Baccarat is one of the most straightforward card games in the casino, with simple rules and mathematical elegance. The game is played with multiple decks of standard playing cards, typically six to eight decks shuffled together. The primary objective is to predict whether the Player's hand, the Banker's hand, or both hands will have a point value closest to nine.
Card values in Baccarat are calculated differently than most card games. Aces count as one point, numbered cards two through nine retain their face value, and face cards (tens, jacks, queens, and kings) are worth zero points. When a hand's total exceeds nine, only the last digit is counted. For example, a hand containing a seven and an eight totals fifteen, but the baccarat value is five.
The game begins with both the Player and Banker receiving two cards. Based on specific drawing rules, a third card may be dealt to either or both hands. These third-card rules are predetermined and automatic—players do not make decisions about whether to draw additional cards. This fundamental aspect of baccarat removes much of the decision-making complexity found in games like blackjack.