Exploring the Most Popular Baccarat Variations

Baccarat is a casino staple at every online and land-based gambling venue. The game’s popularity can be due to its easy-to-comprehend rules and a relatively low casino advantage.

Over the years, the casino gaming world has seen the introduction of several different versions of Baccarat. Here’s a look at popular Baccarat variations played by hundreds of thousands of Baccarat players worldwide.

Punto Banco

Punto Banco is a widely played Baccarat version that has been around for decades. The game uses six standard 52-card decks and sees players bet against the dealer.

In Punto Banco, players need to form a hand whose value is higher than that of the dealer’s hand. And they must do so without going bust or exceeding the highest point of nine. 

The card values in this Baccarat version are the same as many other online Baccarat games. As a refresher, picture cards are valued as zero, and the Ace card carries a single point. All other cards carry the value printed on them.

There are three wagering options to go with in Punto Banco. Players can bet on Punto (player) or Banco (dealer). They can also wager that the result will be a tie. Winning the Punto bet pays 1:1, whereas getting the Banco wager right pays 95:100 (a 5% commission is charged here). The potential payout for getting the tie bet right is 8:1.

Chemin de Fer

This is one of the oldest recorded Baccarat versions in Baccarat history. Records show that Chemin de Fer was played during the French Napoleonic era and was popular among players who wanted to play without the bank. After gaining widespread popularity in France, the game traversed to Britain and other parts of the UK.

Chemin de Fer has also been featured in several classic James Bond films. Unlike Punto Banco, the game isn’t played against the dealer. Instead, Chemin de Fer sees players contending against each other. Another way Chemin de Fer differs from other Baccarat variations is that the banker in this game sets aside the amount they want to bet.

The game of Chemin de Fer starts with the players choosing a banker. At land-based Chemin de Fer tables, players take turns to be the banker. After the banker has been selected, they place a bet on the table. 

Then the players place their wagers until their stake amount matches the dealer. In Chemin de Fer, players with a hand value higher than that of the banker are paid 1:1. In case of a tie, all wagers stay on the table for the next hand.

Baccarat Banque

Also referred to as “deux tableaux,” Baccarat Banque is another widely played Baccarat version. A unique thing about this Baccarat variant is that it sees the dealer chosen at the start of each round. 

At times, the dealer in Baccarat Banque takes the form of the player who has first taken a seat at the table or the one who has placed the highest wager.

This Baccarat variation uses three standard 52-card decks. Once all the players have made their wagers, the cards are drawn out from the Baccarat shoes and reshuffled. Then the dealer deals with the cards in the following fashion:

• One card is placed on the player’s right side.
• One card is placed on the player’s left side.
• One card goes to the bank.

The Baccarat Banque table eventually has three hands with two cards each.

In Baccarat Banque, you can wager on either, or both hands dealt on the player’s right and left sides. Note that it’s impossible to back the banco hand in this Baccarat version. This is because that option is reserved for the players who deal with the cards.

Mini Baccarat

This Baccarat variation is popular among players who enjoy playing Baccarat games at the top new online casinos like ours. As the name suggests, Mini Baccarat is a smaller and optimised version of the classic card game.

Mini Baccarat is usually played with eight card decks and features the three conventional betting options – Player, Banker, and Tie. But unlike other Baccarat games, such as Chemin de Fer, the dealer is solely responsible for dealing with the cards here.

It’s worth noting that some Mini Baccarat games also come with the Dragon Bonus. The Dragon Bonus is a special bonus reward won if the selected hand is natural. For players who don’t know, a natural hand is a Baccarat hand with two cards worth eight or nine. You can also grab the Dragon Bonus if your hand wins by four or more points.

Dragon Tiger

Dragon Tiger is another simplified version of Baccarat. Unlike Punto Banco and other Baccarat card games, where two cards are dealt to each hand, both sides receive a single card here. In Dragon Tiger, players wager whether the Dragon or the Tiger side will receive a higher-valued hand.   

Another way Dragon Tiger differs from standard Baccarat is that no additional cards are drawn here. The outcome is a tie if both the Dragon and the Tiger sides carry a similar-valued card. 

As for the payouts, getting a Dragon or Tiger bet right pays 1:1 in potential winnings. Dragon Tiger also offers the Tie bet option but carries a massive casino advantage of 32.77%. So, most players usually avoid it.