The Rules of Baccarat en Banque

Baccarat en Banque is probably more complicated variation of classic American baccarat and it is played mostly in European casinos. The aim of the game remains the same - the player has to get 9 points to win.

The first feature that differs Baccarat en Banque from the remaining game variations is an unusual baccarat table which seats up to 10 players maximum. It is divided into two equal parts for 5 players each and it seems like there are two separate tables connected together.

Rules

Baccarat en Banque is played with 3 decks of cards. The game starts after the dealer deals the cards - two hands for both parts of the table (one hand for each part) and one hand for himself. In this game variation the players can bet on Player hand only while the banker is allowed to bet on Banker hand. The size of players' bets depends on the banker's wager. If the banker has bet $1,000 the players can also bet $1,000 in total. Thus, if two players at the table have wagered $500 each, no more bets are allowed.

Baccarat en Banque rules are very similar to the Chemin de Fer game as to the third card rule which states:

• The banker decides by himself whether to draw the third card or not
• The game is over when the player gets 8 or 9 points
• The player automatically stand when he gets 6 or 7
• The player can choose whether to stand or take the third card if he has 5
• The player must take the third card if he gets 0-4 points.

One more feature of Baccarat en Banque is that the players do not play the role of banker one by one. The player who places bet on Banker and says "Banco" has the right to be a banker in the next game if his bet wins. But if the bet loses three times in a row, the player is no longer allowed to become the game banker.