Baccarat Banque: Go Bank and Bust the Banker

Baccarat banque, also known as deux tableux, is a game variant of baccarat played more popularly in European casinos. Like other variants of baccarat, the object of baccarat banque is to bet on a hand that they believe would have the winning value. There are major differences, however, between the rules of baccarat en banque and the rules of the North American variant.

In baccarat banque, the banker role is more stable and permanent. The banker role doesn't rotate among players as it does in North American baccarat. The banker role is determined at the outset of the game in en banque, and goes to the player who is most willing to take the biggest amount risk. In some casinos, the player who had been the first to enlist for the game gets the banker role.

Baccarat banque is played on an oval table that can hold as many as 10 seats. The banker, once determined, takes their place in the middle of the table. The croupier then shuffles the deck of cards, hands the deck to a player to their left and right. The players will take turn to shuffle the cards. When done, the deck is handed to the banker. The banker shuffles the cards, then chooses a punter to cut the cards. Normally, in baccarat, three decks of cards are used.

One of the main differences of baccarat banque from American baccarat is the number of hands used in the game. In baccarat banque, there are three hands used: one Banker hand, and two Player hands.

Banque tables are also different. They're like two tables joined together--- which is exactly what its other name "Deux Tableux" means. Each side of the table can seat 5 players.

After the punters have placed their bets, the banker deals the cards. The player deals one Player card, another Player card to their left, then a Banker hand in the middle of the table. The process is then repeated, so that each hand now contains two cards. The punters cannot bet on Banker hand, nor can the banker bet on Player hands. Further, the players can only bet on the hand on their side of the table.

The banker, in way, caps the maximum bet limit for the punters. As a rule of the game, Player bet cannot exceed Banker bet.

A punter, however, may "go bank" which simply means that the punter can challenge the banker by equaling the banker's bet. The punter can either go all in on one Player hand or divide their bet between two hands. A punter can only challenge the play for three consecutive times. If they still fail after the third time to bust the banker, the punter can no longer "go bank." If the punter succeeds, however, in busting the dealer, they swap roles--- the punter can now act as the banker.

Baccarat banque is a game preferred in many European casinos. It is most unique from other baccarant game variants because it uses three hands instead of two. Further, the banker role is more permanent, and a punter can actually challenge the banker for the role which makes the game most challenging.