Although it looks complicated, Baccarat, (pronounced with the silent "T"), is the simplest card game played in contemporary American casinos. It is played in a separate, closed-off area called the Baccarat Pit and on a large table, generally seating twelve players. Baccarat is a game of pure chance that requires no skill on the part of the players. Baccarat is by far the best bet for your gaming dollar. The House Edge is only 1.2% on Player hands, and 1.1% on Banker hands. Mini-Baccarat, which is played on a Blackjack-style table in the main casino, allows for only seven players. Minimum bets are $5, instead of $20, and is dealt exclusively by a single dealer.

The Baccarat table is rectangular and about the size of a Crap's table. It has even spaces for players, size on each side, numbered 1 through 6 on one side, and 7 through 12 on the other. Each player's position features three betting areas, marked Player, Banker, and Tie. There are 12 little boxes, called Commission Boxes, where dealers place the players' appropriate commission payments due the House before each player leaves the game.

In Baccarat, the gaming chips are quite a bit bigger than the regular casino chips; purely for show. At the Baccarat table is doesn't matter which seat you take. You are not playing against the other players or the House. Your betting action is against the cards, no player decisions are involved. Baccarat is played with eight standard decks of cards, no jokers, all shuffled together. The Shoe containing the eight shuffled decks is called The Bank. In American Baccarat, the player holding The Bank has no specific advantage over the other players. Each player at the table is then given The Bank in turn and can hold it as long as the Bank wins. Once it loses, The Bank moves to the player on his or her right, counter clockwise, and so on. The player holding The Bank deals out four cards, two sets of two cards, with the first and third cards going to the Player hand, and the second and fourth cards to the Banker hand. There are only three bets available in Baccarat, the The Bank hand, the PLAYER hand, or the Tie hand. You can place your gaming chips in the area so marked.

For the bettor, the object of Baccarat is to place a wager on the hand that will at the close of dealing, be closest to '9' in total value, without going over. In Baccarat, all 10-value cards and face cards are counted as zero, Aces are counted as 1, and all other cards are counted at their numerical value. The various suits play no role in this game. If either Baccarat hand has a King and a 2, the value of the hand is 2. There are very strict rules dictating whether, after the first two cards dealt, more are to be drawn. Players in Baccarat have no choice in what cards are drawn and cannot manipulate the outcome. There are no individual hands dealt to player. The game ends on its own and bets are paid on this final result. Winning depends on what option you placed your bet on . If either the Player's hand or the Banker's hand is dealt an 8 or 9 on the first two cards, this called a Natural. The desired objective in Baccarat is to receive a Natural. If both the Player's hand and the Banker's hand draw the same Natural, say '9', it is called a Tie, neither hand wins or loses, but the payoff is made on those bets placed on the Tie hand. Tied hands do not occur frequently, but pay off at '9 to 1 odds', while the other two bets, Banker and Player hands, only pay off at Even Money.