarat, each participant gets a betting space on the table marked with the game’s betting options. They place wagers on whether they think the player or banker will win, and then the dealer deals the cards. The first active game space is called the banker spot, which represents a virtual player that the real players compete against. The dealer then passes the banker hand and player a pair of cards face-up.

Each hand must get as close to 9 as possible in order to win, but it’s not always as simple as that. The ace and king, for instance, are worth 0 points, while the seven and six are worth 1 point each. Players also have the option to add up their total value from the cards in a particular way. For example, an 8 and a 7 would be worth 14 points.

Once the players have made their bets, the dealer will deal two cards to each of the three hands-the player, banker, and tie. Then the players and the dealer will determine which hand has a higher score. The winning hand will receive a payout according to the type of bet it placed.

The banker hand will win around 45.8% of the time, and the player hand will win 44.6%. Ties occur 9.6% of the time. Players can choose to bet on the player, banker, or both sides, and they can change their bet amount for each round.

In addition to the player, banker, and tie bets, baccarat offers a number of other interesting side bets. These bets pay out based on the specific odds that you’ll find at your particular establishment or online gambling platform. Generally speaking, though, they’re fairly safe bets to make. Players can even use a betting system such as Martingale to help them improve their chances of winning. Just remember to be responsible and always gamble within your means.