Baccarat overview

Baccarat, usually pronounced with the letter t’ being silent, is one of the most popular and common casino card game that is often available in both land-based and online casino versions. Originally, the game was played in North America, but today it is played in many European countries and other parts of the world. The game has several variations and rules, but it is important to note that one rule exists in all the game types, and it is the fact that players need to get a winning hand to be close to nine as much as possible. This article presents the main variations or types of Baccarat and their rules as explained in the next section(s).

Chemin de Fer

Chemin de Fer is the most common baccarat variant found in many European casinos (mostly in French casinos). The game's object is quite simple and straightforward, and it is to get winning hand close to nine as much as possible. Before the play begins, one player takes the role of the banker and proceeds to deal the cards. The other player(s) take the role of punters. Nonetheless, in the subsequent rounds, the position of the banker shifts to the next player is a counterclockwise direction. The rules of this game state that a player is playing against the House, which means there is no direct involvement as far as betting is concerned. When it comes to third card drawing, the rule is that a player can either draw or stand on five. Besides that, the play of the banker is optional in most cases.

Punto Banco

Punto Banco is one of the most common Baccarat variant traditionally played in North America, Finland, U.K, Finland, and Australia. The primary distinguishing factor in the above variant comes clear upon looking at its rules. The dealer or banker in this version is always the casino. The third card can be drawn, but it is not based entirely on the value of the dealer’s and the player’s hand. In this light, Punto Banco is a game of pure luck, and no strategy may be applied to cheat the house. Unlike other card games, with the above Baccarat variant, players do not need to memorize the values since fast rules apply and they are no guidelines.

Baccarat Banque

Banque is similar to De Fer with the notable difference being in the manner in which the position of the banker is changed. In this variant, the Banker continues to play his/her role until the entire shoe of devoid of cards irrespective of whether the player or Banker wins. Besides that, instead of rotating in a counterclockwise direction, the position of the Banker is put up for auction, and it is often given to that player who is willing to risk the most on the succeeding hand if they’re to win the position. Another rule to keep in mind when playing Banque is that while the dealer plays the role of a banker, he/she is not indebted to bet on his/her hand. Instead, he/she is only responsible for card dealing and not handling payouts.