History of Baccarat

Most casino games have origins shrouded in mystery, and it is rare to find one in which its beginnings can be definitively be tacked down to a specific time period or group of people. That being said, the history of Baccarat is a particularly murky one, and adding considerably to the confusion is the fact that there are no less than three different variations of the game, each with its attendant myths and legends.

Baccarat – Where Did it Begin?

In any case, one persistent fallacy in the history of Baccarat should be set straight, and that is with regard to its supposed French origins. The fact of the matter is that the name “Baccarat”–while indeed a French word–is actually Italian in origin, and that is precisely where the game actually began. Stemming from the word “baccara”–which literally means "zero"–this explains why that particular hand is the losing one in each of the three main variations of the game.

The earliest developments in the history of Baccarat can be traced to the 15th Century, when a card game became quite popular in the Italian countryside. Instead of the typical 52-card deck commonly used nowadays however, this early game in the history of Baccarat utilized tarot cards, which is only fair play really, as the suits of the modern day playing cards are actually derived from the tarot.

After the game spread throughout Italy and made its way to France, Baccarat somehow found its way to China, where its popularity positively boomed. This was a time when the history of Baccarat was being written, although the United States was a bit slow to catch on to the global Baccarat fever.

Baccarat vs. Blackjack

One thing that was instrumental in Baccarat’s steady-but-slow popularity was its inadvertent competition with the more popular blackjack. In the late 19th Century, blackjack was the game to play, and the introduction of Baccarat to the general public was just wrong timing. Nevertheless, the French and English migrants to the United States kept the embers of the game burning slowly but steadily, and it was apparent that there were a lot of events yet to transpire in the history of Baccarat…

One of those events was the series of radical changes that the game underwent in the 1950's, when it finally grew into its present role of a respectable casino game in its own right. It was at that period in the history of Baccarat that the game entered its modern phase.

Today, three versions of the game are most commonly played: the Punto Banco version favored by many Americans, and the more formal Baccarat Banque and Chemin de Fer versions that most Europeans are familiar with.

Punto Banco itself has birthed an offspring of sorts, in the relatively new variant of the game called mini-Baccarat. This variation of the game came about partly to address issues related to the lack of physical space. Interestingly enough however mini-Baccarat has some into its own as a pretty respectable game in its own right.