History of Baccarat

In Europe, Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games. This is possibly due to its heritage - the word baccarat is derived from the Italian word Baccara, meaning zero, and refers to the zero value given to all of the face cards and tens.
A long-time favourite of gamblers, an early version was played with cards from a Tarot deck back in the Middle Ages. Modern baccarat originated in Italy around 1490, and by the early 1500's it had become the game of choice for the French nobility. Eventually baccarat evolved into European Baccarat and the French game Chemin de Fer. American Baccarat actually originated in England and spread to the USA via South America. The version of the game that is played today came from the Capri Casino in Havana, Cuba.

When baccarat was introduced to Nevada in the late 1950's, casinos tried to ascribe it the glamorous aura associated with the European game. In most casinos, baccarat is played in a roped-off area, is closely monitored and sometimes even surrounded by armed guards due to the often ludicrously high wagers.

While the grandiose atmosphere of a baccarat game may attract high rollers, it is a simple game of chance that involves little skill on the part of the player or dealer:

• Players sit in any of the 14 open seats at the table.
• Each seat corresponds to a number on the layout, one through 15, excluding a spot numbered 13 to avoid bad luck.
• Each table is serviced by three dealers.
• The dealer standing in the middle is known as the croupier or the caller.
• The croupier makes the calls on each hand as they are dealt, and directs the procedure of the game.
• The other two dealers are responsible for the payoffs.