Baccarat is that enigmatic card game you see high rollers playing in opulent casinos. It oozes refinement and evokes images of men in tuxedos and women in elegant evening gowns putting down chips as the dealer distributes cards. But don’t let the game’s mystique intimidate you; with just a little time and practice, anyone can learn how to play Baccarat.

The goal of Baccarat is to bet on which hand will come closest to nine points. Players place their bets in one of two gaming spots at the table—the Player box and the Banker’s box. The dealer then deals two cards—one to the Player box, and then another to the Banker box. If the total of the two hands is eight or nine on the first deal, it’s called a natural win and all placed bets are paid out. If the first total is zero, a third card is drawn.

If the second total is a seven or higher, both the player and banker must hit. If the second total is a six or lower, the banker must draw a third card unless the player has a 6. If the banker draws a sixth, they must stand and the game ends.

A player can make a number of side bets in Baccarat beyond just betting on a Player or Banker win. These bets vary by establishment and platform, but they include Super Six and Pair Bets. Super Six Bets pay out 12:1 odds if the Banker hand wins with a score of 6 or higher. The player can also make a Pair Bet, which pays out 11:1 if the Banker and Player hands have matching pairs of cards on the deal.

As the popularity of Baccarat grows, some casino managers are looking at ways to increase the game’s revenue potential. Bill Zender, a former Nevada Gaming Control agent and longtime casino executive who literally wrote the book on managing casino games, says Asian high rollers in particular have made baccarat their game of choice in recent years for cultural reasons. He says the game is attractive to high rollers because it has one of the lowest hold percentages in the industry at just 1.2 percent on banker and player bets. A tie bet, however, has a much larger house edge of more than 14 percent.

Baccarat is a slow-moving, ritualistic game where the players actually deal the cards. It’s played on large tables in the high-roller rooms of casino establishments, and players often put down large bets in the hundreds of dollars. Baccarat’s history stretches back to the gambling salons of Italy and France, but the game has become increasingly popular in the United States in recent decades. It’s now the number-one casino game worldwide.