You may also wish to bet on the "tie", betting that the two hands will end in equal totals. A winning "tie bef' pays 8 to 1. The game is played with eight full decks of cards. The cards are shuffled by the dealers and placed in a box called a "shoe".

All cards count as face value. Ace equals one. Deuce is two. All tens and face cards, or any combination of them have no value. 9 + 5 = 4. Jack + 1 = 1.

The game begins when four cards are dealt alternately from the shoe. The first card goes to the player, the second to the Bank, the third to the player and the fourth to the Bank. If the point count of either hand is 8 or 9 it is called a "natural" and no additional cards are drawn. If the Bank does not have a natural, the player will always draw a third card on totals of 0-1-2-3-4-5 and stand with 6-7-8-9.

The cards are dealt according to fixed rules. There are no options regarding drawing the third card for either players' or bankers' hands. The dealer instructs the player when to draw additional cards. No more than one additional card will be drawn to each hand. The hand closest to 9 wins and will be paid at odds of 1 to 1. If both the player and banker hands result in identical totals, it is a tie and neither hand wins nor loses.

When the player does not have a natural, the banker will always draw on the totals of 0-1 or 2, then observe the following:

Banker Draws When Player's Third Card is

3	0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9
4	2-3-4-5-6-7

Does Not Draw When Player's Third Card is

0-1-8-9
4-5-6-7
0-1-2-3-8-9
6-7
0-1-2-3-4-5-8-9	Stands

Natural (Stands)

7	Stands
8-9	Natural (Stands)

When the player hand wins, the shoe passes to the next player.