Variations of Baccarat

Information on popular baccarat variations, including punto banco and chemin de fer.

There are three main versions of baccarat: punto banco (also known as American baccarat); chemin de fer; and baccarat en banque. All of them feature player and banker sections, with the aim of betting on what hand value will be closest to nine. There's also a mini-baccarat version that's exactly the same as regular baccarat, but with a restriction on the number of players that can sit at one table. Because of the potential confusion these variations could cause to the simplicity of the game, they are not often found in Internet casinos.

Mini Baccarat

Mini baccarat has exactly the same rules as the standard version of baccarat, but is played on a smaller table with lower limits. While it's not so popular in online casinos, Vegas casinos have introduced mini baccarat as a more casual option where players can partake in the game for lower limits and dress less formally.

Punto Banco

Punto banco is also called "North American baccarat". In this variation, very little is different. Players assume the roles of the player and the banker once their bets have been placed. Due to the need for players to assume roles, punto banco is not easily played online, although it's essentially the same as standard baccarat (just with a bit more drama).

Chemin de Fer

Chemin de fer directly translated to English is ”iron pathway”, the French word for railway. The original game dealt cards from an iron box, giving this baccarat variation its name.
The game is generally played in European land-based casinos and does not adapt very well to the online environment. This is because players must take turns assuming the role of banker and actually shuffle and deal the cards and cover the bets.

Baccarat en Banque

Baccarat en banque is very similar to chemin de-fer, where players assume the role of the dealer when banker, making the game difficult to transfer to the Internet.

The major difference between baccarat en banque and chemin de fer is that when a player becomes the banker, he or she will stay in that role until the position is forfeited or the player runs out of money.

The banker role is initially auctioned off to the highest bidder, meaning the player with the largest amounts of chips in play can assume the banker position first.