Baccarat | a trio of card games

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June 25, 2020 0 275

Baccarat

Baccarat belongs to the genre of card games. It is a game of chance that is often played in casinos, both in the physical arcades and online. Baccarat comes in three versions:

Baccarat chemin de fer,
baccarat banque and
Punto Banco.

The origin of Baccarat

Baccarat, like a number of other well-known games of chance, originated in Italy. Baccara means zero in Italian. Originally, the game was played exclusively by the wealthy. However, Italian gambler Felix Falguerein introduced the game to the French military at the end of the 15th century, eventually winning the hearts of all French card players.

Play baccarat

All cards are placed in a kind of cover at the start of the game. This cover gets a different name depending on the variant or region. Sometimes it is called sabot, shoe or slipper. The cards are drawn from this cover.

Each card has a certain value:

Ace = 1 point
Cards with value 2 to 9 = the value of the card
10, jack, queen, king = 0 points

If when adding two cards the total value is higher than 10, only the right digit counts. For example, if you have a 7 and a 5, with a total value of 12, this counts as a 2.

Betting

First, the bank is sold to the player who offers the highest amount for this.

At Baccarat, any player can bet. Also the divisor. The intention is to place some kind of bet. This can be done in 4 ways:

The player wins
The bank wins
There is a draw
You skip a turn by not betting

The player sitting to the left of the bench is called the forehand. He may bet first. The betting round then continues on the left until the total amount bet equals the amount of the bank. When a player calls “BANCO!”, He continues to play against the bank alone.

Sharing two cards

After the betting round, the bank deals four cards: the first and third cards are dealt to the players, the second and fourth cards are dealt to itself. The player with the highest bet, or the player who called banco, is allowed to collect the cards for the players. He is actually the representative of all players, but he still has to do it alone. Baccarat is not open to consultation by the players. The player looks at the cards and returns them to the dealer. The dealer then places both cards face up on the table, visible to all players.

The idea is to get as close to 9 as possible with the cards you are holding. If this is the bank, the bank wins. If it is the player, the player wins. If the bank and the player have an equal score, then there is a tie.

The bank in turn looks at its dealt cards. If he has a total value of 8 or 9, he places the cards face up on the table, saying “huit (or neuf) à la banque!” The bank’s cards are then compared to the player’s. If the player has 8 or lower and the bank 9, the bank wins. If the player has 9 and the bank has 8, the player wins. If both have an 8 or a 9, there is no winner and the decision is made in the next round.

When the bank or the player holds a total value of 8 or 9, this is called a “natural”. If not, a third card can still be drawn by the player:

the player has cards with a total value less than 5, he must draw a third card
the total value is 5, the player chooses whether to choose a third card
the total value is 6 or 7, the player will not take a third card

After the player has drawn the third card, the bank places his cards face up on the table. He can now also take a third card:

the total value of the bank’s cards is 2 or less
when the total value of the bank’s cards is 3, except if the player’s third card is an 8
if the total value of the bank’s cards is 4, except if the player’s third card is 0, 1, 8 or 9.
when the total value of the bank’s cards is 5, provided that the player’s third card is a 4, 5, 6 or 7.
the total value of the bank’s cards is 6, provided the player’s third card is 6 or 7.
if the bank has a total score of 7, it will not draw a third card.

If the bank has also drawn the third card, the two card hands are compared. Whoever has the final score closest to 9 wins the game.

When the bank loses the game, the bank moves to the player to his left. A player may refuse the bank, then the bank goes to the person sitting to his left.

Variants Baccarat

Baccarat chemin de fer

Baccarat Chemin de fer is actually the base game in its most original form. This variant is also played with several card games at the same time. Usually 6 sets are used, which equates to 312 playing cards.

Baccarat banque

In this variant, the bank plays against 2 hands. Five players can participate in the game on either side of the table. Each group of five will be represented by a hand (ie one player). It may also happen that the audience is allowed to bet, if the players do not get enough bets together. The gameplay is almost identical to the basic version. The points are counted in the same way.

Punto banco

At Punto Banco, players can bet in three ways: on “punto”, on “banco” or on “égalité”. The dealer places two cards on the “punto” game area (for the players) and two on the “banco” area, which the bank proposes. This variant is therefore played with what is called “open cards”, which are visible to everyone. For the rest, the game is similar to the Chemin de fer variant. The same rules apply to taking the third card.