Baccarat is a table game that has garnered a reputation for elegance and sophistication. It has become a popular choice among high rollers and is frequently seen at lavish parties such as the one featured in the 2013 film The Great Gatsby. While it may seem intimidating to newcomers, this card game is actually quite easy to play and maintains one of the lowest house edges found at a casino.

If you want to play baccarat with confidence, you’ll need to know the rules of the game as well as a few tips and strategies that will help you win more often. The best place to start is by practicing for free, which is now an option at most online casinos. You can use the practice mode to try out different betting strategies and get a feel for the game without risking any of your real money.

There are three possible outcomes in a round of baccarat: a player win, banker win, or tie. Each hand is dealt two cards face up to all players at the table. The person with the hand total closest to nine wins the round. You can bet on either the player or banker hand, or you can even bet on both. When you bet on the banker hand, a commission is paid to the casino, which varies by casino but averages around 5% of the winnings.

The history of baccarat dates back over 500 years to Medieval Italy, where it was originally played by noblemen and upper classes. The game was later brought to France in the 19th century, where it became known as chemin de fer or chemmy and gained popularity among the French aristocracy. Today, baccarat is a popular table game at many casinos in the United States and Europe and can be played legally online in five US states where gambling is legal.

Baccarat is one of the few casino games where the banker hand actually has better odds than the player hand. The reason is that the fewer decks of cards in play decrease the house edge on the Banker bet while making the Player and Tie bets more expensive. This makes the Banker bet the best wager to make at a baccarat table.

The most important thing to remember when playing baccarat is to avoid the Tie bet, which has a very high house edge of over 4% and is rarely paid out. In addition, you should also avoid any other side bets offered at the baccarat table as they are generally much less profitable than the main bets.