Punto banco: rules and odds

What punto banco means

The name is Spanish and Italian for the two hands on the table: punto is the Player and banco is the Banker. Neither hand belongs to you or to the dealer. They're just two positions that receive cards, and you choose which one to back. In most of the world, including British casinos and online lobbies, "baccarat" now means punto banco, which is why a table labelled simply "Baccarat" follows these rules.

Older European forms such as chemin de fer let players take the bank and make drawing choices. Punto banco removed all of that: the casino banks every bet and a fixed tableau decides every draw. If you've wondered how punto banco differs from baccarat, that's the short answer: it's the house-banked, no-decision version.

Punto banco card values and hand totals

Punto banco is usually dealt from eight decks shuffled together in a shoe. Card values are simple, and suits never matter.

Only the last digit of a total counts. A king and a 7 make 7. An 8 and a 5 make 13, which counts as 3. A 9 and an ace make 10, which counts as 0, the worst possible hand. Because the tens digit is always dropped, no hand can go over 9, and there's no bust. Our guide to how baccarat cards are counted has more examples.

How to play punto banco: one coup, step by step

A single round is called a coup. Here's the order of play at a live or online punto banco table.

1. Place your chips on Player, Banker or Tie (and any side bet the table offers) before betting closes.
2. The dealer gives two cards to Player and two to Banker, alternating, starting with Player.
3. If either hand totals 8 or 9, it's a natural: both hands stand and the coup is settled.
4. Otherwise Player acts first: it draws a third card on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7.
5. Banker then draws or stands according to its total and, if Player drew, Player's third card.
6. The higher total wins. Equal totals are a tie, and Player and Banker bets are returned.
7. Winning bets are paid, with 5% commission taken from Banker wins.

The punto banco third-card table for Banker

Player's rule is easy to remember. Banker's depends on what Player did. If Player stood with 6 or 7, Banker uses the same rule as Player: draw on 0 to 5, stand on 6 or 7. If Player drew a third card, Banker follows this table.

You don't need to memorise this; the dealer or software applies it automatically. It's still worth understanding because it explains why Banker wins more often: Banker acts second, with knowledge of Player's third card. Our page on the third card rule walks through each row with examples.

Punto banco bets, payouts and odds

There are three main bets. With eight decks, the figures published by Wizard of Odds (opens in a new tab) are:

The arithmetic is easy to check. On a £1 Player bet you win £1 with probability 0.4462 and lose £1 with probability 0.4586; ties return the stake. That nets −£0.0124, or 1.24%. On a £1 Banker bet you win 95p with probability 0.4586 and lose £1 with probability 0.4462, netting −£0.0106. With six decks the Banker and Player edges are unchanged to two decimal places, and the tie edges move only slightly (14.44% at 8 to 1, 4.931% at 9 to 1).

Why the Banker bet carries 5% commission

Leave out ties and Banker wins about 50.7% of decided coups against Player's 49.3%. If Banker paid even money, the bet would favour you. The 5% commission turns that around: a £10 Banker win pays £9.50, which leaves the house a 1.06% edge.

Even after commission, Banker is the cheaper of the two main bets by 0.18 percentage points. At £10 a coup that's 1.8p a hand, or about £1.35 over 75 coups. The difference is real but small, and backing Banker every time doesn't change the fact that the house keeps an edge; our banker bet guide looks at that choice in depth.

Commission-free tables don't remove the cost; they move it. EZ Baccarat pushes a three-card Banker 7 win (1.02% edge), and Super 6 tables pay half on a Banker 6 win (1.46% edge).

The punto banco tie bet in the UK: 8 to 1 or 9 to 1?

This is where tables differ most. Wizard of Odds says the tie pays 8 to 1 at almost all casinos, while the Wikipedia baccarat article (opens in a new tab) says most UK casinos pay 9 to 1. The difference matters enormously: at 8 to 1 the tie costs 14.36% of every stake, and at 9 to 1 it costs 4.844%.

A tie comes up about 9.5% of the time, or roughly 1 coup in 10.5. True odds are therefore about 9.5 to 1, so even a 9 to 1 payout falls short. A £5 tie bet costs about 72p per coup at 8 to 1 and about 24p at 9 to 1. Our tie bet page sets out the full numbers.

What punto banco costs per hour

Evolution's rules give its standard live baccarat round as about 48 seconds, which works out at around 75 coups an hour if you bet every round. Expected loss per hour is stake × edge × coups. These are long-run averages; your actual result in any hour can be well above or below them.

Faster tables deal more coups in the same time, so the hourly figure rises even though the edge is unchanged. See cost per hour for the same sum applied across other games.

Punto banco myths that cost money

• Roads and scorecards predict the next coup. They record past results only. Each coup is a fresh draw from the shoe.
• A run of Bankers means Player is due. That's the gambler's fallacy; streaks are normal in random results.
• Progressive staking turns the edge around. Martingale-style doubling increases your stake after losses, so table limits and your budget come into play long before the edge does.
• Counting cards gives an edge. RNG versions shuffle electronically and live studios control their own shoes and shuffles, so this belongs to theory, not practice. Our card counting in baccarat answer covers the history.
• Punto banco rewards skill. There are no drawing decisions; see is baccarat a game of skill.

Punto banco online and live in the UK

Online you'll find RNG punto banco, where software shuffles and deals, and live baccarat streamed from a studio with a real shoe. The drawing rules are identical. Variants such as speed baccarat, squeeze tables and EZ rules are all built on the punto banco tableau and change only the pace, presentation or payouts.

UK-licensed sites must follow the Gambling Commission's rules for non-slot games: no autoplay since 17 January 2025, a minimum of 5 seconds per game cycle, net spend and time shown on screen, and age verification before play. The online slot stake limits don't apply to baccarat, so set your own deposit limits before you play.

Where to play punto banco online

None of our partners' welcome offers is a baccarat offer. Casumo gives a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20, wagered 10x within 7 days with a £5 maximum bet, and game, play and payment restrictions apply. 10bet's 100% match up to £25 must be wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, with £1,000 maximum bonus winnings. Coral's deal is bet £10 on slots, get 100 free spins (10p each, selected games, 7 days to use).

18+ and terms apply. Table and live games are often excluded or weighted lower for wagering, so check the terms, and check the casino's game lobby for its punto banco tables and their tie payout.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.