Baccarat can seem like a complicated, mysterious game to a lot of gamblers, which is rather odd, since it has now become a staple at most American casinos, whether good online betting or land-based. It is a reasonably basic card game - from the European game of 'chemin de fer' - that's determined by strict rules of play for both the dealer (also referred to as banker) as well as the player. What makes this game simple is that the players do not really have to learn the guidelines to be able to play and enjoy baccarat. In fact, the only decision the player ever must make is who to bet for and just how much.

The game can be very dissimilar from Blackjack in that players make decisions on their own play even prior to the cards are dealt. The gambler must choose whether or not to bet on the banker, on his own hand, or on a tie. There after, they just have to sit-back and allow the action unfold before their eyes.

Baccarat is played with one objective: for the player to hold 2 or 3 cards which should count to 9 or as close to 9 as possible. If the player is dealt 2 cards and it totals to 9, the hand is called a "natural" and is considered unbeatable, even when the banker gets another 9. The next highest hand in baccarat is a 2-card hand totaling to 8, which is also called a "natural". Neither the player or banker wins if a tie occurs.

All face cards have a value of zero in baccarat, and also tens. Aces are valued as 1, and all the cards are worth their face value. If your hand totals a number over 10, the 10 is disregarded. For instance, if you have a hand of a 5 as well as a 9 (totaling 14), the value of your hand will be counted as 4, not 14. So all hands are scored from 0 to 9, without the busts.

Six or eight decks of cards are employed in a casino baccarat game. The cards are generally shuffled and after that placed in a covered box, referred to as a "shoe". One of the formalities of baccarat includes giving each of the players a possibility to deal with the shoe. But don't worry; if you are new at the game and unsure how to proceed exactly, the banker is always there to guide you. A player handling the shoe at that moment is expected to bet with the bank, not against it. If a player wishes to decline handling the shoe, she or he is free to do consequently, of course.

A game of baccarat begins with 2 cards being dealt to the player, and 2 more cards to the banker. Based on the initial value of the hand, the player and banker might want to be dealt one more card to improve the value of their hands. Only one additional card could possibly be dealt, unlike Blackjack which permits the player to hit as many cards as he wants before he desires to stand or busts. The winning hand in baccarat is the one whose count is 9 or as close to 9 as possible.

If either the player or banker gets an initial count of 8 or 9 on his two initial cards, they are called naturals and also the hand must stand. If neither the player or banker gets a natural, the player's hand is the first one played. Another card is drawn should the cards total 5 or less. The hand must stand if the first two cards total 6 or more. The banker, conversely, follows slightly different rules of play. In the event the banker gets an initial hand of 0, 1, or 2, another card has to be drawn. If his initial hand totals 3 up to 6, the banker's play then is dependent upon whether or not the player drew another card, and if consequently, just what the value of the drawn card is.