Baccarat History

Tracing the roots of the game of Baccarat is an unenviable process. In fact, such is the nature of Baccarat’s evolution through the ages, that one would find it quite difficult to get a precise fix on how the modern game and it’s variants came to be. Let it be known that for the most part, Baccarat has both French and Italian origins. In France it was enjoyed in private residences and the royal court. But, the name is derived from the Italian word Baccara meaning zero. Some 500 years ago the Italian gaming sensation – Felix Falguerein devised a rather rudimentary, albeit functional version of modern-day Baccarat. While this original version was played with Tarot cards, it still held tremendous appeal – even to the invading French armies.

Baccarat is not a game of skill; it is a game of pure luck

Indeed there are many schools of thought about the true origins of Baccarat. One such theory is that it took a leaf out of Blackjack’s book during the reign of King Louix Philippe in the 19^th century. There are several notable differences including the reliance on luck, fewer player options and lots of betting. An obscure lot of folks believe that Baccarat goes back to the time of the high priestesses – some 3,500 years ago. If a nine-side die was cast and landed on 8 or 9, the demi-god was chosen.

There is no rule book to beat the game – it’s a simple matter of hitting as close to 9 or 9 as possible while beating the opposition. That’s it plain and simple.Baccarat gaming is three-fold. There are the following options that players can enjoy:

• Chemin de Fer
• Punto Banco
• Baccarat Banque

The anomaly with Baccarat was that barely ten years after it was popularized in Italy, it spread to France and then to China – of all places. The French perfected the Baccarat versions of Baccarat Banque and Baccarat Chemin de Fer. The English soon found the massive appeal of the game too much to bear.

And by the end of the 19^th century the Americans of French and British origin were playing the game too. And whoever thought they could stop the runaway train of Baccarat’s success with Punto Banco was sadly mistaken. This Las Vegas gambling sensation all but tore up casinos, with its massive popularity and widespread appeal.

The game’s history is in flux, arguably because so many nations lay claim to it. With the Chinese, Brits, Americans, Italians, French and even various sects believing that they have the key to the correct origins of the game.