| The game of Baccarat, also known
as Punto Banco (punto = player, banco = bank),
is played from either a six or eight-deck “shoe.” In
casinos where the players deal, this “shoe” is
passed from player to player, so that each
one gets a turn to deal. The shoe stays with
the same player as long as the Bank is winning.
If Punto wins, the shoe gets passed to the
next player; players have the option of not
dealing if they don’t want to. In some
casinos, there are actual dealers to deal
the cards. (And, of course, when playing
online, there is a “virtual” dealer).
Basically, players have one choice to
make: two hands are dealt, and the player
must decide beforehand what he thinks the
outcome will be. Will he bet that the Player
wins, the Bank wins, or that there will be
a tie (“standoff”)? The object
of the game is to bet on the hand with the
highest value. Though the player dealing
is “allowed” to bet on either
Punto or Banco, it is more commonplace for
him to bet on Banco. The payoff is even money
(1:1) except for the standoff bet, which
pays 8:1 or 9:1. House advantage is: Banco,
1.17%; Punto, 1.36%; Standoff, 14.12%.
Interestingly, because it has been proven
that on average Banco will win three to four
hands MORE than Punto, there is a 5% commission
(or tax) taken on a Banco bet.
Hands consist of two – or at most,
three – cards. The dealer tucks two
cards face down under the shoe – that’s
one hand. The other hand (also face down)
he gives to the player who’s made the
highest bet on Punto. This player will look
at the cards and give them back to the dealer,
who will then turn over both hands. The results/winner
will be revealed by a casino dealer.
In Baccarat, the cards have the following
values. Face cards and 10’s are worth
zero. Aces count as one, and all the other
cards are taken at face value. (The card
suits have absolutely no relevance in this
game). The highest total is 9; therefore
a hand comprised of a 6 and a 9 would be
worth 5 (i.e., after subtracting 10). A 9
and a 9 would be worth 8. And so on. A “natural” is
a two-card hand that totals 8 or 9, and when
one gets a “natural,” there is
no need to ask for a third card. When the
total of the hand is less than 8 or 9, there
are rules to determine whether a third card
should in fact be dealt (either to Punto
or Banco). More on that to follow . . .
Casino dealers collect losing bets first;
then they pay out the winning ones. “Player” dealers
have nothing to do with the payouts; they
are like the rest of the players, all of
whom are playing against the casino.
Rules for when/whether to deal the third
card differ depending on whether we’re
talking about Punto or Banco. Let’s
talk about Punto (Player) first.
A third card is never drawn when either
the Player or the Bank have a “natural” (first
two cards with total value of 8 or 9). The
player DOES draw a third card when his original
two-card total is 5 or less. When the player
does NOT draw a third card, the bank can
draw a third card on 5 or less, but stands
on 6 or more. Keep reading for rules on what
the bank does when the player DOES draw the
third card; here goes:
Bank’s total is 2 or less: bank
draws card.
Bank’s total is 3: bank draws card
UNLESS player’s third card was 8.
Bank’s total is 4: bank draws card
UNLESS player’s third card was 0, 1,
8, 9.
Bank’s total is 5: bank draws card
IF player’s third card was 4, 5, 6,
7.
Bank’s total is 6: bank draws card
IF player’s third card was 6, 7.
Bank’s total is 7: bank stands.
The above rules are not rules you need to
learn or memorize; they are standard and
automatic.
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