If you like the idea of playing card games in the casino, but are worried about learning complex rules, then Punto Banco could be for you. This is a version of Baccarrat which is completely based on the luck of the cards. The way you behave in the game is determined by the rules, rather than any decisions taken by you.
Baccarrat can often be a very high stakes game and in casinos it is often played in a special room where everything is very quiet and secure. Even though the game is played with a fixed number of cards, it is very rare for people to use card counting as a strategy because there is no gain from this.
The cards are worth their face value with Ace being equal to one and the picture cards being worth zero. You will be dealt a certain amount of cards, starting with two and sometimes getting a third. The value of these will be added together and if it is a single digit, that is your score and if it is more than one digit, the score will be the right hand number that is known by mathematicians as the ‘units’. The player with the highest score wins. Normally after the first two cards are added together, a score from either player or banker of 8 or 9 will mean the game ends there. However if the player has 0-5 he will get a third card and if he has 6 or 7 he will stand.
If the player has just two cards, the banker will follow the above rules with regards to drawing a third. However, if the player does draw a third then the banker will only draw in certain circumstances. If the player drew a 2 or 3 then the banker will draw if they have a score of 0-4. If the player drew 4 or 5 the banker will draw if they have a score of 0-5. If the player drew 6 or 7 then the banker will draw if they have a score of 0 to 6. If the player drew an 8 the banker can only draw if their score is between 0 and 2. If the player drew an ace, 9, 10 or picture the banker can only draw if they have a score of 0 to 3.
This sounds very complicated, but the dealer will do all of the work and know under what circumstances to deal a third card. To find out more, it can be great to have a go at playing. With winning being down to chance then learning lots about the game will not benefit you. It can be worth looking at a list of online punto banco games to find out which might be the most fun for you to play.