Why did baccarat become so popular? Some might say it’s because of its simplicity, the benefit of having few casinos, or the fact that James Bond made it so. But for the game to stand up to time and move from the 15th century to today’s glamorous Las Vegas casinos with live dealers, it takes something more than the simplicity of the rules. Let’s take a look at how it all began.
Baccarat’s origins are from the Chinese games and rituals of ancient Rome. However, despite the fact that baccarat is one of the most popular and ancient card games in the world, its original origins remain unknown. Since the first mention of the game was made in the 1800s, any speculation that the game existed earlier can be considered mere rumors. Nevertheless, the potential scenarios for the game’s origins are fascinating. They argue that baccarat may have originated from other games such as Chinese Pai Gow, in which players used dice instead of cards. This is mainly due to the fact that 9 in baccarat is the best score, and the name of the game Pai Gow, which translates to “dial nine”. However, historical data cannot support this theory.
The history of the game of “cards at tables” began in 1330 in a French manuscript. Cards simply didn’t exist, so they weren’t as popular before the invention of the printing press. Cards had to be either drawn by hand or printed using wooden stamps with designs. In the late 1290s, Marco Polo brought the Chinese method of making dice for the game of pai gow to Italy. However, cards had already begun to be widely printed in packs of 78 cards immediately after the invention of the printing press. Such cards were called “Devil’s Picture Books.” When new card games appeared, the old dice games were adapted to play with cards, and thus baccarat came into being.
Despite the common belief that baccarat originated in France, historical facts show that the game began in Italy. Although there is no direct relationship between tarrochi and baccarat, the game of tarrochi may have been the first card game in Italy in the fourteenth century. The Italian Felix Falguier is believed to have invented the modern prototype of the game of baccarat using tarot cards. Another popular game in Italy at the time was macau. It was played with cards and was won by whoever scored nine points. This game, often referred to as “Italian baccarat”, was the ancestor of modern baccarat. Le her is another game that may be descended from the oldest version of baccarat, as it also uses the principle of a fixed number of cards and winning if a player scores the most points. It involved two players, each of whom received one card. The cards had denominations from 1 to 13, and kings were considered the highest and promised to win. If other than the king, each player could exchange a card, which was similar to dealing extra cards in baccarat.
