Complete guide to Punto Banco.

1. Punto Banco Drawing Rules For Dummies

• Punto Banco, a popular version of Baccarat in many Latin countries and elsewhere, has proven to be a successful draw in any casino.
• Punto Banco The rules of the game in Punto Banco are very similar to many varieties of Baccarat. The game is played at a card game table using six decks of fifty-two cards. The game is played.
• How to play baccarat.

There is an old saying about baccarat – it is a game played by the rich to stay rich, and played by the poor to get rich. So I may have made that up, but it’s not far from the truth.

One main reason for baccarat’s immense popularity is the unusually low house edge of 1.24% on Player and 1.06% on Banker (despite the 5% commission on Banker). With odds like these in your favour, it is easy to see why the super rich of the world don’t mind the odd dabble. Baccarat is in fact, regarded as the Game of Kings – and was certainly good enough for the legendary Kerry Packer and the fictional James Bond to play. In fact, rumour has it that Kerry Packer nearly bankrupted the MGM Grand in Las Vegas by playing hard and fast. So if it’s good for them it’s good enough for the rest of us.

Baccarat has come a long way from its humble beginnings in the 1500s of Italy. The French tried to lay claim to creating the game, but in reality, they just made it popular during the heights of their libertine debauchery of the 1800s, when you weren’t cool if you didn’t gamble: much like modern-day Australia.

Best real money baccarat casinos

How to Play Baccarat and Player & Banker Card Drawing Rules

Baccarat has got to be the only game in the world named after what you try and avoid in the game itself – the worst hand possible – baccarat; which translates to “zero” or “nothing”. The aim of the game, naturally (pun intended), is to win, and the best way to win is with a “natural” eight or nine: a two card total of eight or nine.

There are generally three betting options offered in baccarat:

• Bet on ‘Player’ which pays 1:1.
• Wager on ‘Banker’ which pays 1:1 (minus a 5% commission).
• Bet on the tie option, which pays at least 8:1, but sometimes 9:1 and even 10:1 at online casinos.

To get started, you must choose which betting option you wish to punt on, place your bet, sit back and watch the cards come. However, following the draw of the cards however can be baffling if you don’t understand the “tableau” or drawing order rules, so we’ve broken it all down for you:

Four initial cards are dealt: one for Player, one for Banker, then a second for Player and a second for Banker. From here, depending on the initial two card totals, more cards may or may not be required according to the tableau.

• Player draws a third card if its two-card total is baccarat (0) – five.
• Player does not draw a third card on a two-card total of six or seven.
• Player and Banker hands both must stand if either has a two-card total of eight or nine.
• Banker draws a third card on a two-card total of baccarat (0), one and two.
• If Player stands, Banker hits on two-card total of five or less, stands on anything higher.
• Banker stands on a two-card total of seven.
• When the Bank’s two card total is between three and six, depending on Player’s two-card total or third card, Banker may or may not draw another card – this is where the (below) comes into play.

We’ve included two tableau’s, as some prefer a sentence-style break-down (left), while other prefer a simple table (right).

If both totals, at the end of play, are equal, the result is a tie. In the event of a tie, all Player and Banker bets are a push and do not lose. The tie bet is a particularly lucrative bet for the casino with an alarmingly high house edge of 14.4%, so be weary when thinking of having a bet on the tie. A handful of casinos offer another side wager – Player Pairs and Banker Pairs, and this pays 11:1 and takes in to account whether the first two cards dealt to either Player or Banker are pairs (two Kings, two Fours, etcetera). This wager is far more common online.

Where to Play Baccarat – Online and Offline

These days though, baccarat has become more of a refined game and the favourite of high rollers the world over. However, we feel it is in everyone’s best interest to alter the image of baccarat from a a sole high-stakes game to a game players of all betting stakes can enjoy. It can still retain that elegant and luxurious feel, but players wanting to bet $5 or $10 per hand should be able to do so – and now they can.

