Baccarat is one of the world’s most beloved casino games, dating back centuries and especially beloved in Asian nations like Macau where it makes up over one third of gambling revenue. Though not an overly complex game, you should familiarize yourself with it prior to starting play.

Baccarat, commonly found in European and American casinos, is an accessible game requiring no technical expertise to enjoy. Players simply place bets on either the Player hand, Banker hand or tie when placing their bets. Objective of the Game: Predict which hand will come closer to nine than its opponent. Game Play Starts with Dealer Distributing Four Cards to Both Hands Face Down Players and Bankers take turns placing two cards face up on the table to form two hands: Player hand (positioned below PLAYER on the table), while their next two cards form Banker’s hands ( BANKER and PLAYER respectively). The total value of their hands is determined by adding their respective values together and dropping any excess digits, with Tens, Queens, Kings being worth zero points each; Eights counting as one point and Aces being valued at one.

Once both Player and Banker hands have been dealt, a decision must be made as to whether to accept or deny a third card. If either hand reaches 8-9 from its first two cards (known as naturals), this winning hand receives their payout and a third card may be dealt out if necessary; any cards which add to its total are then discarded, while if neither hand possesses two totaling greater than eight or nine left, this results in a tie game.

Baccarat dates back to Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries when it first gained popularity there as chemin de fer, before moving on to France where it quickly become widely played over several centuries. From France it spread into Asia where it has enjoyed tremendous popularity for several millennia. Baccarat has even made multiple James Bond appearances, such as Dr. No, Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and GoldenEye. Yet its long history doesn’t prevent it from remaining easy for beginners to understand – with only three possible outcomes being player hand wins, banker’s hand wins or a tie making it ideal for experiencing Vegas first-hand.