At the beginning of the game, the dealer prepares the cards by thoroughly shuffling them and, after the cards are cut by a player, places them inside the shoe. The dealer does not participate in the game; he merely assists the players in making and settling their bets, and advises them on proper procedure.

Then, each player must place a bet in the betting area of the Baccarat table. A player may bet on either "Player", "Bank" or "Tie".

When all bets are placed, the player acting as the Bank alternately distributes two cards face down to the player who made the largest bet and to himself. The procedure for looking at, announcing, and displaying the hands is somewhat elaborate, but this only adds to Baccarat's appeal.

The player making the largest bet faces the two cards and passes them back to the dealer, who announces the total. The hand is then placed on the section of the Baccarat table marked "Player." The Banker then faces his hand and passes the cards to the dealer, who announces its total as well and displays the cards on the position marked "Bank."

If either the "Player" or "Bank" hand has a total of 8 or 9, it is called a "natural." For example, if the "Bank" hand has a "natural" 8, and the "Player" hand has a total of 7, all players who bet on "Bank" win. The dealer then announces the result, such as "Bank hand wins natural 8 against 7," and settles all the bets.

However, if the "Player" hand is a "natural" 8 and the "Bank" hand has a total of 6, all players who bet on "Player" wins. The dealer then announces the result, such as "Player hand wins natural 8 against 6," and settles all the bets.

A natural 9 beats a natural 8. Two naturals of the same number are considered a "tie", in which case all the players who bet on "Tie" wins. The dealer then pays all bets that were placed on "Tie."

Related Links

• Learn to Play Baccarat
• Baccarat Table Layout
• Draw Rules
• Baccarat Strategy

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