Punto Banco
Officially Punto Banco (North American Baccarat)
DOMINANT WORLDWIDE VARIANT of BACCARAT — pure LUCK game where casino BANKS both hands (Punto = Player, Banco = Banker) + players simply BET on which hand wins (or TIE). Signature: STRICT DRAWING RULES automated — no player decisions on hitting/standing, unlike traditional baccarat 'chemin de fer' or 'banque'. House edges: Banker 1.06%, Player 1.24%, Tie 14.4%. MOST POPULAR CASINO GAME WORLDWIDE by revenue (esp. Macau — 88% of casino revenue). Preferred by HIGH ROLLERS ('WHALES') due to low edge + no skill required.
Quick facts
Category
Casino & Gambling
Type
Individual
Players
1–14
Duration
~1 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇦🇷 Argentina
Estimated origin
Mid-20th century Argentina; spread to Cuba (Havana) then Las Vegas 1950s (Tommy Renzoni brought to Sands Casino 1959)
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Bet on hand (Player/Banker/Tie) closest to 9.
Rules
Basic rules
PLAYERS bet on PUNTO (Player), BANCO (Banker), or TIE before hand dealt
Signature 3-bet options.
2 CARDS dealt to Player + 2 to Banker (drawn from shoe)
Signature initial 2 cards.
SCORING: cards value 0 (10/J/Q/K), 1-9 face value, Ace=1; sum modulo 10 (only last digit counts)
Signature mod-10 scoring.
'NATURAL' 8 or 9 on first 2 cards = auto-stand (both hands)
Signature natural.
PLAYER draws 3rd card on 0-5, stands on 6-7
Signature player rule.
BANKER draws based on complex table (depends on Player 3rd card + Banker's total)
Signature banker draw table.
PAYOUTS: Player wins 1:1; Banker wins 0.95:1 (5% commission); Tie 8:1 (or 9:1)
Signature payouts.
Scoring
Hand closest to 9 (mod 10) wins; bettors on winning hand paid at posted odds.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Banker bet win | 0.95:1 (after 5% commission) |
| Player bet win | 1:1 |
| Tie bet win | 8:1 (or 9:1 some casinos) |
Win condition · Winning bet on Player, Banker, or Tie.
Equipment
6-8 standard 52-card decks in shoe
Signature multi-deck shoe
Large baccarat table (~14ft, 3 dealers + caller) — mini-baccarat single dealer
Signature baccarat table
Casino chips
Standard chips
Terminology
- Punto
- Spanish for 'Player' — one of two hands dealt.
- Banco
- Spanish for 'Banker' — the other hand.
- Natural
- 8 or 9 on first 2 cards; hand stands automatically.
- Shoe
- Card dispenser holding 6-8 decks.
- Commission
- 5% fee on winning Banker bets (equalises probability).
- Whale
- High-roller ($100k+ per hand) — Macau baccarat clientele.
Where it is played
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Baccarat (Punto Banco)— Wikipedia
- Wizard of Odds — Baccarat— Wizard of Odds