How to play Chemin de Fer

Chemin de Fer is another variation of Baccarat. The scoring cards are the same as the regular version of the game, but the chart that governs the game is slightly different that the original.

The distinctive feature of Chemin de Fer is that the players are required to bet against each other, as opposed to the original game, where there is no difference whether a player bets on a player hand or a bank hand. So, in Chemin de Fer, the player acting as the bank when dealing out cards is actually the banker. He decides how much other players can bet against him. If one or two players match the bet, then the others will not be able to bet in that round.

The player who is to the right of the dealer is the first banker and places the chips that he is prepared to bet in front of him. Any player who wants to bet against this will call out ‘Banco’ and match the same amount, as the first player. If there is more than one challenger to the bet, then the player closest to the dealers right is given priority. If no one wagers a bet, then two or more players can cover parts of the bank, and the player who bets the most money will get to play the hand.

Like the original version, the goal is to form a combination that counts to 9, in a two or three card combination. The face cards and 10’s all count as zero, aces count as 1 and others are according to their value. If a player has either an 8 or 9 from his first two cards, then he has a ‘natural’ hand and shows it immediately. If only the dealer has a natural hand, then he will win all the bets. If the opponent has a natural hand, then the dealer pays all the bets. If two players have the same natural value, then there is a standoff. If this happens, the bets are withdraws and players start betting for the next deal. If neither the dealer nor the opponent have a natural hand, then the opponent will get a third card, dealt face up. The dealer can also draw a third card face up. When either player has either stood or withdrawn, the cards are all shown. If the dealer is closer to 9, then he gets all the bets. If the opponent is closer to 9, then the dealer pays the bets.

The game can be played from two to eight people. Similar to Baccarat, the casino profits by taking 5% from all winning bank hands.