The history of Baccarat

The exact history of baccarat is not known as both the French and the Italians claim to have invented baccarat. However, this is the most accepted form of the history of baccarat.

Baccarat is said to have started as a religious pagan ceremony which was used to decide the destiny of some young blonde virgins in a temple. It was to find out if the virgin would become a priestess in the temple that formed the basis of the ceremony.

It is said that 9 gods would pray to the virgin on tiptoes, while she tossed a die having 9 sides. An 8 or a 9 indicated that the virgin would be a priestess while a 7 or 8 banned her from getting engaged in any religious activities. The greatest gamble of this early form of baccarat was if the virgin threw a 6 or below, her destiny would be death.

This is considered to be the origin of baccarat because most of the cards of the game have a point value of 0. Tarot cards were first used to play baccarat while the first official baccarat game is connected to an Italian gambler named Felix Falguirein who formed the game in 1480.

Within 10 years’ time, the game spread to France, China and other countries. Baccarat was adapted as an exclusive game for the noble in France and was known by the name, Chemin de Fer. So it can be said that though the game originated in Italy, it was in France that its new rules and game play were adopted. And this is what made the French imply that the game was their masterpiece.

When baccarat moved to the British Isles, some rules were changed where a new form of the game, European Baccarat evolved. In this version, it is the casino that takes control of the bank as a dealer of the game.

It was in the 20^th century that baccarat came to America. Americans were not impressed with the game when it was first introduced to them. It was when it made a second trip to Argentina in the 1950s that the respectful in Mar del Plata casinos started playing the game. 

It was when baccarat was introduced to Cuba that there were some changes in its rules, to form American Baccarat. Here, the players play against the casino, instead of playing against other players. It was Tommy Renzoni, an executive of George Raft’s Capri Hotel Casino who had brought the game to Las Vegas casinos, sometime during the Cuban revolution.

However baccarat never really did catch up in America maybe because of the rules of the game that goes against American culture. This is why it is played only in a handful of United States casinos.