Punto Banco is based on the ancient game of Baccarat, which dates back to the 15th century. In Punto Banco, the cards are dealt according to predetermined rules and the winner is determined by the total point count of the two cards. The Player’s cards are counted first, then the Banker’s cards. The winning hand is the one with the highest point count, with the exception of a "natural" - when one hand has 8 or 9 points and the other has less. In this case, the one with 8 or 9 points wins.
Each card is given a point value, with Ace counting as 1, the face cards (J, Q, K) counting as 0, and the rest of the cards counting as their face value. To calculate the total point count, only the last digit of the total is taken into account; for example, a hand consisting of 7 and 9 cards would total 16 and the point count would be 6.