Punto Banco, also known as American Baccarat, is a popular casino game, particularly in Oman. It is easy to learn and has some of the best odds compared to other casino games. The game is played with eight decks of cards, which are shuffled and placed in front of a card dealer.
Players must place bets in favour of either Punto (player) or Banco (banker) before any cards are dealt. The objective of the game is to form a hand with a total value that is closest to nine. Numbers two through nine are counted at their face value, aces are counted as one, and tens, jacks, queens, and kings are all counted as zero.
If the total value of the hand is above nine, the second digit of the number is counted (e.g. an 11 would be counted as 1). The cards are dealt in a predetermined order, with no decisions or choices made by the players. After the cards are dealt, the total value of the hand is determined, and the winner is paid out based on the outcome.