Lesson 1 of 3
How a hand works
Punto banco has no decisions for the player once the bets are down. That is good news for learners: if you know how cards are counted and what the dealer is about to do, you can follow every hand.
1.1 The aim of the game
Two hands are dealt on every coup (the word for a single round). One is called Player and the other Banker. Despite the names, you are not the player and the casino is not the banker. They are simply two hands, and you bet on which one will finish closer to nine. You can also bet that they will tie.
You never touch a decision after that. Whether either hand takes another card is fixed by rules printed on the table, which the dealer follows exactly. Your only choice is where to put your stake before the cards come out.
1.2 What the cards are worth
Baccarat values are simple, with one twist at the end.
| Cards | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 9 | their face value |
| 10, Jack, Queen, King | 0 |
The twist: a hand's total is only ever the last digit of the sum. If the cards add up to 15, the hand is worth 5. If they add up to 20, the hand is worth 0. Nobody goes bust in baccarat, and no hand can ever be worth more than 9.
Worked example
Eight and seven make 15. Drop the tens digit and the hand is worth 5.
Worked example
King and jack are both worth nothing, so this pair of court cards is worth 0. In baccarat that is the worst possible start, and it has a name: baccarat.
1.3 The deal
Cards come from a shoe, usually holding eight standard decks shuffled together. The dealer slides out four cards face up, alternating: first to Player, then to Banker, then a second to Player and a second to Banker.
Then the totals are read. Depending on those totals, Player may take one more card, and Banker may take one more card. No hand ever gets more than three. The exact rules for that third card are the subject of lesson 2; for now it is enough to know that low totals usually draw and high totals stand.
1.4 Naturals
If either hand totals 8 or 9 with its first two cards, that is a natural. A natural stops the coup at once: nobody draws, and the hands are compared as they are. A natural 9 beats a natural 8, and two equal naturals tie.
Worked example
Player has a natural 9. Banker's 3 would normally draw a card, but the natural ends the coup straight away. Player wins.
1.5 Who wins, and what is paid
Once the drawing is over, the higher total wins. Bets are settled at fixed rates.
| Bet | If it wins | If the hand is a tie |
|---|---|---|
| Player | paid 1 to 1 | stake returned |
| Banker | paid 1 to 1, less 5% commission | stake returned |
| Tie | paid 8 to 1 | paid 8 to 1 |
So a winning 20 on Player brings back 40: your 20 plus 20 more. A winning 20 on Banker brings back 39, because the house keeps 5% of the 20 it pays you. A winning 20 on Tie brings back 180.
When the result is a tie, Player and Banker bets are simply handed back. That is called a push. It is not a win, and the practice table on this site never counts it as one.
1.6 At a real table
Most casino baccarat is calm and orderly, and a few habits will help you fit in.
- Place your chips in the marked area before the dealer calls no more bets, then leave them alone until the coup is settled.
- In ordinary punto banco the dealer handles every card. At squeeze tables the biggest bettor on each side may be offered the cards to reveal; you can always decline.
- Commission on Banker wins is often tracked in a numbered box and collected when you leave or when the shoe ends, rather than on every hand.
- Scorecards and electronic boards showing past results are there for interest. They do not predict anything, as lesson 3 explains.
- Other people's bets are their own business. Unasked-for advice is not welcome at any table.