Baccarat: The History of This High-Stakes Casino Game
Ahhh, baccarat. The name evokes the image of a tuxedo-clad 007, surrounded by gorgeous women as he sips his martini. It seems that the only people you see playing this highly mysterious and exclusive game are those dressed in custom made suit, wearing designer watches, with a beautiful lady in each arm. In short,the rich who can afford to bet and loose a couple of hundred grand in one night and not worry about it.
In reality, baccarat is not really that exclusive and elusive as everyone may think. True, baccarat is a game of high stakes, but more and more people are playing it now, especially now that the Internet is allowing people more access to games like it online.
Baccarat has a mysterious air about it, and a probable reason why this is so is its equally mysterious history. There is no concrete information about when and where the game started. There is an account of the game as being created out of an ancient Etruscan ritual that required a young, blond, virgin girl to toss a die while she is surrounded by praying priests.
If the die toss resulted to an eight or nine, that meant that the girl was to become a temple priestess and live in the temple. If the die toss resulted to seven or six, that meant that she was to be banned from participating in any temple activities for the rest of her life. However, if the die turned up with a result of six or less, that meant that she had to die by walking into the sea.
The Italians are credited for the creation of the game. The word 'baccarat' actually means 'zero' and is pronounced 'baccara'. An Italian, Felix Faulguierein was considered the first baccarat player.
From Italy the game was spread to France an became a favorite of French nobility. The French made a few changes in the game, aside from changing its name to Chemin de Fer. It was during these times that because of all the changes that the French added to the game they have made themselves believe that the game originated from them. The game became so popular in France, especially in the French Reviera, where every hotel casino had a baccarat table. Chemin de Fer was different from modern baccarat because it allowed players to take turns being the banker. In modern baccarat the house provides a dealer who serves as the banker throughout the entire game.
Baccarat made its way to Cuba, where it became known as the American baccarat after another round of modifications. It's American debut in the States was not a successful one. However, casino executive Tony Renzoni insisted on bringing the game to Las Vegas, where baccarat tables now serve the rich high rollers who can afford to play it.