What is the Difference Between Chemin de Fer and Punto Banco?

Q:“The casino in which I used to gamble also offers Chemin de Fer. This games appeared to be pretty intimidating, because it looked like a high-stake game with complicated rules. I therefore would like to know the difference between Chemin de Fer and Punto Banco. Greetings from Germany!”

A: Chemin de Fer is the original version of baccarat that was created well before Punto Banco. The American version of baccarat that you normally see in casinos is actually a variation of Chemin de Fer. The main difference between Punto Banco and Chemin de Fer is that the players have a more active role in the operation and management of the game, while the dealers and house have a more passive role. When playing Chemin de Fer, the players will bet against each other instead of betting against the house. One player will take on the role as the Banker and that person will make the decision as to how much money they want to stake per bet. This is usually a large amount since it is their responsibility to be able to cover all of the players. The rest of the players will bet an amount that will not exceed the Bankers bet. The Bankers position will start at the right of the croupier and that person will be Banker for as long as he wins. As soon as that person loses, the Banker position will be passed on to the next willing participant on the right. The cards are drawn by the player, who is acting as the Banker, and the hands are given to both himself and the person betting the most money on Player. The person playing the Players bet is also playing on behalf of all the other players. These two players will look at their cards and make the decision as to whether or not they will stay or hit, which is customarily based on a routinely used etiquette. The cards are read the same as the American version of Punto Banco and the house still takes a 5% commission off of all winning Banker bets.