8 fun facts about Baccarat, the most elegant game in the casino

Where it came from, why it’s James Bond’s favourite game and more is what you’ll find here.

You’ve probably played Texas Hold’em and Blackjack, two super fun and easy card games, but are you familiar with Baccarat? Well, it turns out that it’s also a game full of excitement that could easily win you some nice prizes. However, because of its history, there are still some who are a bit “afraid” of it. That’s why we’d like to give you some fun facts about this game, so that you can get to know it and make it one of your favourites.

Top facts

1. As is common when it comes to the origin of many games, it is not known exactly where Baccarat comes from. Some historians claim that it was created in France around the year 1400.
2. In contrast to the above, other experts say that Baccarat was born in Italy, as its name comes from baccarat, an old Italian word that meant zero and was also used to call the worst hand in the game, i.e. the one with zero points.
3. What is certain is that Baccarat evolved in France, where its rules were established and two versions of the game were created: Chemin de Fer and Banque. Moreover, although gambling was banned by King Louis XIV of France at his court, both were very popular in high society between the 16th and 19th centuries. It is well said that the forbidden attracts more.
4. It was not until the 20th century that Baccarat became one of the “nicest” games in European casinos because it was played only by aristocrats, tycoons and other wealthy individuals. There were even specific areas where it could be played with the intention of restricting the rest of the population.
5. 5. Probably because of all the glamour and elegance that Baccarat represents, Ian Fleming, the spy novelist who invented the iconic character James Bond, chose this game to be the favourite of Agent 007 himself, specifically Baccarat Chemin de Fer.
6. 6. Although Baccarat is now quite popular in America, it was not very well received at first. In fact, years after the game was brought to the continent, it was reintroduced in 1950, and it was first introduced in Cuba because there were so many American casinos there.
7. 7. When Americans started to take a liking to the game, it was much easier to get it into casinos in other parts of the “New World”. Tommy Renzoni, who is now considered a Baccarat gangster, was the first to bring the game to Las Vegas.
8. 8. Fortunately today Baccarat is a game that can be enjoyed by anyone. However, in the 1970s there were still gamblers who did not feel completely convinced to play it because of their economic situation or social class, as they considered it a presumptuous game or feared they would lose too much money playing it.

Baccarat today

Nowadays you can find Baccarat tables in almost any casino and you can also enjoy it online. The best thing is that, as with all our other games, you decide how much to bet, without having to put large sums of money at stake and without fear of anything.