Baccarat
Two hands — Player and Banker — are dealt two cards each. You bet on which hand will finish closer to 9, or on a Tie. You never play a hand yourself: the dealer follows fixed drawing rules.
Counting a hand
Ace = 1, 2–9 = face value, 10 and picture cards = 0. Only the last digit counts: 9 + 6 = 15 → 5.
Naturals and third cards
A two-card total of 8 or 9 is a “natural” and ends the hand. Otherwise, fixed rules decide whether a third card is drawn.
Typical payouts
Player 1:1. Banker 1:1 minus a 5% commission. Tie usually 8:1. Variants and side bets differ — check the table’s paytable.
Key terms
Shoe — the box holding several decks. Road / scoreboard — a record of past results. Commission — the share taken from Banker wins.