Bacarrat is a card game that is played in many casinos around the world. It combines elements of blackjack and poker into one simple game that requires no technical skill to play.

The basic rules are based on the Italian game baccara, which is said to have been invented in the 15th century. The game was supposedly based on an old Etruscan legend about a virgin who had to throw a nine-sided die in order to choose her fate.

In a nutshell, the objective of the game is to bet on the hand you believe will be closer to 9 points than that of the banker. Aces count as a low value, tens and face cards are worth zero, and all other cards are worth their pip value.

There are two main forms of baccarat: punto banco, where the player’s and banker’s hands are dealt out in separate rounds, and chemin de fer, where players have the option to take a third card, if they call for it. Both of these games have decision tables that are a good starting point for basic strategy.

Aside from the aforementioned decision tables, the only other thing that really distinguishes these games is the way that they are played. Historically, the Player’s and Banker’s hands were concealed in the first place: they could only be seen when they were called for and when all the draw decisions had been made.

This meant that players did not have a lot of freedom when they were making decisions, but it also meant that the decision tables below are still a useful guide to basic strategy. This has led to the development of streamlined variants of the game, such as baccarat chemin de fer (railway baccarat), which is more popular today than its predecessor.