The game of Baccarat (bah-kah-rah) may be intimidating to average casino players, but it’s as simple as betting on a coin flip. The game has been around for centuries and is revered in Asia, but it’s only recently become a popular casino table game in the United States.

It’s a high-roller game, played on large tables in special rooms blocked off from the general casino action for table minimums of $25, $50, $100 or more. Its ritualistic nature, slow pace, and lavish trappings have made it a favorite of VIP players and celebrity gamblers. And it’s one of the few casino games that offers the high roller a low house edge.

There are two basic bets in baccarat – the Player bet and the Banker bet. The player bet pays out one for one, while the banker bet is subject to a 5 percent commission. This reduces the payout odds on a winning player hand to 9 for 1, but still gives the game a lower house advantage than most other casino table games. The Tie bet, on the other hand, has a higher house edge – over 14 percent – and is best avoided by intelligent players.

The game is played with a dealing shoe, which contains 8 decks or more of cards that are dealt from face down and then shuffled. Each card has a numerical value equal to its face, and the suits are irrelevant. The first hand to reach nine wins, and a tie is awarded when the first two hands are identical in value. The highest possible score is nine, but this can be adjusted by dropping the first digit or adding 10. The minimum bet in baccarat varies from casino to casino, but $20-$25 seems to be the most common in the US.

In baccarat, the players are divided into groups and play against the banker. There are usually three hands dealt, one for the players on the right of the table, one for the players on the left, and the banker’s own hand. When a player’s hand totals eight or nine, it is considered a “natural” and an automatic winner. When a player’s and banker’s hands have the same value, the game ends in a tie.

A good Baccarat table will have a history board on which the wins and losses for each hand are recorded. In the past, this was done with paper cards and a bead plate, but most modern casinos now use electronic displays connected to the shoes that show all of this information instantaneously and without error. Keeping track of the history and trends in baccarat is vital for players who want to maximize their chances of winning. If the history board is not available, players can keep notes themselves so they know how much to bet on the next hand. A baccarat history board will usually display the results of the last 10 hands, and players should pay attention to these results in order to adjust their betting strategy for the future.