Unlike Chemin de Fer the position of the banker in Banque or Deux Tableaux Baccarat is not so variable. The objective of Baccarat Banque is still to reach 9, but in this game, the position of the dealer is given to the player willing to wager the highest stake at the outset of the game. Each player then recieves six cards. The players than turn over their cards, add up the totals, and either draw cards or stand. In Baccarat Banque, the players may wager on other players' hands, but never on the hand of the dealer.
The role of the bank can be played differently and this the main difference between different Baccarat variations. In the version of the game known as Chemin de Fer, the position of the banker passes clockwise from player to player each time the banker loses rather than being fixed by the individual casino. The banker will be provided with funds by the bank. If you don’t want to play the role of the banker it will be automatically passed to the next player. Each Baccarat game has the same principle. The player’s hand is to be as close to 9 as possible. In Chemin de Fer, the banker deals four cards for each of the players and for himself; each participant now turns over the cards and adds the numbers on each together. Traditionally if the total is lower than 5, the player draws one more card, if the total is 5 or higher the player stands. Then the banker compares all the hands and the player with the closest to 9 hand is the winner and he gets paid.
Some Baccarat stories say that the game originates from an old Etruscan ritual of the nine gods. They prayed to a blonde virgin on their tiptoes waiting for her to throw a nine-sided die. Her fate depended on the result of the die. If an eight or a nine was thrown, she would become the priestess. In the case of 6 or 7 the virgin was prohibited from any further religious activities. If she threw any number less than six, she would walk into the sea.
