Yes, I’m watching Bond films.
I’m trying to find a free download to play Chemin de Fer on my Mac. I find games on the Apple store, but they say ‘Not compatible with this device,’ and ‘Requires MacOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.’ I’m on a MacBook Pro running MacOS 14.5 Sonoma. I don’t know what an M1 chip is.
So… Are there any free Chemin de Fer downloads that will run on my Mac? I’ll settle for Baccarat, but I’d prefer Chemin de Fer.
Is there a difference between chemin de fer and blackjack?
Chemin de Fer and Blackjack, you’re trying to have a hand that equals 9, or greater than the Banker. In Blackjack, you’re looking for a hand that equals 21, or greater than the dealer. In Blackjack, you can draw multiple cards. In Chemin de Fer, you may only draw one card. In Blackjack, you’re playing for yourself. In Chemin de Fer, you’re playing on behalf of the other players. I don’t understand all of the rules; hence, I’m looking for a game I can play to get a feel for it. I did have Baccarat on Hoyle’s Casino, but it won’t run on newer versions of macOS.
M1 (and later M2/3/4) is Apple’s new ARM-based CPU for Macs that replaces the old Intel CPUs. It’s the same exact architecture as they’ve been using in iPhones and iPads for years now, so macOS can now run any iPad app that’s in the App Store, without the developer doing any porting work. You’re probably seeing an iPad game, and it can’t run on your Intel-based Mac.
It depends on the precise rules in force, but The Wizard of Odds suggests somewhat worse odds for the Player in Chemin de Fer versus at Baccarat.
That information is completely correct, but useless 
unless there is a binary translator to run ARM/M1/2/3/4 binaries on an Intel Mac. Is there?
Which is useless to me, even if there is one.
I just want to learn Chemin de Fer by playing it on my Mac for free.
I guess I’m missing the difference. Chemin de Fer is baccarat where a player acts as banker and another player acts for all the players going against the banker, with the house just doing the work of handling cards and bets. The choices for the banker and for the player will be about the same as in baccarat where the house works off a table for both sides. Not making the customary choice might not go over well but it’s allowed in chemin de fer.
Aren’t there online sites where you can practice?
I don’t play games online, so I haven’t looked. Might have to make an exception.
My understanding is that Chemin de Fer is about as trivial as noughts and crosses.
There is a Banker who plays against everyone else. (This role moves around the table.)
Players are dealt two cards.
The aim is to get close to 9 (10, J, Q, K count as worth zero.)
If your two cards total less than 5, take another card.
If above 5 don’t take a card.
If 5 exactly, the odds are identical (so do what you want.)
I assume you mean baccarat.
Think of Chemin de Fer as “street craps” and Baccarat as “casino craps.”
The way Chemin de Fer usually works is, one of the players is the banker (dealer) and offers up an amount as their bank; the other players bet any amount they want against the banker until the total reaches the bank’s value. (For example, if the bank is $100, one may bet $50, another $30, and another two $10 each.) However, anybody may immediately bet the amount of the entire bank by saying “banco”; this cancels all of the other bets. Whoever made the largest bet (or, if there was a tie, whoever made their bet first) acts as the player.
I think the player and banker have a free choice as to whether or not to take a third card, but I am not entirely sure.