Baccarat Fun Facts & Trivia

Baccarat is a famous game that has been most publicised in films like James Bond, and while you may know how to play the game, there are a few fun facts and some interesting trivia that you may not be aware of:

• 1.   Baccarat was invented by Italian gambler Felix Falguiere during the middle-ages.
• 2.   Falguiere originally played the game with Tarot Cards.
• 3.   Historical references indicate that the first forms of Baccarat were introduced to France by Italy during the reign of Charles VIII of France (ruled 1483-1498).
• 4.   Three accepted variations of the game exist namely: Chemin de fer (railway), baccarat banque (or a deux tableaux), and punto banco (or North American baccarat).
• 5.   The game of Chemin de fer was first played in the United States at the racetrack at Saratoga and the Palm Beach resort in 1911.
• 6.   Baccarat was introduced to Vegas in 1959 at the Sands, who lost $250,000 on the tables that night.
• 7.   More than 70% of high rollers visiting Baccarat tables in Las Vegas gaming are Asian, mostly employed as industrialists or bankers.
• 8.   Baccarat is named after the worst hand, a zero, rather than a winning combination or other.
• 9.   The main plot of 007’s Casino Royale is centred around the Baccarat Table.
• 10.   In Rush Hour 3, Chris Tucker’s character mistakes Baccarat in a Paris Casino for Blackjack.