Baccarat is the casino table game of choice for many high rollers. It’s played at tables with particularly high minimum bets, and the game can go on for hours, letting lots of money change hands. Baccarat is a great choice for people who want to experience the thrill of a Vegas trip without having to leave their home.

But if you’re looking to play baccarat, there are some things you should know. First, it’s important to understand that this isn’t the same as blackjack. Instead of having two hands against the dealer, baccarat has just a player hand and a banker hand. Both hands have 2 cards, and the goal is to get a total close to 9.

The game uses a standard 52-card deck that is shuffled together. Each card rank carries a specific value, and the higher the card number, the higher its value. The ace, for example, is worth 1 point. The game is most often played with 8 decks of cards in offline casinos, while online baccarat is typically dealt from 6 decks.

After players have placed their bets, the dealer will deal one card to the Player box and then another card to the Banker box. The resulting total is the winner of the round. If the resulting total is 9 or closer, that winner is paid out. The rest of the bets are settled according to a table that is posted on the baccarat table.

It’s also important to keep in mind that baccarat isn’t the same as poker, where skill can have a significant impact on a player’s chances of winning. In baccarat, the odds of winning are based on the outcome of a single hand, which makes it an extremely safe game to play.

In addition to the house edge, baccarat has a variety of side bets that can significantly increase the cost of the bet. These bets aren’t recommended, but players can place them on a hunch.

Unlike other casino games, in which players can record results on paper or in a bead plate, baccarat uses electronic displays to display the trends of past shoe outcomes. These displays will show the occurrence of each bet, including the Banker, Player, and Tie, and can help gamblers track which bets are winning more often. Some players use this information to try and ride a streak, while others simply track it for reference.

While baccarat isn’t the most complex or challenging of casino games, it does provide a unique level of involvement for players. Gamblers can interpret the trends displayed on the baccarat scoreboard and even squeeze the cards themselves to feel involved in the process of the hand being dealt. This, along with the unique social aspect of the game, helps explain its popularity in Las Vegas.