When we talk about a casino game that has a long history, has survived through the years and has reached modernity almost intact since its origin, we are talking about Baccarat. A casino game that has crossed the limits of age and is one of the most played games in modern times. Without further ado, we bring you its exciting history through the years.
Baccarat disputes its origin between China and Ancient Rome.
The origin of Baccarat is not entirely clear to historians and players of this exciting game, despite all the efforts that have been made to discover it, it is still not known today if the origin of the game is in China with the Pai Gow, or in Ancient Rome, where there was a ritual in which the virgins in offering to the Goddess Vesta threw a dice to determine the value or amount of their faith.
While in the Roman game they sought to get an 8 or a 9 to become a high priestess, rolling a 6 or a 7 excluded them from the dispute and if a lower number was rolled, their lives were taken away.
As for the Chinese game, it is believed that it comes from Pai Gow (nine), a game that was not played with cards, but there is a certain relationship between the name and the Baccarat score.
Arrival in Europe and massification
Baccarat took a great leap when it arrived in Europe by the hand of Marco Polo when he returned and introduced it towards the end of 1290, it quickly became popular among the merchant and higher classes that could afford to have a deck of cards, since at that time they were painted by hand.
At that time, the game was not called Baccarat, but was referred to as Tarocchi or, above all, Macao. In the midst of all this, there was a fundamental event for its expansion, which is the appearance of the printing press in the world. With the invention of the printing press, having a deck of cards ceased to be a job for painters and craftsmen, thus expanding card games to almost the entire population of the European continent.
Baccarat in France, birthplace of the game
Although baccarat definitely did not originate in France, the game itself was forged there, and is recognized throughout the world today as a French game. During the 1490s, after the war on Italian soil, soldiers introduced it to their cast of card games. At that time, two styles of Baccarat spread, Baccarat en Banque and Chemin de Fer without betting on Bancase. So popular and beloved did this game become in France, that despite the prohibition declared by Louis Phillip in 1837, it continued to be played illegally and maintained its popularity in the rest of the continent.
