Baccarat is the enigmatic card game that conjures images of men and women in tuxedos at high-limit tables in opulent casinos. But the game is far more accessible than it appears, requiring no great skill and offering plenty of opportunity to win big.

Baccarat has a distinct mystique, with the table and croupier often tucked away from the rest of the casino action. But it’s a simple game to play, and once you understand the rules and how the game works, you can have a lot of fun playing.

First, familiarize yourself with the rules of baccarat by understanding what each bet means. There are three basic bets: ‘Banker’, ‘Player’, and ‘Tie’. A bet on ‘Banker’ predicts that the banker’s hand will have a total closer to 9 than the player’s. A bet on ‘Player’ predicts that the player’s hand will have a total closer than 9 and a bet on ‘Tie’ is a prediction that neither the Banker nor the Player hand will come close to 9.

Eight 52-card packs are shuffled together and dealt by the croupier from a shoe (dealing box) that holds one card at a time. The game is played on a large table, with numbered spaces marked on the green felt for players to place their bets. If a player wishes to bet on the Player or Banker hands, they must place their chips in those respective areas.

The cards are dealt face up to the Player and Banker hands after all bets are placed. The ‘Player’ and ‘Banker’ hands are then compared to see which has the highest total. If the ‘Player’ hand is higher than the ‘Banker’ hand, all bets on the Player are paid out. If the ‘Banker’ hand is higher than the ‘Player’ hand, all bets on that hand are paid out. If the ‘Banker’ and ‘Player’ hands are equal in value, a third card is drawn according to certain rules.

If the ‘Player’ or ‘Banker’ hand totals 8 or 9, this is called a natural and all bets on that hand are paid. If the ‘Banker’ or ‘Player’ hands are not equal in value, the dealer will deal additional cards according to the ‘drawing rules’ to determine which hand has the higher value.

If you want to increase your winnings and minimize your losses, try using a positive progression betting strategy such as the Martingale System. This strategy involves increasing your wager after each loss and then returning to the original bet size following a win. But it’s important to remember that this strategy can quickly spiral out of control if you’re on a losing streak, so it’s best to set a budget and stick to it.