Baccarat, also known as Punto Banco is an old French game between two sides, Punto (Player) and Banco (Bank). The game is played on a special table about the size of a Craps table with up to 14 players.

General Play

The object of the game is to get a higher hand than the other player, whether you back the player or the bank. A total of nine is the best hand. At the start each side has two cards. Further cards are then drawn by one of the players. Drawing of the cards is rotated so everyone has their turn. Similar to Blackjack, each card is worth its' face value. The exception is that 10's, Jack's, Queen's and Kings count as zero (0). An Ace counts as 1.

Example:

King and 6 equals 6 (not 16)  |  2 and 7 equals 9.

At the start of the game each player puts their stake in front of them according to their choice of Player or Bank (Punto or Banco).  The player then draws four face up cards and deals them alternatively  to the player and then the bank.  The player will decide whether fifth and sixth cards are drawn depending upon the values of the first cards.Players all want their side player or Bank, to get a score as near to 8 or 9  as possible.  These are known as naturals, and win outright. In the great majority of hands these totals can vary considerably. Note that the players do not have any option whether to draw a fifth card or stay, because this is laid down precisely in the Table of Play (see below). Example:

Player's Hand (Punto) 2 and 3 equals 5

Bank's Hand (Banco) 4 + 10 equals 4

In this case, the table of play dictates that player should be dealt another card.  If it were a 6 the the total goes down to 1.  On the Bankers turn to be dealt a card if he gets an Ace he would then have a total of 4 + 10 + 1 equals  5 and the croupier would call the result of the Bank winning.  Bets for the winning Player receive even money whilst winning Bank betsWinning Player bets are paid even money. Winning Bank bets are paid at 19 to 20. When both sides have equal hands the it is known as a 'stand off'.  However, it is also possible to make a side wager to bet for a tie (known as 'egalite') at odds of 8 - 1.Dealing remains the responsibility of the same player as long as the Bank is wining.    When the Player wins the dealing shoe moves to the next person on the right hand side.

TABLE OF PLAY
Player:
1,2,3,4,5,0	Draw a card
6-7	Stand
8-9	Declare hand
Bank:
	Draw when giving:	Does not draw when giving:
3	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10	8
4	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	1, 8, 9, 10
5	4, 5, 6, 7	1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10
6	6, 7	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10
7	Stand
8, 9	Stand
The Bank must stand having 6 when Player has 6 or 7 on the initial deal.
There are no optional draws. Both Player and Banker must draw according to these tables: