A Guide to Baccarat's Origin
Baccarat is one of Europe's most famous contributions to the gambling world. It started as an Italian invention that can be traced back to the middle ages. Felix Falguierein, a known Italian gambler, invented the game baccarat. But at first, baccarat is played using a tarot card deck and not the standard deck of card we use today. It was known then as Tarrochi.
The basis for the creation of baccarat was traced to a ritual performed by a pre-Roman civilization known as the Etruscan. This ritual decides the fate of a virgin woman with blonde hair using a die consisting of nine sides. Each side of the die corresponds with a number. Each number is associated with a particular fate in store for the woman. She could either become a priestess, prohibited from participating in activities related to religion, or die.
It was during the reign of King Charles VIII that baccarat reached the soils of France from Italy. At first, baccarat was exclusive to the French aristocratic class. Years later, baccarat was allowed to be played by all levels of the French social stratum with the advent of the establishment of French casinos.
Although the Italians have the claim for the invention of baccarat, the French owned the card game. They infused baccarat with a huge influence. Up to now, the sophistication and elegance derived from long years of exclusiveness to the French noble class still persists. Words such as "non", "cheval" and "banco" were of French origin.
Baccarat reached England when the popularity of "chemin de fer", a French version of the card game, continually spread all over Europe. Some rules and the name of the French version were changed. The English version was known as European Baccarat and served as the basis for the baccarat games that is played in the countries found in South America.
European baccarat served also as the foundation of the American version of baccarat that was introduced by Tommy Renzoni in the 1950s. But the American baccarat did not come directly from England. It was in Cuba where the American version was derived. Baccarat became even more popular in the United States when the casinos in Havana, Cuba were closed by the government.
Modern technology paved the way for baccarat to reach millions more people around the world. Online versions of baccarat were developed. With this, anyone could download baccarat in their personal computers and enjoy the excitement only baccarat could bring.