In standard punto banco baccarat, a hand is scored from zero to nine. Its score is the final digit of the sum of card values, not the total as in blackjack. This simple distinction explains the apparently unusual arithmetic seen on a table display. The examples below are a scoring exercise, not a method of selecting bets.
Assign values before adding
Ace is worth one. Cards two through nine retain their face value. A ten, jack, queen or king contributes zero. After adding a hand's two or three cards, keep only the units digit: this is arithmetic modulo ten. For instance, 7 + 8 = 15, so the baccarat score is five. A hand worth 0 is not a failed hand; it is a valid total.
Ten worked scoring examples
- A + 2 = 1 + 2 = 3.
- 8 + 9 = 17, so the score is 7.
- K + 9 = 0 + 9 = 9.
- 10 + Q = 0 + 0 = 0.
- 6 + 4 = 10, so the score is 0.
- 7 + 7 = 14, so the score is 4.
- 5 + 2 + 9 = 16, so the score is 6.
- J + 3 + 8 = 11, so the score is 1.
- A + A + 8 = 10, so the score is 0.
- 9 + 9 + 9 = 27, so the score is 7.
Why there is no 'bust'
In blackjack, exceeding 21 normally loses immediately. Baccarat has no equivalent upper score: totals wrap around. A sum of 19 becomes nine, not 19; a sum of 20 becomes zero. The goal of the comparison is the higher final baccarat score, up to nine. Neither hand can score ten or more after the modulo-ten rule is applied.
Scoring does not determine who draws
Knowing that a hand currently totals five does not mean the person betting may request a card. Under punto banco, drawing is automatic: unless a natural eight or nine ends the round, the Player hand draws on zero through five, and the Banker hand follows its own conditional chart. Read the verified third-card rules guide before treating a two-card total as a final result.
How to check a displayed result
Write each card's value, add them, cross out every digit except the last, and compare both hands after all required cards are dealt. For example, Player 8 + 4 + 3 totals 15 (score five); Banker 7 + 2 totals nine. Banker wins the comparison. This says nothing about the attractiveness of a wager: the house edge guide explains why payouts matter as well as outcomes.
Accuracy note: Examples are illustrative hands, not outcomes recorded at a real casino. For the underlying rules see Wizard of Odds: Baccarat basics. Understanding the arithmetic does not create an advantage over the game's odds.