Blog Posted on 23/06/2023 | Author: Karen Macarthur

The History of Baccarat: From Italy to Live Casinos

Baccarat is a highly popular casino game which originated in Italy. The game belongs to the card game section which works almost like a guessing game. It progressed slowly and steadily to move across borders. We here try to analyze the Baccarat history and future starting from the roots in medieval Italy to what is known as a high octane live casino game. The Baccarat game would contain 8 decks of cards which will be placed in the table containing chips and boxes. The gamers simply need to guess the value of cards by comparing the banker hand and the player hand. The one with the higher value would emerge as the winner.

Tracing the Roots of Baccarat

Baccarat is now one of the most exciting games that is found in online casinos uk. But, how did the game come into existence? Everything began in Italy during the medieval period. The game was considered as a card game which is associated only with the upper class people. It was almost 800 years ago that the original version of the Baccarat game was invented in Italy back in the 1400s. Even though the roots are still under debate it is believed that the game was found by a person named Falguiere. The term baccara is the Italian word which means zero. He coined this name because of the fact that every face cards and tens had the baccarat hand values of zero when you play. Later, the French term baccarat was adopted for the game. 

The Italian game of baccarat is said to be inspired by ancient Etruscan mythology. The story goes like a girl that was obligated to throw a nine-sided die because she was a virgin. It is believed that the ultimate destiny of the lady was decided by the outcome of the toss. The outcome becomes different according to the toss which later played a huge role in coining the baccarat rules. She would be considered a priestess if she was able to put up the score of 8 or 9 and if the outcome came as 6 or 7, she was permitted to survive but barred from subsequent communal activities. 

However, if the toss came less than 6, she would be thrown into the ocean to perish. Certainly not a particularly pleasant story, nevertheless it provided the foundation for the regulations of the game. Obviously, there is no throwing into the ocean now when you play but the pattern remains the same. The game now has three baccarat variations named punto banco, chemmy and baccarat banque. All three are highly prominent and widely accepted across the world. 

Baccarat was originally performed somewhat distinctly than it is done now.  There are four distinct presenters dealing the deck of cards, everyone offered the option to be the banker, and participants may put bets versus their opponents in addition to the casino. 

Nowadays, there’s only a single dealer present in the game, and wagers are usually put versus the bookmaker, which also functions as the lender.

Chemin de fer a.k.a. “Shimmy”, “Chemmy” or “Chernay”

Baccarat migrated across borders and started to spread from Italy to the neighboring country of France where it was called Chemin de Fer. The game had an abundance of fans that also consisted of  King Charles VIII and the aristocrats surrounding him. Baccarat was swiftly established as a popular game with the French elite and stayed so for generations. Baccarat has also gained popularity in several other nations including the UK. The profound character of James Bond was given birth by the baccarat player Ian Fleming and he was exposed to the game in the UK. During this age of rapid worldwide colonization, baccarat along with roulette rapidly propagated to several other nations throughout the globe.

Caribbean Punto Banco

As the game progressed, it was also widespread across the lands of Caribbean and South America where it was known by the name of Punto Banco. Punto Banco was heavily influenced by regional customs. A few of the major differences that were seen among other versions is the way in which gamers participated. They have to go against the house rather than play with each other. The casino became the bank and only they had this supreme power which was not extended to any other opponents. This version later was recognised as American Baccarat.

The Ascension of Online Baccarat

Baccarat never gained popularity amongst casino gamblers in the same way that online blackjack and slot games achieved. As a result, casino operators advertised it as a game for the privileged few by establishing hefty minimal wagers and concealing the gaming tables in special chambers outfitted with luxurious leather seats. Of course, this attracted greater interest and increased the attractiveness of the baccarat action.

It immediately developed a popular game loved by people from all over the world. People were eager to learn more about live baccarat tips as virtual casinos enabled gamers across every corner of the world to gather, join and enjoy an activity that everyone seemed to like. Just like how the introduction of online baccarat added an additional aspect to the game, the advent of live baccarat games increased the appeal of gambling on the internet.