The game of Baccarat dates back many hundreds of years. Dating back to the late 1400s AD, the name Baccarat is Italian word meaning Zero. There are a couple different stories as to the actual origin of the game one being an Italian gambler using a deck of Tarot cards and the other is myth based on an Etruscan ritual about a virgin throwing dice to decide her fate in life.
Rumor has that there is a myth surrounding the game as well. Some say that the game is based on an old Etruscan ritual involving nine gods, who prayed on their tiptoes waiting for a blonde virgin to roll a nine sided die. The roll of that die would seal her fate. There were three different fates that may come to her depending on what number the die landed on. If the die were to land on the 8 or the 9 then she would become a priestess. If the 6 or the 7 came up the virgin would be banned from further religious activities. And if the die landed on any number lower than a six, it was her fate to walk into the sea, thus drowning.
The actual origin of the game is speculative at best. Whether the game originated in Italy or France we may never actually know. The first record of Baccarat was first seen in France around 1490 AD and was said to have been invented by Italian gambler Felix Falguirerein using a deck of Tarot cards. The suits on a standard deck of cards today are actually derived from the four suits of the Tarot.
In the early years of Baccarat, the game was played by nobleman and was considered illegal which is why it was played in such secrecy. Once Baccarat was legalized in France it was taxed and that money was used for social developments. It was banned again around the time of Napoleon but resurfaced and was legal again shortly after his rule ended. That was when Baccarat really started to become popular and started showing up in casinos.
Baccarat became so popular that seemed to become an international craze with folks all over Europe wanting to learn the game. After taking the continent by storm, the game spread to parts of South America and from there it crept into the United States.
In the late 1950s Tommy Renzoni introduced a combination of the European version of Baccarat and the French version which was known as “Chermin de fer”. The first known casino in the US to offer Baccarat was the infamous Dunes Casino in Las Vegas. The game of Mini Baccarat was born, more out of necessity than anything else because the full Baccarat game was too difficult to run in a casino.
Baccarat is, to this day, one of the most popular games in live casinos. As internet gambling continues to grow so does the availability of online Baccarat. The rules are the same, the payout schedules the same as are the house edges and many players who have enjoyed playing live games of Baccarat are taking to the web to find to play Baccarat online. Online casinos are seeing this trend as there are now dozens of them to choose from that offer Baccarat.
