The game sails from Central Europe to South America
Nowadays, not only the 007 Agent can play this game!
Have you ever wondered why Baccarat is so popular? To understand the reasons, we need to go back more than 500 years in history. However, we have to admit that the game Baccarat stood the test of time, and has retained its prestige and appeal principally with the upper sections of society. If you want to go through the history and evolution of Baccarat, read our article!
The History of Baccarat Begins in Italy
Legendary Rules for the Baccarat card game
According to an Etruscan legend, a virgin who had to throw a nine-sided die and the result determined her fate. If she threw an 8 or a 9, then she was elevated to the glory of being a priestess. If she threw a 6 or 7, she was allowed to live but could not take part in any future religious or community events. Finally, if she threw lower than 6, she was banished to the sea to drown.
Not the most beautiful legend we have ever heard, however, it plays a big role in the history and evolution of Baccarat. The rules of the card game Baccarat came from this tale. Of course, no one will drown in the sea if they get lower than 6, they just lose the game.
Medieval Italy is Where the History and Evolution of Baccarat Started
Although Baccarat is often considered to have originated in France, historic evidence points to Italy as the birthplace of the game. The true inventor of the card game was the Italian Felix Falguiere, who lived in the 1400s. He called the game Baccara, which means zero in Italian because all tens and face cards were worth zero. The French name Baccarat later became popular.
They played the original game slightly different than nowadays. Four different dealers dealt with the card, and each of the players could be the banker. They had also the opportunity to place bets against other players or the house. Although, these days there is only one dealer and generally you can place bets against the house, which is the banker too.
It is interesting, that Italians played the game originally with Tarot cards. However, now you can play even with the typical contemporary playing cards on online gambling sites in Italy!
The Evolution of Baccarat Continues in France - Chemin de Fer
The Baccarat game moved from Italy to its neighbor France, under the name Chemin de Fer. It became popular in the 19th century during the Napoleon era and before the legalization of casino gambling. People in France often played Baccarat in private gaming rooms.
However, the game was the favorite of King Charles VIII and soon became the rage among the French aristocracy, and remained so for several centuries. Not knowing the reason why it did not gain popularity sooner.
The first mention of Baccarat was in 1847 when Charles Van-Tenac included a 13-page mathematical analysis of the game in his Album des Jeux. It was the first printed document in the history and evolution of Baccarat.
At the same time Baccarat gained popularity in England. This little detour is important because of Ian Fleming. He learned how to play the game in England and created the most famous Baccarat player, James Bond.
Baccarat Conquers the New World
The game sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean and South America. In Cuba, Baccarat became popular as Punto Banco, which adapted to the local culture in many ways. One of the main changes was the players only could play against the house. Furthermore, the casinos acted as the bank. This type is now under the name American Baccarat, and it is the simplest edition we know in the history and evolution of Baccarat.
A Baccarat Palette - Image source: Roland Scheicher at German Wikipedia(Original text: de:Benutzer:Roland Scheicher) via Wikimedia Commons
When the Cuban management shut down the casinos in Havana, people brought out this game to Vegas. As the game never caught on among the casino gambling public, casino owners marketed it as a game for the select few. They set minimum bets and hid tables in special rooms with leather chairs. So Baccarat was ventured as a casino game of the influential and was played in stylish places those requisite dress codes. Naturally, this brought additional attention and added to the allure of the game.
Baccarat has now spread throughout the world, and every region has adapted to its own variation of the rules. This has resulted in the many different names for what is basically the same card game.
The History and Evolution of Baccarat Coming to The End – Online Casinos
Throughout the centuries and all the countries, Baccarat was the game of aristocrats. While many people enjoyed watching James Bond play this game, only just a few people could actually play it because of its high betting requirements.
Overall, all these things changed with the creation of online casinos. With low betting minimums and no travel expenses, online Baccarat became accessible to anyone who enjoyed playing a good game. The online edition followed the Punto Banco because in this edition the merchant does not implement his free will.
There are many variants of the game these days, which you can find on the King Billy Casino site!
Nowadays, in the last chapter of the history and evolution of Baccarat, thousands of people are discovering the joy of playing the game in the online casino sites in Italy.
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