In the game of Baccarat, only three things can happen; either the banker wins, or the player wins or there is a tie. The aim of the game is to get as close a hand to 9 as possible. Aces are valued as 1 and the face cards are valued at 0. The participants in the game can place their bet on the player or the banker. In baccarat, even those who are not playing the game can place their bets.

Baccarat is played at an oval shaped table. The croupier and two dealers man the table; the dealers collect the bets while the cards are usually shuffled by both the dealers and the croupier. The dealer takes the bets at the beginning of the game. The dealer can also take on the role of the banker which is usually taken up by all the players round the table in turns. In the first round, two hands are dealt, face up. Most of the casinos use 8 decks of cards while others may use even 6 or 1 deck.