To win:  Pick up 2 or 3 cards as close to 9 points in value as possible.

Point values: Cards 2-9 are worth face value, Aces are worth 1 point,

while 10's and face cards like J, Q, and K are worth zero.

When the total value of cards in a hand equals or exceeds 10, the tens

digit is dropped. For example, a hand consisting of 2 and 5 is worth

7 (2 + 5 = 7), but a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3

(6 + 7 = 13 = 3).  A hand consisting of 4 and 6 is worth zero, or

Baccarat! The highest score that can be achieved is 9. Scores of 8

and 9 are called naturals.  Any player who is lucky enough to draw

a natural is required to “stand”, or not take any more cards.

There are just three possible bets: betting on banker or a

player - Banco or Punto, plus the Standoff, which is betting that

Banco and Punto will tie. The only difference between the Banco

and Punto bet is a win on Banco will cost you 5% commission or

tax levied by a casino - the in-built advantage, because Banco

wins slightly more often. It is just like betting on Black or Red at

roulette, and the payoff is even money, 1:1 (except for the standoff,

which pays 8-1 or 9-1).

  Each hand consists of a minimum of two and a maximum of three

cards. The dealer will put two cards, face down and also give two

cards to the player with the largest bet on Punto.

If there is no “natural”, then a player can request a third card, and depending on the value of each hand a dealer may take a third

card too. The Punto player then looks at the cards and gives them

back to the dealer, who will turn over the cards of both hands and

announce the winner.  All losing bets are collected from the table,

and then all winning hands are paid out.