Baccarat History
Learn more about the history of baccarat here!
Baccarat, perhaps above all other casino pursuits, has earned itself a reputation as the most glamorous game, ideal for high-rollers who are out to impress. As with other games of chance, there is an air of mystique attached to Baccarat, an air which pervades the mythology as much as it does the game itself.
In fact, the origins of the game are shrouded in myth. According to Baccarat lore, it is based on the Etruscan ritual in which a virgin threw a nine-sided dice to get a shot at becoming a priestess. If she failed to throw anything above a five, she had to walk into the sea and drown herself.
Thankfully the stakes aren’t that high these days, but Baccarat is the Italian word for “Zero” so there is a certain sense of fatalism attached to the game which lends it a melodrama not shared by other casino games.
Baccarat first appeared in France during the late 15th Century, where it was played in secrecy (because of its illegality) by the nobility. It was later legalized, the tax revenue being used to help the poor, but it was banned again by Napoleon. By the time it became legal once again, the stage was set for Baccarat to explode in popularity along with the growth of French casinos.
As with most French trends, playing Baccarat trickled through to the English aristocracy as a fashionable pastime during the reign of Queen Victoria. Word spread to the burgeoning (but restricted) casino scene in America. By the middle of the 20th Century, mini-Baccarat was introduced to casinos to enable people to play on a standard casino table. Mini-Baccarat only allows the dealer to deal cards, never the players (as was traditional).
And now, in the 21st Century, with websites like your very own Castle Casino, Baccarat can be played online from the comfort of your own home. Browse through the rest of our Baccarat section to find out more about the game, or sign up straightaway to start playing Baccarat online today!
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