Jenna james | May 31, 2022 | Updated on: May 31st, 2022
Chemin de fer, also called Cherney or Shimmy, is a French card game played in European and Latin American casino sites.
Chemin de Fer game is one of the oldest documented versions of baccarat, dating back to the Napoleonic era in France. The non-banking variety was played at the time, along with Baccarat Banque. Chemin de Fer was a popular version among the French aristocracy and quickly spread to England and the USA.
Chemin de Fer is distinct from the other Baccarat game versions –Baccarat Banque and Punto Banco– in that here, players wager against each other. A player holds the bank and sets aside a bet that covers the stakes of their opponents. The casino game is played at large kidney-shaped tables with 12 seats for punters, two for dealers, and one for the banker.
The banker stands between the first and the last bettors, facing the two-game dealers. The minimum number of game players is 8, and the maximum – is 12. The game is played with six decks of cards contained in a shoe that moves across the table in a counterclockwise manner.
This gave the game’s name – the shoe moving across the table as every player gets to deal the cards resembles the movement of a train, therefore Chemin de Fer, which means “railway” in French.
Table Layout for Chemin de Fer
There are two bet squares on the table in Baccarat Chemin de Fer – Banque for gambles on the Banker, and Reliquial is designated for the part of the Banker’s wager that the other game players do not cover. There are two slots in the middle of the table – a Panier containing used cards and Cognate, where the casino’s 5% commission on winning wagers is set aside.
In Chemin de Fer, there is no financial backing on the part of the casino as it does not take part in the gambling process; however, it does offer the equipment necessary for the game and provides the game dealers. Before commencing the game, the dealer shuffles the cards and hands them over to the punter on his right, who shuffles them and passes them on to the next player. After all, players have shuffled the cards; the game dealers shuffle them once more and hand them to the player on their left, who cuts them with a cut card.
Bank Handling in Chemin de Fer
Based in middle of the table, the player sitting on the right side of the croupier, is first to be the Banker. Other members of Chemin de Fer are the Players. The players then take turns in the role of the Banker. The Banker puts ahead an amount willing to risk.
Now it is the players’ turn. Every player may say Banco! and go all-in against the bank. Of course, the all-in can be done by one player only. When more game players do so, the importance is given to the player at the banker’s right hand, and he can call Banco prime!
If no player announces Banco! They wager one at their discretion. If the bank the players’ bets do not cover the bank, then they can be covered by the stakes of the onlookers around the table. If the stakes exceed the bank, the Banker may agree to raise the bank. Otherwise, the unnecessary bets are removed from the table in the opposite playing order.
