Baccarat dates back to the Middle Ages. It has been said the game was
first played with a Tarot deck. Originating in Italy, it soon made its way to
France where it found a home among the upper class aristocracy. Further
evolution of the game shows it split to European baccarat, and a French
game that goes by the name 'chemin de fer'.
Chemin de fer is very similar to baccarat as it's played in American casinos
today. The difference is one of the players banks the game instead of the
casino. The title of banker rotates around the table in a manner similar to the
dice at a craps table. The interesting bit to observe of course is that the
casino is taking no risk here; they simply charge a fee from each banker.
The Baccarat we know today originated in Great Britain and was then
passed along to South America and finally to Nevada. The infamous Dunes casino
introduced baccarat in the late 50's, and since then it has made its final
migration onto the world wide web.
Baccarat has a history overseas too, which is evidenced by its
popularity among the Asian population who visit Las Vegas each year. The highest
of the high rollers often come from overseas to try their hand under the
chandeliers of the stylish Vegas baccarat rooms. In casinos based in the
Portuguese territory of Macao, near Hong Kong, the popularity of baccarat is
unrivaled. Unlike the heavily ordered and systematic American casinos, these
Portuguese tables often allow multiple players to bet on a single spot at the
same time, while the expert dealers mentally keep track of each players
commission on winning bank bets.
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