In the variation of Baccarat known as Banque or Deux Tableaux, the position of the banker is more permanent than in Chemin de Fer. Like any Baccarat game the objective is the same, but the role of the banker is player differently. The player who makes the highest bet is permitted to play the role of the banker. Each player is then dealt six cards. Then players turn over all their cards and sum the value of them. When knowing the total each player decides himself whether he wants to draw or to stand. Banque or Deux Tableaux allows betting on other players’ hands, but not on the banker’s hand.
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 was dependent on the result of the die. If 8 or 9 was rolled she became a priestess of these gods. If 6 or 7 was rolled the virgin was prohibited from any further religious activities. If she threw any number less than six, she would walk into the sea.
