Comparing · Banking · 2+ players
Macao.
One hidden card starts the hand. Draw toward nine, decide when to stand, and challenge the banker.
Hand total: Hidden
Drawn card
Hand total: —
One card.
Reach for nine.
Follow one sample round, then use the complete rules to check details.
Illustrated guide
A Macao hand, step by step.
The example is separate from the live game.
Complete rules
The playable table uses the later modulo-ten form of Macao and virtual chips.
Origin & history
Macao is an old European banking game, recorded by the late eighteenth century and related to Baccarat. Historical accounts connect it with central European play, including Austro-Hungarian soldiers. Its name should not be confused with the unrelated shedding game called Macau.
Objective
The punter tries to finish with a higher card total than the banker. The highest possible total is nine. The banker wins when both hands have the same total and the same number of cards.
Equipment & setup
Shuffle two standard 52-card decks together, without jokers. One player is banker; the others place agreed stakes against the bank. In this two-seat practice table, you face one bot with virtual chips. Each player receives one face-down card. The banker changes when the shoe is renewed.
Gameplay
Each Ace is worth one, cards 2–9 have face value, and 10, Jack, Queen and King are worth zero. Add the card values and keep the final digit: for example, 7 + 6 gives a total of 3. The punter acts first, drawing face-up cards or standing. A drawn zero-value card may be rejected and replaced by another draw. After the punter stands, the banker acts. Neither player sees the other's face-down opening card until settlement.
Scoring & points
The higher total wins. On equal totals, the hand with fewer accepted cards wins; if both card counts match, the banker wins. A winning punter earns three times the stake for a natural nine (nine on the first card), twice the stake for a natural eight, and an equal stake for other wins. A banker natural nine prevents a punter natural-nine bonus because the banker wins that equal one-card tie. Losing punters forfeit their stake. All chips here are virtual.
End of game & winning
Reveal both hands after the banker stands and settle the stake. Continue with another round. When too few cards remain for a fresh round, shuffle two new decks and pass the bank to the other seat. There is no fixed match target in this practice version.
Variants
In an older form, a hand that exceeded nine went bust instead of wrapping around to its last digit. Victoria begins with two cards rather than one. Macao is a relative of Baccarat, but its one-card deal, optional extra draws and zero-card rejection make it a distinct game.
Category
Comparing · Banking
Also known as
Macao
Documented countries
Austria · Hungary · Italy