Baccarat History

The Long History of Baccarat

Related Baccarat Articles: Baccarat Rules Baccarat Strategies Baccarat Variations   The word "Baccarat" is taken from the Italian baccara,  which simply means zero. The term refers to the face cards and 10s, all of which have zero value in the game of baccarat. In Europe, baccarat and a similar version called chemin de fer (which is explained in the "Baccarat Variations" guide) are among the most popular games.   Baccarat's Timeline   Legend tells that the game of Baccarat  was first created by an Italian gambler Felix Falguierein and was first played with the deck of Tarot cards.   There's also a nice myth attached to this game which tells that it is based on the Etruscan ritual where a virgin threw 9 sided dice:   If the dice had 8 or 9 then she won and became a priestess. If the dice had come to 6 or 7 then she stayed alive BUT could not roll the dice ever again However... anything less than 6 meant that she had lost the game and therefore, had to walk down the ocean and drown herself.   The game was introduced in France during 1490 (Anno Domini) in it's French variation of baccarat which is known as "Chemin de fer" and was French pride till the time it came down to Great Britain where they modified the rulings and name of the game to "European baccarat". Later on it has passed along to South America and finally to Nevada Casinos.   The infamous Dunes casino introduced the Baccarat game in the late 1950's as a merger of both "European Baccarat" game and "Chemin de fer" game, and since then it has made its final migration into the web in the middle of 1990s and assumed an aura of glamour among players.   Mini Baccarat   Later on, a number of casinos have also implemented even smaller baccarat tables (which known as Mini Baccarat) usually among the popular blackjack tables. The mini Baccarat game is the same game as the reular Baccarat but the rules like passing the shoe, etc., are missing and the game is staffed by only one dealer.     Layout, however, conforms to the regular baccarat table and each seat position (one through six) corresponds to a number and betting box. Limits are usually from $2  to $5 minimum and upto $500 maximum. Mini-baccarat is played fast but the exact same rules apply as in the larger game.