How to play Punto Banco Baccarat

The game of Punto Banco Baccarat, or North American Baccarat, is generically referred to simply as baccarat, although there are three different types of games; the other two are baccarat banque and baccarat chemin de fer (also known simply as Chemmy).

How is it Played?

In Punto Banco Baccarat, the “punto” refers to the player and “banco” refers to the banker. In this game the casino will always “bank” the game and play out both hands as per fixed rules of drawing. The card points are still the same, with 2 to 9 having face value, 10-value cards being 0 and Ace being 1. Two hands are dealt in each coup, giving the bettor two hands to back. The possibility of a third card being dealt to the player will depend on whether neither the banker nor the player has a total of 8 or 9. In such cases, the player will get the third card and the drawing rules will be applied again according to the value of that third card; this will determine if the banker is dealt another card as well.

At the end of a coup, the result is announced and may be one of these: Banker Win, Player Win and Tie. The table of drawing rules is the reason that this game is also called tableau in some countries.

Chance or Skill?

Punto Bance is the only one of the three versions where no skill can be applied. Therefore, it is a game of pure chance. Many people are fascinated and attracted by this fact, and spend hours at a baccarat table waiting for that winning coup.

The Royal Baccarat Scandal of 1891 was when the game achieved a high level of notoriety in the eyes of the public, and has become a standard casino game since. It is usually played in a separate area of the casino.