But how do you play baccarat? It is a very simple and intuitive game carried out by two main “entities”: the banker and the player. Other external players can place bets of various kinds on the current game, which can increase the participants of the game, albeit in a “passive” way, up to 14. The role of a banker can be fixed or not and can be carried out either by the casino itself using the croupier and by the players in turn. For the rest, the rules of baccarat and the method of counting the points change according to the game variant, even if in each version there are some constants:
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the deck of cards used is always a deck with French suits ;
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the sides are always two, even when the dealer’s standard situation against the “human” player is not outlined.
Depending on where you are located, your personal preference or availability at physical casinos, you can deal with different baccarat variations, mainly considering the point of view of the rules. The most common variants are detailed below: baccarat punto banco, baccarat chemin de fer, and Baccarat Banque.
Baccarat Punto Banco
The punto banco baccarat follows the basic rules of the classic baccarat, and for this reason, it is also one of the variants that it is easier to find in casinos around the world. In this version of the game, the player is opposed to the bank, represented by the casino, and the external pointers can choose which of the two “protagonists” to place their bets on:
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in favor of the player (whose stake is called a point).
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in favor of the bank (whose stake corresponds precisely to the name of the bank.
Baccarat Chemin De Fer
In this typically French version of baccarat, on the other hand, we are dealing with a reversal of the “banker character”: in fact, the value of the latter is covered from time to time by a player of those present at the table. This is the exact opposite of what happens in the overseas version of baccarat, American baccarat. The bank is always represented by the casino and never by the other players.
Baccarat En Banque
Also known as baccarat banque, this type of variant owes its name to the importance of the dealer in the game. The dealer’s role is in the hands of the player who books first to fill this role, but the croupier can also assign it to the player who made the highest bet (and, consequently, most at risk). In this version of baccarat, moreover, the game is carried out with three cards per game and players can bet their bet on two games and not just one, as well as choose whether or not to add a third card to their hand if the score of the cards in their possession is equal to or less than five. The elasticity of the rules makes this version exciting, and a must-try if you are passionate about baccarat!