Baccarat easily remains one of the most popular games in casinos all over the world, though it arguably took off in the US. However, did you know that the history of baccarat as a game has roots in the East?

The game gained popularity thanks to its relative speed and ease of play compared to some of the other casino table games out there. You can see just how popular the game has become, for example, by looking at all the different options for baccarat at LeoVegas! In this article, we take a short trip in our time machine to see where this two-handed title first started. Whether you enjoy perusing baccarat tables in our live casino or are just interested in where the game started out, our history lesson is well worth a read!

Baccarat history: where did it all begin?

Baccarat has a few potential roots. It’s undoubtedly a very old game, but there seem to be two schools of thought about exactly where people started playing it. Some believe that the game first started being played in ancient China, while others think that baccarat emerged as a game called ‘baccara’ in 15th-century Italy. Let’s look at what both schools of historians think about baccarat history, and who we have to thank for bringing it to modern casinos.

History of baccarat in Asia

A prevailing theory among gaming historians is that baccarat has roots in, or at least takes inspiration from, ancient China. One historian describes how it may have been possible that baccarat was influenced by the Chinese game pai gow, which was played in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 BCE). Instead of cards, pai gow was played with tiles similar to those used in dominoes. Pai gow means ‘make nine’. As nine is the best score in baccarat, there is a strong possibility that pai gow is one of the earliest forms of baccarat. However, we don’t know for certain who started playing the game of baccarat. Now, to understand how baccarat evolved from there, we need to leap forward in time somewhat and head over to Italy.

Baccarat history in Europe

Many historians believe that the game’s roots can be traced to Italy. This makes logical sense, as ‘baccara’ is an Italian word. However, rather than meaning ‘nine’ or ‘make nine’, this title means ‘zero’. Some people believe that this is because it refers to face cards being worth zero during play.

It has been speculated that Felix Falguiere was the game’s creator back in the 15th century, loosely basing it on the ancient legend of a virgin who threw some dice to determine her fate of either becoming a priestess or dying at sea. Specifically, this legend refers to the fact that throwing less than a six meant being banished to the sea.

The modern game of baccarat doesn’t quite result in players meeting with such an awful end, but drawing less than six usually means hitting and claiming another card, meaning that there’s a high risk of losing. Some people claim that the history of baccarat in Europe is even older – possible dating back to the 1300s – meaning that there’s still some debate over exactly when it started. However, we can pretty much agree that it was Europe where the game began to evolve into the table game we know today.

Baccarat didn’t stay in Italy for long. Players in France soon began to take up the game, and they made some adaptations, referring to it as Chemin de Fer. In France, the game became popular with members of the royal family and the nobility, with King Charles VIII being something of a baccarat enthusiast. It was a pastime that swiftly travelled among the French aristocracy, to the extent that some aristocrats even had baccarat rooms designed and built in their homes just to play it!

Of course, the game eventually made its way to England, and from there, it was always going to head to the US. It’s from there onwards that baccarat became a casino staple, much like games such as blackjack, which was adapted from European rules.

Baccarat history in the US

It’s fair to say that we have the Americans to thank for many of the modern adaptations made to popular casino games. Baccarat, in fact, had been popular in Europe for centuries before it reached American shores. Some historians of the game believe that baccarat first started being played in the US in the early 1900s. However, there are also records that suggest that people faced arrest for playing the card game in the late 1800s.

Regardless, the game soon became known as ‘American baccarat” in the 20th century. Although some American players were already aware of the game when the Second World War broke out, it wasn’t until the 1950s that Tommy Renzoni brought the game to US casinos via Argentina.

Of course, casinos were still something of a modern invention in the early 20th century – but it’s hard to believe that baccarat didn’t catch on in America until midway through the century! Renzoni specifically adapted the game from the Punto Banco variant that was popular across South America. Once he brought the game into Nevada, baccarat finally carved out a name in the gaming history books, and the only way from there was technological evolution.

Baccarat history in the modern age

That’s pretty much where we are now – but what about the digital age? By the 2000s, the World Wide Web was growing in popularity and influence, and with it, online casinos and bingo sites began popping up. With them, digital versions of baccarat soon found their way into people’s homes.

Beyond that, the 2010s saw the rise of live casino baccarat, where players were able to take part in the game from home while still connecting with a real-life dealer. Live baccarat remains one of the most popular ways to play the game today. But where do we go from here? Live casino games are still highly popular, and it’s very unlikely that baccarat will disappear from brick-and-mortar casinos anytime soon, if at all. The evolution of casino gaming in such a short period of time has led many people to believe that virtual reality (VR) casino games are on the horizon. Currently, VR table and casino games are still in their infancy, but there’s a chance that we could all be trying to make nines with the help of fancy VR helmets in just a few short years!

The history of baccarat and where we are now

As you might imagine, the game of baccarat was always likely to be adapted in terms of rules and side bets over so many years. This is why you can play both the original game and Punto Banco, for example, online and in land-based casinos. Variations of the game played by casino-goers today include the three-card model, where you get the highest payout possible if you draw three face cards – otherwise, they’re still worth zero on their own!

You’re likely to see a variation called baccarat banque if you play in European casinos. This version changes the game entirely and allows you to be the banker or dealer! This means that in this variation, you never bet on the non-banker or player – everyone bets on the dealer hand to win. It’s an interesting twist that has also become popular outside of casinos and real-money play.