Many have difficulty pronouncing the name of the game Baccarat, which is pronounced actually “ba-ka-ra”, but have not even the slightest difficulty of playing the game. The game Baccarat, also known as the game for aristocrats, or wealthy people, is widely known nowadays. But where does it originate?
The origin
Baccarat comes from the Italian word “baccara”, meaning “zero”. So, it is safe to assume that the game originates from Italy. In fact, the game was invented by a Felix Falguiere, as a consequence of all the face cards and tens being worth zero.
Now, there’s a legend out there that says that in ancient times, in Tuscany, there was a young virgin who was forced to roll a dice and the outcome determined whether she would live or die. If the young virgin threw 8 or 9, she would become a priestess, but if the outcome was 7 or 6 or less, she would be drowned. Interestingly enough, the same goes today, right? You get a 6 or less and you’ll drown in sorrow for your lost money.
Baccarat in France and England
The game came to France but it was first known as “Chemin de Fer”. After a while, the “baccara” got renamed in “baccarat” and gained popularity all around France. Even King Charles VIII played it, along with his wealthy friends.
Baccarat became known and played in England as well. A fun fact: Ian Fleming, the man who brought the infamous James Bond to us, actually created the first fictional baccarat player. No wonder in every James Bond sequel we see him on a baccarat table, right?
Baccarat in America
When Baccarat first came in U.S.A, Cuba, it was called Punto Banco and players were not playing against each other but against the house. In the 1950s, the game was brought in Nevada, Las Vegas by Tommy Renzoni and initially, did not get the fame of other casino games. Nonetheless, casino owners made special rooms for the big players, who would put a lot of money on the table, gave them leather chairs and hid them from the public eye with velvet curtains. That’s what made the game even more attractive and worth their while.
Of course, the high bets were a must, if you’re trying to get on a baccarat table. There’s no wonder why it was known as aristocrats game. However, today, most casinos have mini-baccarat tables where anyone can afford the minimum bets. Or, you can go online and play baccarat any time you want and bet any amount you want (depending on the online casino policy as you can read in this Bovada casino review). No matter the casino policy, it cannot be more than what it used to be in the past when only the wealthy guys could play. So, why not try and have that James Bond experience you know you want to have? You might get lucky!