Baccarat is a popular casino game that can be played at both brick-and-mortar and online casinos. It involves betting on either the Player or Banker hand and predicting which hand total will be closest to 9. In addition, the game features a unique counting system that helps Players determine the value of each hand. This is a significant difference from standard card games, where face cards and tens count as zero.

Despite the game’s exotic name and Bond-dipped mystique, Baccarat is surprisingly easy to learn. Its rules are simple: bet on Player or Banker, and the side with the hand closest to nine wins (picture cards and 10s count as zero, aces count as one). A game of Baccarat begins with six fresh decks being opened and grouped into a shoe. The dealer then deals each hand two cards. Those cards are then calculated according to the game’s rules. Once the hand totals are compared, the winner is declared and the next round begins.

While the game’s simplicity and low house edge make it popular, it can be very easy to get carried away with wagering money you can’t afford to lose. This is why it’s essential to decide how much you want to spend in advance before playing baccarat. Treat it as money you’d spend on a night out, not as your life savings.

The game’s popularity has exploded over the past 20 years, and experts expect its global prominence to continue rising. Bill Zender, a former Nevada Gaming Control Agent and executive who literally wrote the book on managing casino games, says Asian high rollers have made baccarat their game of choice because it’s uniquely suited to their cultural preferences.

Many baccarat players use strategy to help them win more often. The best baccarat strategies can increase your winning odds, but they require some work to implement. The first step is to create a betting unit (e.g., $10). Whenever you win, your profit should be equal to or greater than your wager unit. Whenever you lose, you should double your bet size and start the cycle over again.

Another baccarat strategy to try is the Martingale betting system. This is a mathematical system in which you gradually increase your bet size after each win and loss. For example, if you start with a bet of $10, after a win, you’ll increase it to $20 and after another loss, it will double again to $40. This strategy can be risky, but it’s effective at recouping losses and making small profits over time.