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History of Baccarat
Bond, James Bond
Chances are that you first encountered baccarat (pronounced bac-car-ah) with a fleeting glimpse at the baccarat table over the tux-clad shoulder of Agent 007. Long before you were legally able or financially fit to approach a baccarat table in person, you could catch the action in a James Bond film. Handsome and beautiful double-agents and triple-agents, often evil and always dripping in diamonds, won and lost obscene sums of money in the bat of an eyelash.
Even though most of us first discovered baccarat on the silver screen, the game predates Hollywood and Ian Fleming. Sean Connery and all who followed him enjoyed baccarat centuries after its introduction.
Baccarat is, without question, the casino’s most elegant and prestigious game. You’ll find it tucked away in a quiet, out-of-the way corner of the casino, guarded and roped off from the rest of the common games and the casino hoi polloi. Even today, baccarat remains almost the exclusive province of the couture crowd from one end of the globe to the other.
Like most casino games, baccarat’s exact origin is shrouded in mystery. What separates baccarat’s history from the history of the other casino games is that it retained its exclusive image on its worldwide journey-until it found its way to the Internet.
While there is some debate about whether baccarat originated in Italy or France, most agree that it originated in Italy. Baccarat dates back at least to the Italian middle ages, where legend places its birth sometime in the 1480s. Wandering like a nomad from continent to continent, baccarat remains extremely popular among European nobility and in China. Baccarat’s moderate popularity in the United States is probably due to its relative short tenure in the American casinos and its exclusive nature.
European and American versions differ widely, with the most important difference being who banks the game. In Europe, it is common for actually players to bankroll the game while the house simply takes a percentage. In the United States, the casino bankrolls the game.
Baccarat’s Timeline
You can view a brief synopsis of baccarat’s fascinating timeline below:
* Italy, Middle Ages � The earliest version of baccarat was born in Italy in the 1480s from a deck of tarot cards. The Italians called it baccara, the Italian word for zero. Most of the cards in baccarat’s deck hold a point value of zero-tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings of all suits. Legend credits Felix Falguierein as the first baccarat player. Many of the modern casino games point to Pagan or Christian spirituality as instrumental in their development. Early accounts of baccarat claim that it was:
"... based on an old Etruscan ritual of the nine gods, who prayed to a blonde virgin on their tiptoes waiting for her to throw a nine-sided die. The result of the die decided her fate. If an eight or a nine was thrown, she would become the priestess; if she threw a six or seven, she would be banned from any further religious activities; if she threw any number less than six, she would walk into the sea."
- France, 1500s - Nicknamed Chemmy and Shimmy, Chemin De Fer, as baccarat is known in Europe, was introduced to the French by the Italians. The French, however, also claim credit for inventing baccarat. Either way, the French aristocracy, always seeking new and different idle pastimes, warmed to the game immediately sometime in the early 1500s. It spread to the Riviera where it remains a favorite casino game among the rich and famous beautiful people.
- Argentina, 1950s � Baccarat made the long voyage from France to Argentina. It landed at the casinos of Mar del Plata, home to the South American upper echelon.
- Saratoga, NY and Palm Beach, FL, 1910s � Baccarat is introduced at the famed Saratoga racetrack and spa and the Palm Beach resort, the summer and winter playgrounds of American aristocracy and nouveau riche. It received a less than lukewarm embrace and made little impression upon the industrialists.
- Cuba, 1950s � Baccarat made its way to Havana’s famed seaside playground during Cuba’s pre-Castro heyday. Known as Punto Banco in Cuba, it underwent rule changes to become what is now known as American baccarat. The casinos began bankrolling the action, and all players played against the house rather than against a player/banker. Francis "Tommy" Renzoni, a casino executive at George Raft’s Capri Hotel Casino showed an insatiable curiosity for the game, which led baccarat to�
- Las Vegas, NV, 1958 �In his book, Renzoni on Baccarat, (Lyle Stuart, June 1, 1974), Francis "Tommy" Renzoni credits himself with bringing baccarat to Las Vegas. Around the time Cuba was about to fall to Castro, Renzoni persuaded the Sands to open a baccarat pit. At the end of its first night of operation, Baccarat had cost the house $250,000 in 1958 dollars. For the second time, Americans rebuffed the game, preferring the more boisterous games and shying away from the elegant, secluded atmosphere of the baccarat pit. Even today, you’ll find little more than mini-baccarat in Las Vegas, unless you confine your play to nights and weekends at the few casinos that offer the upscale version behind the velvet ropes.
- Atlantic City, 1990 � In February, Akio Kashiwagi, also known as, "The Warrior," entered Donald Trump’s Atlantic City Trump Plaza casino to play baccarat. He wagered $200,000 a hand until he won $6 million. At one time, The Warrior was the highest roller in history. Unfortunately, Mr. Kashiwagi didn’t know when he’d had enough of a good thing, and he returned to Trump Plaza in May. That time, however, the tables were turned, and after six days at the baccarat table, our warrior left the casino $10 million poorer, the largest recorded loss in baccarat history.
- Internet, 21st Century � Now that baccarat is established throughout casinos around the world, it has made the natural leap to the Internet. Most online gambling establishments include baccarat among their offerings. With the variety of rules, and absent the elegance and exclusivity that some find intimidating in the casinos, baccarat is bound to attract a whole new global audience of enthusiasts on the Internet.
