
Baccarat
history can be traced back to the middle
ages. It has been said the game was first
played with Tarot cards. It was not long
before baccarat made its way from its home
country, Italy, to France. There it found
a new (and welcoming) home among the upper
class aristocracy. Further evolution of
the game shows it split to European baccarat,
and a French game that goes by the name
'chemin de fer'.

'Chemin
de fer' is very similar to baccarat as it's
played in American casinos today. The difference
is that one of the players banks the game
instead of the casino. The title of banker
rotates around the table in a manner similar
to the dice at a craps table. The casino
of course is taking no risk here; they simply
charge a fee from each banker.

The
Baccarat we know today originated in Great
Britain and was then passed along to South
America and finally to Nevada. The infamous
Dunes casino introduced baccarat in the
late 50's, and since then it has made its
final voyage onto the World of web based
gambling.

Baccarat's
popularity among the Asian population who
visit Las Vegas each year is clear evidence
that baccarat history can be found overseas
too. The chief high rollers often come from
abroad to try their hand under the chandeliers
of the elegant Vegas baccarat rooms. In
casinos based in the Portuguese territory
of Macao, near Hong Kong, the popularity
of baccarat is matchless. Unlike the heavily
ordered and systematic American casinos,
these Portuguese tables often allow multiple
players to bet on a single spot at the same
time, while the expert dealers mentally
keep track of each players commission on
winning bank bets.