Punto Banco is a popular card game that is played at many casinos around the world, including Panama. The game is a variation of baccarat, which is a very old European casino game. It is played using a deck of eight standard decks of playing cards. Punto Banco is a relatively simple game. The objective is to obtain a hand with a total closest to 9. The winning hand is the one closest to 9.
The game starts with the dealer dealing two cards to each of the players and one card to himself/herself. The value of the cards is determined by counting the sum of the two cards. Aces are worth 1 point, 10s and face cards are worth 10 points, and all other cards are valued at the number indicated on the card. The highest total value anyone can obtain in Punto Banco is 9.