Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games in the world, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a simple game to learn and maintains a low house edge, which makes it an attractive choice for gamblers. The game also features prominently in old-school James Bond movies, most famously with Sean Connery as Bond in Dr. No, Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and GoldenEye.

To play baccarat, players bet on the player or banker hand that has a total closest to nine. A hand’s total is determined by adding up all the pips (the dots on the cards that indicate clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) to the rightmost digit. Face cards count as zero, and aces count as one.

A round of baccarat is completed after the dealer deals two cards to himself and the bettors’ side. If either the player or banker hand has a total of 8 or 9 on the first two cards, the game is over and bets are paid out. Otherwise, a third card may be drawn in order to determine a winner.

The best strategy for playing baccarat is to bet on the banker. The odds are better for this bet, and the house edge is lower than that of other casino games such as slots or roulette. However, players should be aware that baccarat is a game of chance and shouldn’t try to use any strategies that involve counting cards.