Baccarat is equally known as Punto Banco because it is essentially Punto (the player) playing against Banco (the banker). The key fact is that everyone at the game bets on how one hand is going to turn out. You need to score as close to nine as you can.

Each player can bet on either Punto or Banco but it is accepted that the dealer bets only on Banco. You can choose not to deal, in which case the 'Shoe' (holding the card pack) is passed to the next player. The Shoe remains with one player so long as the Bank wins, but if Punto wins, then it is passed on to the next player. A player who wins as Banco pays 5% commission to the casino � but this is acceptable since Banco wins more times than Punto.

Playing Steps

•  Your hand will comprise between 2 and 3 cards.

•  The dealer gives you two cards and holds two more.

•  Both you and the dealer compare hands. The one closest to 9 wins. If both hands are 9, then you go another round.

•  Getting an 8 or 9 (9 being the highest) is called a 'Natural'. This stops any further card dealing. If there are lower numbers the casino may deal you a third card.

•  You win if you get the highest-scoring hand.

Rules

1)  Baccarat does not recognize any cards having a value above 9.

2)  Contrary to other games, here Aces have a low value - 1.

3)  Only the numbers on the cards are used, not the suits.