Despite its Bond-dipped mystique and the tuxedo-clad dealers, the game of Baccarat has an elegant Zen-like minimalism. Players bet on either player or banker, and the side that gets closest to nine when all of the pips (the dots on a playing card that represent clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) add up is the winner. It’s one of the few casino games that are virtually a coin flip in terms of house edge (1-1.5%) and is played in a flash (the game’s result is decided within seconds).

Baccarat was once the preserve of high-rollers, but the game is making its way into the mainstream. While its minimums are still expensive ($20-$25 in the US) and tables remain limited, the game’s popularity is increasing as a result of its relative ease of play, low commission rate, and high probability of winning.

A baccarat table has from seven to 14 seats for players and a box that serves as the dealer’s area. After all bets are placed, the dealer will deal a single card to each player’s box and then another to the banker’s box. Then, after both hands have been dealt, the game is over and the results are shown on electronic scoreboard screens. The scoreboards will show whether the Player or Banker won, as well as the total and the ties.

The digits 9 and 8 are the most common winning hand values in baccarat, although some hunches pay a lot more. For example, a bet on the “Super Six” pays 12x the initial bet amount if the banker’s hand has six points or higher.

In addition to a scoreboard, many casinos are also incorporating electronic “prediction” screens on the tables that provide a visual prediction of the winning outcomes. These screens often display patterns, such as Little Road or Big Road, that indicate the results are likely to repeat, a pattern known as a streak. They also show if the results will “chop” or bounce back and forth between Player and Banker.

Management is also adding a final machine-shuffling step after the players have been dealt their cards. Several casinos have adopted this process to eliminate the time-consuming and costlier task of cutting and dealing pre-shuffled cards. They can also improve the security of the game by reducing the risk that the decks might have been exposed to external light sources or touched by other people between the shuffle and the dealing.

Customers are expected to treat the cards with respect. Unlike blackjack, where customers often rip or crumple cards, few baccarat players bend or twist the cards in anger or frustration. However, the dealer will sternly reprimand any customer who bends or twists the cards in the hope of improving their chances of getting a better result. In some Asian countries, players will even roll the corners and sides of the cards to determine their value based on their spot configuration. Baccarat dealers will only reuse the cards if they don’t exhibit any obvious signs of wear.