Baccarat is by far one of the most emblematic casino game that has been around for centuries now. It has a simple set of rules, yet it is pretty unknown in some parts of the world. It has a rich history with over 400 years of evolving and changing.
Even though this game’s roots are in Italy, the French nobles took it over and made it a daily activity. Nowadays, Baccarat is the most popular in Asia. High rollers from Japan and Korea go to Macau or Las Vegas’ top casinos and try their luck at the Baccarat tables.
Short History
Numerous historians believe that the game has existed since the 1400s. The word baccarat is derived from the Italian “bacara”, that means zero. Felix Falguiere was the creator of the game. The name of the game was inspired by the fact that all cards above nine were not worth anything.
The Tale that Inspired Felix
An old Etruscan tale describes how a woman had to throw a dice with nine sides. For every eight or nine, the woman was promoted and gained more power in the community. She would’ve become the priestess. But if the dice showed a number under six, the woman would be drowned. Still, if the dice landed six or seven, she would keep her life, losing only the privileges.
French Nobles
Baccarat switched places and moved to France in the 1800s. King Charles VIII took great interest in the game. It became a symbol of French nobility for a century afterward.
Punto Banco
Baccarat gained more popularity in Europe in the 18th century, but it was not until the 20th century that it became popular in casinos. In the US, the game was introduced as Punto Banco from the South part of the continent. Tommy Renzoni is the man that first introduced this game in casinos around the 1950s.
How popular is Baccarat?
People are drawn to it even if the game is old and has complex rules. The simplicity and elegance of the table or the high winning chances are also factors that made people name Baccarat a casino gem.
Gamblers and curious people prefer switching to online casino websites before playing in a land-based casino. They also choose Live Casinos sites to mimic the real-life Macau experience with lower effort.
Macau’s top 40 casinos made more revenue from Baccarat alone than any other casino game. About 88% of the $33.2 billion income comes from a few hundred Baccarat tables. Las Vegas also shows statistics telling that this casino game is the second most popular and money-maker in the Strip casinos. The first choice for gamblers who visit Las Vegas will always be Slot Machines.
Old vs Today’s Baccarat
Throughout time, the game probably suffered numerous changes, but historians cannot track all of them. However, a significant number of them came when the game landed in the US. Before that, a table had four dealers, and each player was the banker.
Today the game has a single dealer per table, but the players can wager against the house/ banker.
Rules
The banker and players will receive two cards. The winner is the one who gets the number closest to 9.
When both parts get an 8 or nine, they can stand. However, you’ll get another card if your total is less than six. A tie pays out the best 8-to-1, but it is harder to get there.
A Game with Low House Advantage
The house advantage, widely known as edge, is the average percentage the casino gets from each bet someone makes. This percentage differs depending on the game you’re playing, but it is usually between 0.5%-6%. Baccarat’s house edge is 1.2%.
Shining for Over Four Centuries
Maybe it all started with a dark story that inspired a positive concept; maybe Felix Falguiere was just lucky. Certainly, the game was present in many important moments of history and changed its course in unexpected ways.
Even today, people are passionate about Baccarat and have all the reasons for it. The game is simple, intuitive and has a great RTP level. All online gambling platforms have Live Baccarat tables with different betting entering fees.