Punto banco is a game of chance. Rather than the player competing against a dealer or other players, each gets a different set of cards that are dealt alternately from a shoe containing four decks of cards. The objective is to get as close to nine as possible with the total value of the first two cards. All ten-value cards count as a zero and Ace counts as one. The player's value is determined by the higher-valued card or by the lowest two-card total if the total is less than five.
Players can place a wager in the form of a bet, player call, banco call, or pair bet. The player bet is placed on whether the player’s hand will beat the banker’s hand. The banco call is placed on whether the banker’s hand will beat the player’s hand. The pair bet is placed on either the player or banker to receive two cards of the same value. Bets can be placed before each round; however, all bets are settled and cannot be withdrawn once the cards have been dealt.