Spanish Monte is a Spanish gambling card game and the national card game of Mexico. The game is played with Spanish deck of 40 playing cards or standard deck with 10's 9's and 8's removed. The play begins with the dealer drawing one card from the bottom of the deck and placing it face up on the table, this card becomes the “bottom layout”. Similarly, another card is drawn from the top of the deck, known as the “top layout”, and placed face up on the table. The remaining stack of cards, called the “monte” is placed face down in front of the dealer. The players place bets on the layout of their choice. After the last player has placed his stake, the banker turns the monte face up. The card now showing is known as the “gate”. The banker pays, one for one, any bet on a matching suit. The banker takes all the bets from a layout if the “gate” did not match the suit in the layout.