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| Baccarat Game Variations |
Over the years three variations of baccarat have emerged. The most
popular is punto banco which is sometimes called American baccarat
as it is the most widespread version you will find in US casinos.
Other variations include Baccarat Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque.
In this section we explain the differences between the three.
The punto banco version of the game can be played at big tables or
at mini tables. It is played with from between four to six decks of
playing cards with no jokers. The distinct difference between the
mini table and the big table versions is that the croupier deals all
of the cards according the the pre determined set of rules. At mini
baccarat tables the players only input is the betting on one of the
three outcomes.
At the big table games of punto banco you will find up to 14 players
at the table. The croupier does all of the shuffling but the dealing
is done in turn by each player moving in a clockwise direction. The
player dealing the cards must follow the croupier instructions and
must pass on the shoe if they place a losing bet.
Baccarat Chemin de Fer gives the players a more active roll in the
game. Each player has the option of shuffling the cards and dealing
the cards. The dealing is also different to punto banco as the cards
are dealt face down rather than face up. The player with the biggest
bet gets to see the face down cards while the other players must wait
for the outcome. Interestingly enough baccarat Chemin de Fer is the
only version where you can choose whether to take an additional card.
This is the most rare game variation and is quite hard to find.
Baccarat Banque is much like Baccarat Chemin de Fer with the exception
that one gambler will remain the dealer and banker for the entire
shoe. All of the drawing and turning the card rules are the same as
Baccarat Chemin de Fer. To determine who will act as the banker the
croupier will pick either the player with the biggest wager or the
first player to their right. In general you will find that baccarat
bank games are played with less decks than punto banco or chemin de
fer.
Regardless of which baccarat variation your casino offers you will
find that once you have learned to play one you should be fine at
playing any other variation as they are all quite similar. Again,
in the US you will likely only find punto banco, in Europe baccarat
banque is quite popular and you will have a hard time finding a Chemin
de fer table even in Europe as it seems it's popularity has diminished
from the early days.
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