Baccarat is a casino game that has one of the lowest house edges in the industry, so it’s a great way to enjoy your time at the tables without taking a huge risk. However, there are a few things you should know before playing baccarat.

The game itself is simple and easy to understand, with only two decisions: whether you want to bet on the Banker or Player. Once you’ve chosen your side, the dealer deals two cards to both and sees which hand comes closest to nine. The winner is the hand that has the highest score.

Unlike other card games, face cards have little-to-no value in baccarat, with tens, jacks, queens, and kings being worth zero points and aces being worth one point. All other cards have their face values, and a total of 9 is the maximum score.

There are five types of bets in baccarat: Players’ Bet, Banker’s Bet, Tie Bet, Super Six Bet and the Pair Bet. Each type of bet offers different payouts and a different house edge, so it’s important to check out the details before placing your wager.

The best way to play baccarat is by using the right strategy. For example, many advanced players will follow a pattern that zigzags between banker and player wins. This strategy is a great way to reduce the house edge, as long as you’re willing to wait for double win streaks to appear.

Most baccarat tables feature a large, rectangular table with 12 seats on either side of a croupier (dealer). Green felt covers the entire table and numbers 1 to 12 are marked on it.

To start the game, each participant must place a bet on the side they think will win. All bets must be placed before the dealer calls “no more bets”.

Normally, eight 52-card packs are used, with each pack being dealt by the croupier from a shoe. The croupier deals each pack of cards one at a time, facing down. The croupier may also deal a third card to each hand, but the rules of the game are fixed.

Once the first round of cards is completed, a third hand is dealt to each player. Each hand is dealt a second card, and the third card is then turned over and counted. The hand with the closest total to nine wins.

The pips of the playing cards that are clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades are added together to calculate the final number. If the pips of the cards add up to more than nine, the first digit is dropped. This is why a seven and a six would be 13, whereas a three and a four would be 7.

If the total of all the pips of the cards is less than nine, the digit is dropped and the winning hand is the one that has the closest total to 9. The first digit is then added back into the result, and the remaining digits are then added up.