How to Play Punto Banco at Online Casinos in Australia
Punto Banco is a popular card table game played at online casinos in Australia. It is super simple to learn and popular because you don’t have to know a ton of complicated rules.
Today, we will teach you how to play Punto Banco and give you a basic strategy for winning. In just a few minutes you will know everything you need to win at this game.
Rules of Punto Banco
Punto Banco is another name for baccarat. It is a simple card game where the objective is to make the best hand. The best hand is nine. However, you don’t have to worry about any complicated strategies as your only action in this game is to bet.
Punto Banco has three standard bets. The first is the Player bet where you’re betting that you will win the hand. The next bet is the Dealer bet where you bet that the dealer will win. You can also bet the Tie where both hands will equal to the same point total.
Once you’ve placed your bet, there’s nothing else you need to do. The dealer will handle everything else. At the start of the hand, you will be both dealt two cards and point totals calculated. You get one point for an ace. Deuces through nines are tallied at face value. Tens and face cards are worth zero points.
After the deal, your points are tallied. If your point total is ten or greater, you will subtract ten from your total. For example, if you get a six and five, your total is initially 11. After subtracting 10, you will be left with one.
Once cards are dealt, if either hand totals eight or nine, the hand is over and that’s considered a natural win. There are a couple of exceptions. When the banker ties, it is a push. If the dealer has a nine against your eight, the banker wins.
Getting a Third Card
After the points are tallied, hands are evaluated and given a third card under certain circumstances. For players, you will get a third card for hands under six. Bankers can draw cards in a variety of situations.
When a player doesn’t take a third card, bankers will draw on anything under six. Otherwise, bankers will draw based on the third card of the player. Here’s a chart on how the banker will draw based on the player’s third card.
- 9, 10, J, Q, K, or Ace – Banker draws on everything under four.
- 8 – Banker stays on everything above 2.
- 6 or 7 – Banker only stays on 7.
- 4 or 5 – Banker draws on everything under 6.
- 2 or 3 – Banker draws on everything under 4.
After the hands are evaluated and a third card is drawn (if necessary), winners receive payouts based on the final totals.
Punto Banco Payouts
Payouts for this game are simple. When you win on a Player bet, you will get 1 to 1 on your money. A $1 bet will become $2. For Dealer bets, you will get 1 to 1, but you will generally pay a commission. This ranges up to 5 percent. In our images, the game takes a 3 percent commission, so you will get back $1.97 on a Banker win.
For Tie bets, you will get 8 to 1 on your money. This means you’ll win $9 for a $1 bet on a Tie.
Bet the Dealer For Consistent Wins
Punto Banco is among the games with the lowest house edge at Australian online casinos. The Player bet has a house edge of 1.24 percent while the Dealer bet has an edge of 1.06 percent. As such, your best play is to bet the Dealer every hand.
Some players like to play streaks, and while you may get lucky in the short-term, the long-term winning play is to always bet the Dealer.
So how about the Tie bet? The tie bet has a 14.36 percent house edge, which is worse than playing online pokies. We recommend avoiding the Tie bet.
You can play Punto Banco for free at Pokie Pop. You can also find real money versions there along with real money Punto Banco at Mucho Vegas Casino, Joka Room, and Uptown Pokies. Punto Banco is a fun online table game with a low house edge. By playing proper strategy, this is one of the best games for consistent wins at online casinos.