All land-based casinos within Australia have baccarat tables, but few offer low limit games. With the advent and popularity of online casinos, baccarat is now more accessible than ever and available to play for free or real money (as little as $1 per hand) via the top-rated online casinos recommended in our casino table above – play via your smartphone, tablet or Smart TV, too. These trusted interactive casino sites offer baccarat in every form known to the World Wide Web, and the good news is each provides a handy AUD welcome bonus.

Each of the above recommended gambling websites have their own preferred methods to deposit and withdraw Australian money, such as credit and debit cards, e-wallets, instant banking and pre-paid cards.

Basic Baccarat Strategy

Now if we get down to nitty gritty maths of baccarat we see that the probability of Banker winning is 45.84% whereas the likelihood of Player winning is 44.61%. Going on these numbers alone there is a strategy – if you could call it that – to just bet Banker and you will come out ahead. This however, is a flawed strategy because it is all based on statistics and theory which is all well and good on paper, but in the real world the cards don’t always fall according to the stats.

There is also a cheeky little strategy called the Martingale Strategy. Due to the 5% commission on Banker it isn’t really effective for use on Banker but is great for Player. The strategy goes that if you lose, the next hand you double up until you win. For example if you lost a $50 bet on Player, the next hand you would bet $100 on Player, thus covering your loss and giving you a $50 return. If you were to lose your $100 bet, you would then bet $200 on Player, a win would cover your total $150 investment and a $50 profit. The only shortcoming of this strategy – it works on the premise you have an infinite wallet.

I do not have an infinite wallet though… However you decide to go about attacking the baccarat tables, good luck. Let’s hope you manage to pull a Kerry Packer and break the casino.

Baccarat is called Punto Banco in many casinos in South America and Europe. 'Punto' means 'Player', while 'Banco' means 'Bank', in reference to the two principal bets of the game.

The object of the game is to bet on the hand (either 'Punto' or 'Banco') that you think will have a total of, or closest to, 9. Or to bet that both 'Punto' and 'Banco' hands will have the same total (a 'tie' or 'stand off').

Punto Banco is played at an oval table, similar to the French's 'Chemin de Fer' version. The actual number of players per table may vary from casino to casino.

The Punto Banco table is staffed by a croupier, who directs the play of the game, and two dealers who collect and pay bets as well as tallying commissions due.

Six or eight decks of cards are normally used, shuffled only by the croupier and dealers. Like 'Chemin de Fer', the shoe is passed around from player to player, who acts as the dealer of the cards and as 'banker,' but he or she does not actually bank the game. The 'banker' may bet on the player hand if he or she wishes, or may pass the shoe along to another player - the role of the 'banker' is merely ceremonial.

The player who has the highest bet on the 'Punto' hand is given the 'Punto' cards, though he or she simply turns the cards over, announcing their total. The croupier instructs the 'banker' when to deal third cards, and then announces the winning hand.

Punto Banco is usually played in special rooms separated from the main gaming floor, ostensibly to provide an extra measure of privacy and security because of the high stakes often involved.

Punto Banco games are frequented by high rollers, who may wager tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single hand. Australian tycoon Kerry Packer is particularly fond of the game, having won and lost large sums over the years.

Minimum bets are relatively high, often starting at $25 and going as high as $500. Posted maximum bets are often arranged to suit a player, but maximums of $10,000 per hand are common.

Despite its simplicity (or perhaps because of it), Punto Banco offers the lowest house advantage among casino games. The 'Punto' bet has a house advantage of 1.24%, and the 'Banco' bet (despite the 5% commission) has an advantage of 1.06%. The 'Stand Off' bet has a much higher house advantage of 14.44%, based on six decks in play.

Because of its attraction for wealthy players, a casino may win or lose millions of dollars a night on the game.

Play Punto Banco Now!

Punto Banco General Rules

• No hand receives more than three cards

• When 'Punto' and 'Banco' hands are equal, a 'Stand-Off' is declared

• Tens and face cards (all jacks, queens and kings) are worth zero, aces are worth one, and all other cards are worth their face value

• If the value of a hand exceeds nine, the value is adjusted by subtracting 10 from the total

• Example:

Punto Banco Drawing Rules For Dummies

Play Punto Banco Now!