Online Casino

Most gaming history experts agree that the game we now know as baccarat began life in Italy as long ago as the early 1480s. It is said to have been initially played with the tarot deck by its alleged inventor and Italian gambler, Felix Falguierein.

The early game began to spread throughout Europe and spawned several similar variations that became highly popular with nobility and aristocracy in several European countries.

In 1958, European baccarat was introduced to the US by Tommy Renzoni in Las Vegas, although the casino had not prepared its house edge correctly and on its first night managed to lose around a quarter of a million dollars. The game’s popularity remained relatively low as it was seen by most gamblers as a rich person’s game. This view was not helped by the baccarat tables being isolated from the rest of the casino games, often in a cordoned off area which discouraged all but high rollers from partaking in the game.

Popularity increased with the introduction of mini baccarat which attracted all comers to join the game, but it has never really caught on like blackjack or poker.