Baccarat / Punto Banco

Also known as punto banco, Baccarat is a widly spread comparing card game played between two hands, the player and the banker. In Macau the game of Punto Banco is much more popular than blackjack or roulette.
In this card game the bank deals two hands, the player and banker. The player can back either the player had or banker hand. The goal of the game is to reach a higher score than the other hand, 9 being the highest. The cards 2-9 are worth face value, Ten’s , Jack’s Queen’s and King’s are worth zero and Aces are worth 1 point. To make a score the values of the cards in the hand are added up, and the value of the hand is equal to the rightmost digit in the sum (modulo 10). So a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 points, a hand of 4, 6 and 10 is worth zero points (called Baccarat) or a hand consisting of an Ace, King, 6 and 2 is worth 9, the highest possible score.
If either the player or the banker (or both) achieves a total of 8 or 9 on the initial deal, no further cards are down. If neither has this score the player will proceed as follows:
Player’s rule:
If the Player has an initial total of 0–5, he draws a third card. If the Player has an initial total of 6 or 7, he stands.
Banker’s rule:
If the Player stood pat (i.e., has only two cards), the Banker regards only his own hand and acts according to the same rule as the Player. That means the Banker draws a third card if he has 0–5 and stands if he has 6 or 7.
If the Player drew a third card, the Banker acts according to the following more complex rules:
If the Player drew a 2 or 3, the Banker draws if he has 0–4, and stands if he has 5–7.
If the Player drew a 4 or 5, the Banker draws if he has 0–5, and stands if he has 6–7.
If the Player drew a 6 or 7, the Banker draws if he has 0–6, and stands if he has 7.
If the Player drew an 8, the Banker draws if he has 0–2, and stands if he has 3–7.
If the Player drew an ace, 9, 10, or face-card, the Banker draws if he has 0–3, and stands if he has 4–7.

As most games offered in the Casino, the game of Baccarat has an house edge that favors the casino over the player. The edge is small hoewever, 1.06% for the banker bet and 1.24% for the player bet. There are no strategies for the game of Punto Banco.