Punto Banco

Home » Punto Banco

Punto Banco is one of the easiest to understand games in online, as well as real-world legal online casinos. It is also one of the most popular ones, due to the fact that it has few rules, few participants, and rounds only take a couple of minutes to either win or lose. This makes it great for those who do not have a lot of free time to play but want to get a few bets down before getting back to business.

Of all Baccarat variations, Punto Banco, or “North American Baccarat” is the one that is the easiest to get into, as a beginner. This is also the one that offers the biggest chances to win consistently, without having to plan ahead.

Easy to get into and easy to win

Punto Banco is played using 6 to 8 standard packs of cards that are all shuffled together. The game is played only between the banker and the player, and the objective is to amass cards that have a total value of 8 or 9. This means that the best hand in Punt Banco is 9 and the second-best is 8.

At the beginning of the game, the dealer places what is known as a cut-card in form of the seventh from the last card. Drawing that card marks the last round of the game. Next, the banker also burns a card, placing it face up. Based on its value, he then burns face-down a certain number of cards. This is calculated considering that aces have a value of 1 and face cards 10. During each round, or “coup”, 2 face-up cards are dealt to the player, and then the banker.

After this step, the round can end in one of three ways:

  • The player can win by having a better hand than the banker;
  • The banker can win by having a better hand than the player;
  • There can be a tie where both have the same number of points, or neither of them reach a value of 8 or 9;

In the case that neither the banker nor the player have 8 or 9 points, drawing rules apply in order to distribute a third card to each of them. If the player has 5 points or fewer, he receives another card, if he has more, he stands. In the case of the banker, if the player stands, he obeys the same drawing rules. However, if he receives another card, then the dealer also draws, based on the card received by the player.

Easy to develop strategies to win

Punto Banco is a simple and transparent game. This makes it easy to make records of what cards have been dealt and to calculate what cards players and bankers may receive in future rounds. While this is often difficult to do in real-world Live dealer casinos, online table games offer more time to think and plan ahead before making a decision

Those who want to test their luck in a fast-paced game will have just as much fun as those who like to take their time and move cautiously.