Baccarat is a fun and exciting game. It is played with cards, and involves betting on one of three outcomes: Player, Banker, or Tie. While it does require a bit of luck, it’s also possible to learn how to play the game. Before you get started, you’ll want to have a few basic facts in your head. Once you have a grasp of these basics, it’s time to play.

To begin, you’ll want to determine your bankroll. You’ll need to decide how much you’re willing to wager on each hand, and how many chips you’re going to invest. After you’ve made your initial bets, you can take a break and make any adjustments you need to. In general, you’ll need at least 10 units per wager, and you should bet at least 200 units on each hand.

The goal of baccarat is to get the best hand possible of the two cards that you are dealt. A hand with a total of eight or nine is considered a “natural” and is the winner. However, the goal of baccarat is to get as close to 9 as possible without exceeding it. When the sum of all the pips in your hand adds up to nine, you’ll have won.

Another important fact to understand is that your hand’s value depends on how close it is to the closest number. For instance, if you have an ace and a 6 in your hand, it’s worth six points. If you have a jack and a queen, it’s worth eight. This is because the digit on the second card of your hand counts as your score.

Betting on the Banker is the simplest of baccarat strategies. Basically, you’re betting on the banker’s hand, which has a slight edge over the player’s. In most cases, the house will apply a commission to this bet. Additionally, if the banker’s hand wins, you’ll receive a one-to-one payout.

Having a good money management strategy is crucial for any bettor. When you’re playing a baccarat session, you should set a win limit that protects your bankroll. That way, you’ll be sure not to lose too much money. Likewise, you’ll also need to check out after you’ve reached your win limit.

Aside from the usual banker and Player bets, there are some side bets available at baccarat tables. These include the winning hand being an ace or a 6 (called the Player’s “hand”), or the banker’s or player’s hand being all black.

The winning hand is the one that has the highest value after all the cards are considered. That’s not always the case, however, as the house has a 1.24% advantage over the player. So, the best baccarat strategy is to bet on the Banker.

It’s not a bad idea to use a vigorish (juice), which can reduce the winning Banker bet by up to $0.50. Usually, the vigorish is set at 5%. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should bet more than a fifth of your total.