The highest total any baccarat hand can have is nine. A two-card total of nine is called a "natural" and cannot lose. An eight is the second-best hand and is called a "natural". If both the player and banker are dealt identical hands, it's a stand-off (a tie) and neither the banker nor the player hand wins.

You do not receive any cards, or play against anyone but to predict which hand will beat the other.

The player and the banker are each dealt a two-card hand. Following standard baccarat rules, a third card is dealt to the player and/or the banker.

Pair - Two cards of equal value or face. I.e. 7,7,4,Jack,Ace - the two 7's are the pair.
Two Pair - A total of four cards making two pairs. I.e. 5,5,9,9,King - the two 5's and two 9's make the two pair.
Three of a Kind - Three cards of equal value or face. I.e. Queen,4,8,Queen,Queen - three Queens are the three of a kind, called triple.
Straight - All cards are in numeric order or consecutive value. I.e. 7,8,9,10,Jack.
Flush - All cards are uniformly suited. I.e. 7h,3h,Aceh,9h,5h (h stands for Hearts)
Full House - Hand composed of a pair and a three of a kind. I.e. 5,5,5,8,8
Four of a Kind - Four cards of equal value or face. I.e. 2,2,2,2,7
Straight Flush - Combination of a straight and flush - All cards in numeric order and uniformly suited. i.e. 6h,7h,8h,9h,10h
Royal Flush - Highest straight flush possible. There is only one Royal Flush for each suit: Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.

So, on a 3 line machine, you can play the center line for one coin - the center line and the line above it for two coins - or all 3 lines for 3 coins. If you don't play a specific line and a winning combination comes up on it - then you don't win.

Classic slot machines have 3 reels and only 1 line - a horizontal payline that goes through the middle of each reel. You may be able to wager more than one coin per spin on these games - but the amount will apply to wins on the same payline. (You win more by betting more, but your chances of winning stay the same)

Other 3 reel slots often have three paylines, one in the middle, one above it, and one below it. Betting 1 coin activates the middle payline, betting 2 coins opens up 2 paylines, and 3 coins plays all 3 lines on a spin.

5 reel slot machines typically have quite a few paylines, from 5 to 15. These paylines aren't necessarily straight lines - there's diagonal matches and lines that actually bend. How the lines go differs from machine to machine, but the lines should be marked clearly on each game.

What's frustrating about this game is the lack of smaller reel combinations coming up. There really aren't that many on the paytable to start with - so you can play through a lot of games without hitting much better than three bars. Still, this game is really all about the jackpot - which at the time of this writing is huge!

There's a bonus game that's designed to keep you spinning - getting 3 magic wands opens up a bonus game. Not 3 wands in one spin mind you - but rather in a sitting. Each time a wand lands on a reel it's added to a 'collection' on the side - and once you've gotten three the game begins. Sadly, we never managed to get 3 wands in a sitting - so just what the bonus game is, we're not sure. But as wands appear to be few and far between, it's probably pretty good :)