Baccarat, also known as baccara which literally means zero in Italy, is listed among the top played casino games today. Although the game isn’t as popular as some other boardgames like blackjack, baccarat’s origin dates back to about 500 years ago – A long time ago, before the legalization of casinos in 1907 and, by extension, a time when online casinos didn’t exist.
The origin of the บาคาร่า game has been a disputing topic over time. Some argued that the baccarat game originated from France, while some claimed that the game originated from India, and some argued Rome. However, the most popular and the most accurate version of this argument is still that of Rome in Italy.
Historically, the board game บาคาร่า was said to have been created by a Felix Falguiere or Falguierein in the 1400s. And Felix Falguiere started the game based on a tale of a person who thrown a die with nine sides. Another version of this story claimed it was a pregnant woman.
Whenever this woman throws her die and hits eight or nine, she will immediately get a promotion to become a priestess. Whenever she throws a 6 or a 7, she will immediately be demoted and lose her promotion to being a priestess. And if peradventure she throws her die and it reveals a number lesser than six, she will be sentenced to death by drowning.
By the end of the 15th century itself Baccarat quickly found its way into Italy, by soldiers returning from the Franco-Italian War during the reign of King Charles VIII. The French people called it Chemin de Fer.
King Charles VIII fell in love with the game and introduced baccarat to his noble friends, and very quickly, baccarat became a game of the elites and the rich.
The game later found its way down to England; it was popularized by a writer, Fleming, who learned how to play the game and used it in his writings. He created a fictional character of James Bond, who loves to play baccarat, party, and the paparazzi that comes along with it. Soon, baccarat became more popular in England and was played by everyone.
The earliest form of baccarat known was the Baccarat Banque, a game played by three persons. It evolved into Chemin de Fer as a two-person and later a zero-sum game from baccarat banquet. Baccarat Punto Banco is played by placing bets on whether the player or the banker’s hand wins. In the 1940s in Havana, baccarat developed into a house-banked game. Victoria is another form of Macao where a contender deals two cards. Like Macao and baccarat, Victoria was banned in Russia during the 19th century.
Today, casinos in the United States of America generate an increasing amount of revenue annually from baccarat play in their casinos. For example, in May 2013, Nevada generated 33.1% revenue from baccarat, and in May 2014, it rose to 45.2%.