Punto Banco

The rules: Punto Banco

Two hands are dealt, the player (punto) and the banker (banco); you bet on the one that will come closest to 9, or on a tie. Cards 2 to 9 count their face value, tens and face cards count 0, aces count 1. Only the last digit of the total counts: 7 and 8 make 15, so 5. Each hand gets two cards. An 8 or 9 on the first two cards is a natural: the deal stops. Otherwise a third card is drawn or not according to a fixed table applied by the dealer; the player decides nothing. The winning hand is paid even money. A winning bet on the banker usually carries a 5% commission, because the banker wins slightly more often. A tie pays 8 to 1; when it happens, bets on player and banker are returned. The exact commission and the bet limits are posted at the table.