Baccarat is a great card game and simplicity itself to play

One of the lesser known casino games in European Casinos is the card game Baccarat or Punto Banco as it is sometimes known; you may also have heard it called Chemin de Fer which is the same in game terms but gives you the chance to be the dealer and win or lose much larger amounts of money. Many of you will possibly have heard about Baccarat from television or films but few will actually know how to play which is a shame as it is simplicity itself and a great gambling game. The reason for this lack of knowledge is mainly due to the fact that in casinos it has been largely been a game played for very high stakes which excludes the average player but of course with the advent of online casinos that is all out the window and you can play for as little as €1 per hand or for much more if you so wish. There is a full explanation of the game in our Baccarat section but what makes the card game unique is that you are not actually playing a hand. There are two hands in play which are called the “player” and the “bank” both of which are controlled by the dealer and you simply bet on who will win the hand or there is a third bet which is the tie. Don’t worry about the fact that the dealer is controlling both hands; every hand is played according to strict rules and there is no discretion so it makes no difference who is playing the hands. The counting and totalling of the cards is a bit difficult until you get the hang of it as you will gather if you read our Baccarat section but here again because there are strict rules you do not actually have to know the counting in order to play. Free Baccarat is available at most good online casinos and it is well worth giving it a go but real money play makes it much more exciting.