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The History of Blackjack

To most people, the game of baccarat conjures up images of glamorous women and suave men and, of course, martinis (stirred, not shaken). Contact with a baccarat table comes most often via a movie screen, and the person usually associated with the game is a fictional character – Bond, James Bond However, although the master spy is a figment of Ian Fleming’s imagination the game of baccarat is real, very real.
Baccarat (pronounced bac-car-ah) may not be as elusive and out-of-reach as it seems on the silver screen but it is, undeniably, the casino’s most prestigious and stylish game. True, it has been brought to the masses with the advent of online gambling, but in real casinos the world over it is still placed in a discreet, quiet corner of the room, separated and roped off from the riff-raff and commoners. In this way, the game of baccarat retains its aura of exclusivity and uniqueness despite being a game that anyone can play and enjoy.
In reality, baccarat predates 007 by several centuries, although its exact origins are vague. Although the name, baccarat, sounds French and some will argue that the game did, indeed, originate in France, most experts agree that its origins lie in Italy. In fact, the game was born in that country in the mid-15th century and it has remained popular on the European continent ever since. The Italians called it “baccara,” the Italian word for zero (since most of the cards in a baccarat deck hold a point value of zero). Baccarat lore has it that an Italian by the name of Felix Falguierein was the first baccarat player.
Not long after the game was invented in Italy, it was introduced to the French, who called it Chemin de Fer (and also claimed it as their own). By the early 1500s, the game was a hit in France, and no self-respecting Riviera casino – then or now – would be caught without a baccarat table. One of the unique twists of Chemin de Fer is that the casino does not play the role of banker; instead the players take turn being banker. In order for the house to make money, it takes a cut of all winning hands. This version of baccarat is still played in France today. In England (where the game eventually migrated), the dealer controls the bank and the casino, in turn, finances him. Only in the mid-1900s did baccarat make the long voyage across the sea from Europe to South America and then to the U.S.A, where, interestingly enough, it never quite caught on as it did in Europe. In Cuba, however, it underwent yet another metamorphosis and, with a few rule changes, it became known - very well known - as Punto Banco (or American baccarat). Although the game found its way to Las Vegas a few years later – introduced by a casino manager by the name of Francis “Tommy” Renzoni - it never really caught on and, even today, baccarat fans may have to spend some extra time searching The Strip for a game.
Finally, about a decade ago, baccarat made the move to the Internet along with just about every other gambling game. It is easier to find an online baccarat game than it is to find a corded-off baccarat corner in Vegas or Atlantic City (and certainly easier than a flight to Monte Carlo). On one hand, accessible to millions, the game has lost some of its polish and exclusivity. On the other hand, with new variations and without the intimidating and standoffishness of casino baccarat the game is sure to attract a whole new set of fans around the globe.