Though it might seem complex, learning how to play Punto Banco (aka Baccarat) is a lot easier than most people think. What’s good for 007 is good for OJOers too, so prepare to be surprised in this complete guide to playing Punto Banco online.
Punto Banco rules
A vital part of learning how to play Punto Banco involves understanding the rules. If you’ve never played Punto Banco or any other online Baccarat variant, this is the place to start. Despite its seemingly complex and sophisticated nature in James Bond films, Punto Banco is actually really simple to play.
Here’s a look at the Punto Banco rules:
- Punto Banco is a player v bank card game played on a semi-circular Punto Banco table
- Players can bet on Punto (Player), Banco (Banker), or Tie (sometimes called Egalité) positions
- The goal is to win your bet on Punto, Banco, or Tie betting positions
- Cards A to 9 have face value, eg. a 5 is worth 5 points, A is worth 1 point
- Cards 10, J, Q, and K are worth 0 points, ie. the first digit is disregarded
- Player and Banker positions are each initially dealt two cards
- Hand totals exceeding 10 disregard the first digit, eg a 14 is worth 4 points
- The position with the closest hand total to 9 wins
- A hand total of 8 or 9 with the first two cards is called a natural and is an automatic win
- Third Card rules determine if additional cards are drawn
- Side bets such as Perfect Pairs may be available
Punto Banco Third Card Rules
In many cases, a natural doesn’t come up right away, so Third Card Rules come into play to determine a winner. While you don’t need to know these rules to play, it is interesting to see how they work.
Third Card Rules will always deal Punto a third card first. Whether or not Banco will get a third card depends on Punto’s third card and Banco’s hand total.
Here’s a quick look at how Third Card Rules work, starting with Punto:
As you can see, Punto only gets a third card if their hand total is 0 to 5. If Punto gets a third card, the following rules determine if Banco gets a third card too:
| Punto’s Third Card | Banco Hand Total | Banco Third Card? |
| 2 or 3 | 4 or less | Yes |
| 5 – 7 | No | |
| 4 or 5 | 5 or less | Yes |
| 6 or 7 | No | |
| 6 or 7 | 6 or less | Yes |
| 7 | No | |
| 8 | 2 or less | Yes |
| 3 – 7 | No | |
| 9, 10, J, Q, K, or A | 3 or less | Yes |
| 4 – 7 | No |
It looks a bit scary, but OJO says don’t worry! These rules all play out automatically – there’s no need for you to do anything except watch it play out.
Punto Banco side bets
You’ll likely see side bets in Punto Banco, with pairs, number of cards dealt, and tie points the most common. What’s nice is you can play these side bets without having to place a main bet. Here’s how the Punto Banco side bets work:
- Punto Pair: This wins if Punto’s first two drawn cards are a pair
- Banco Pair: This wins if Banco’s first two drawn cards are a pair
- Either Pair: This wins if either Punto’s or Banco’s first two drawn cards are a pair
- Perfect Pairs: This wins if either Punto’s or Banco’s first two drawn cards are a suited pair (eg. 5 of hearts)
- Big: This wins if the total number of cards dealt is 5 or 6
- Small: This wins if the total number of cards dealt is 4
- Egalité Extra: This wins if you correctly guess the points with which each position ties, from 0 to 9
Step by step Punto Banco gameplay
Punto Banco rounds play fairly quickly and are thankfully extremely easy to bet on. Here’s OJO’s guided tour of a round of Punto Banco:
- Choose your chip value: Click on one of the displayed chips to set a value (keeping responsible gaming practices in mind, of course)
- Place your bet: Tap on Punto, Banco, or Tie to place your chips on one of the main bets (and/or place your side bets here)
- Watch the result: The dealer will draw two cards each to Punto and Banco, with third cards drawn according to Third Card rules
Easy as that! If your bet wins, your winnings will be added to your balance automatically.
Punto Banco payouts
How much you get if you win depends on the bet you placed. Here are the payouts of the main and side bets in Punto Banco:
| Punto Banco Side Bet | Payout |
| Punto/Banco Pair | 11/1 |
| Either Pair | 5/1 |
| Perfect Pairs | 25/1 |
| Big | 0.54/1 |
| Small | 1.5/1 |
| Egalité Extra 0 | 150/1 |
| Egalité Extra 1 | 215/1 |
| Egalité Extra 2 | 220/1 |
| Egalité Extra 3 | 200/1 |
| Egalité Extra 4 | 120/1 |
| Egalité Extra 5 | 110/1 |
| Egalité Extra 6 or 7 | 45/1 |
| Egalité Extra 8 or 9 | 80/1 |
Payouts may vary between games. Check the game’s pay table for details.
Punto Banco v Baccarat
Punto Banco is a simpler variant of traditional Baccarat that was developed in Havana in the 1940s for the North American market. Here’s what sets the three different Baccarat variants apart:
- Punto Banco: A simple game where players play against the bank (casino)
- Chemin de Fer: A multiplayer game with players competing against each other and taking turns to act as the bank
- Baccarat Banque: A two player game played across two joined tables and using three decks of cards (as opposed to the six or eight of other variants)
That said, what you’ll find referred to as ‘Baccarat’ at online sites like PlayOJO is actually the Punto Banco variant of the game. That’s because it’s much easier to learn and play, and you don’t need to act as the bank!
Best Punto Banco and Baccarat games to try
At PlayOJO you’ll find more than 60 Punto Banco and Baccarat games to explore, with bets starting at just 20p. Here are OJO’s picks for the best Punto Banco games to try:
- Speed Baccarat: A faster-paced game with rounds taking just seconds
- Lightning Baccarat: Random cards can carry up to 8x multipliers
- Baccarat Squeeze: This suspenseful game reveals the cards slowly
- Punto Banco Soirée Gold: A luxury studio based live dealer game
Play Punto Banco online
Punto Banco is a simple card game that’s perfect for a post-work wind-down. Its easy to learn rules, short rounds, and interesting side bets make it a popular choice. Give one of PlayOJO’s many Punto Banco and Baccarat variants a try today.
