Punto Banco is a popular card game that is widely played in casinos around the world. It is of Italian origin and is believed to have come from the oldest form of the game, Baccarat. The game is played between two hands, known as āpuntoā and ābancoā. Punto is the player's hand, while banco is the dealer's. The goal of the game is to correctly guess which hand will be closest to the value of 9.
Each card in the deck has a numerical value, from 2-9. Aces are given a value of 1. The face cards (the Jack, Queen and King) have a value of 0. The players are dealt two face-down cards and the dealer is dealt two face-down cards.
In the Azerbaijani version of Punto Banco, the players have the option of standing or hitting (drawing an additional card). The dealer's hand is always standing. The player can also place an extra side bet known as the āpairā bet. This is a wager that pays off if the players first two cards are a pair.