Six packs of cards will be used for this game. The players are seated around the table. In the middle there's a basket where the used cards go. The person to draw first has to sit next on the right hand of the croupier.
The croupier shuffles the cards and passes them on. When the circuit of the table is made, the croupier shuffles again and offers the deck to the player on his left to cut. The croupier puts the cards before him and, taking a quantity from the top, hands it to the player on his right who is the dealer or banker. The rest of the players are punters.
The dealer has to place the amount he is disposed to risk before him and the players “make their stakes”. Any punter may say “Banco” (which means “go to bank”) and play against the banker's stake. If no person does it, each player puts his stake before him.
The banker deals four cards faced down. The player who was the highest stake represents the punters. Each looks at his card and, if they make either a nine or an eight, he turns them up saying the number aloud and the hand is about to finish. If the banker's point is better, the punter’s stake goes to the banker, if the punter's point is better, the banker pays the punter his stake.
The stakes are then made fresh and the game continues. If the banker won, he deals again, if not, the cards are passed on to the next player.
If none of the parties turn their cards face up, that would mean that neither has eight or nine. If that's the case, the banker would offer a third card given upwards. If the player already has a six or seven he'll refuse the card, otherwise he'll take it. When he accepts or refuses the card he'll be liable for any loss and, in some circles, he can be fined. With five points only, the punter has the opportunity to take or not to take the card and no one has the right to advise him.
Now it’s the banker's turn to decide whether he's going to draw a card or not, his guidelines are the cards he already has, the cards drawn by the punter (if any) and what he may know or guess of the latter's way of playing. If he hesitated, the banker may assume he had a five and since the third card is upwards, the banker will know what the punter has. So the banker draws or not and pays if he has to. Ties don't lose or win, the stake remains for the next hand.
The banker is not allowed to withdraw the winnings. If he wants to retire, he passes the deal. The next dealer in line would take over the bank with the same amount of money stood when the last banker retired.
If a player has gone bank and lost, he can still do it on the next hand even if the deal was passed to another player.
When the first supply of cards is over, the croupier takes a new handful and has the player on his left cut them. The cards left in the dealer's hand have to be several for the deal to be valid.
MediaGambling Staff
