The Game Of Baccarat – The History From The Etruscan’s To James Bond
The History Of The Game Of Baccarat
The varied history of the game of baccarat covers everything from high rollers to ancient civilisations to James Bond himself. Today let’s take a journey of discovery from ancient Italy to the modern casino gambling tables of Las Vegas.
Ancient Italian Origins
Today if you’re going to casinos to win the jackpot, then you’ll find the game of baccarat is probably the most glamorous game in the whole casino. In some ways it’s only fitting that it’s origin’s that surrounded in mystery. It’s generally believed that baccarat can first be traced back to the Etruscan’s, who were people living in ancient Italy. In this original game, a virgin needed to roll a 9 sided dice. This would be used to determine her fate. She would become a priestess if she rolled an 8 or 9. Rolling a 6 or 7 will mean that she is allowed to live. T rolling less than a 6 would see her banished to the sea, where she would be ceremoniously drowned. We can all agree that it’s better for everyone that the game has undergone some changes since then!
The Game Of Baccarat: Alternative Asian Origins
Another school of thought suggests that baccarat originally came from Far East Asia. European soldiers who were visiting the colonies there, learned the game and brought it back to Europe. For example, Pai Gow comes from China. To a certain degree it does resemble the game of baccarat that we know today. Even the name contains the number 9, with it translating as “make 9” or “card 9.” Another Chinese game called Macao, which was popular in Europe in the 18th century, has also been suggested as a forerunner to the modern game of baccarat. This is partly because the rules are very similar.
Who Was Felix Falguiere?
In truth, with so much time having passed, it’s impossible to know the true origins of the game of baccarat. Or whether the game is in fact a mixture of various games from many different cultures. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that a man named Felix Falguiere was responsible for giving the game of baccarat its name. He was an Italian speaker who actually called the game “ baccara” which means zero (as you know all face cards and tens are worth zero in the game). As the game’s popularity spread across Europe, the French nobility took to this table game with a fervour. Their version of the name was called “baccarat.” For whatever reason, this was the name that just stuck with the game of baccarat.
The Game Of Baccarat: Onward To France
During the Italian Renaissance, the French would invade and it’s soldiers would move through Italy. On their return, they brought with them in the Italian game of baccarat. Within a short space of time the game reached the French Court and in the 15th century, Charles VIII was to make the game the court favourite. From that time on, the French aristocracy played baccarat as if it were going out of fashion. All the aristocratic palaces had exclusive and opulent private rooms for playing this game. We can thank the French popularity of the game for providing two of the major baccarat variants which are “Chemin de Fer” and “Baccarat Banque.” These versions of the game also bought with them new ways of playing and exciting jackpot winning strategies.
The Evolution Of British Baccarat
The British public were more or less completely unaware of the game of baccarat until an infamous house party that took place in 1890. This became known as the “Royal Baccarat Scandal” though it was also known in the media of the time as the “Tranby Croft Affair.” The future king of England, the Prince of Wales, accepted an invitation to Tranby Croft in Yorkshire. At this party were a group of his advisers as well as his great friend Sir William Gordon-Cumming. After dinner the men retired to the smoking room where they started to play baccarat. At some point in the game Gordon-Cumming was accused of being a cheat. Whether he actually cheated or not is almost beside the point. His political party insisted on silence on the matter. This led to Gordon-Cumming being forced to sign a document saying that he would never play cards again.
As you can imagine the secret wasn’t kept for long. As a direct result of this, Gordon-Cumming took his old chums to court for slander. The Prince of Wales was actually called as a witness. Unfortunately it all ended when those Gordon-Cumming sued for slander were found not guilty. Because of the huge media interest in the case, then it was only a matter of time until the public became interested in this new game called baccarat. And it wasn’t long before the British public took up the cards.
James Bond And Chemin De Fer
In 1953, a fictitious British secret agent was playing in French casinos enjoying the baccarat version of Chemin de Fer. The novels of Ian Fleming and his gun-toting, card playing hero, James Bond were to become incredibly popular. The first one novel, Casino Royale, actually involved a plot line which revolved around a game of baccarat between Bond and his nemesis, Le Chiffre. At the end of the game, Bond bankrupts Le Chiffre, who is then taken out by his Soviet overlords. In the novel Casino Royale, Ian Fleming even included an introduction to baccarat so that readers could understand the game play.
But in Martin Campbell’s 2006 film, Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig, the game of baccarat was changed to Texas Hold’em poker. This was simply because this variant of jackpot poker is much more popular than baccarat. To that end, the film-maker’s assumed that it would be easier for more of the public to understand. If you go to Bet 365 Casino, you can play for free using their free-play feature. This allows you to experience the gambling, but without fear of losing any money. Once you’re feeling confident about the rules and the game play, then you can start to really bet with real cash. Then, to help you get started, they offer a great welcome bonus of 100% up to £25!
Baccarat And The Bond Movies
If you look across the films of James Bond, then you’ll find him playing baccarat in many of them including, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, For Your Eyes Only, Golden Eye and Dr No. But by far the most detailed scene of baccarat can be found in the 1967 adaptation of Casino Royale, called Thunderball. And talking of gambling movies, the 1964 film featuring The Beatles called A Hard Day’s Night, also features the game. In this movie, Paul McCartney’s fictional grandfather steals an invitation to a posh casino. He has no idea how to play baccarat and he needs correcting from the dealer after shouting “Bingo” instead of “Banco.” Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop him from learning how to win the jackpot.
The Game Of Baccarat: Punto Banco
As the immigrants moved from Europe to the new America’s they brought with them the game of baccarat. It didn’t take long for the game to conquer North America. And then move down through Central America and finally to South America and the Caribbean. The variant called “Punto Banco” was developed in Havana during the 1940s. Then in the late 50s, the game finally came to Las Vegas via the Sands Casino. As such, it was marketed as a game for high rollers and the minimum table bets were set very high. We can also add the drama, allure, glamour and excitement into the heady mix.
Today, the game you’ll find in many American casinos is actually Punto Blanco, though they refer to it under the all-encompassing term “baccarat.” If you want to play baccarat like James Bond, then we suggests that you head over to the live dealer games on offer from Bet365 Casino. It will feel like you’re actually seating in the Casino Royale!
