Baccarat is considered one of the most popular casino games around. For many, the work of Ian Fleming, and in particular Casino Royale, is what first introduced them to the concept of the game. It was James Bond’s casino game of choice, in the aforementioned first James Bond novel, that has more than done its share in popularising the game as one of the more sophisticated within the casino world. While it has always been popular, it has always remained on the sidelines in relation to casino games such as Blackjack and Poker. Despite this, it is one of the casino games that has successfully made the switch from a traditional brick-and-mortar setting to a virtual environment in the form of online baccarat. Before taking a closer look at why exactly this transition has proved successful, let’s take a brief look at the history of the game of Baccarat itself.
The game of Baccarat has its roots as far back as medieval times and as a result, its original origin is uncertain. What is known is that the game was a popular pastime in the fifteenth century, especially amongst soldiers in the Franco-Italian War. It is because of this that Italy and France are both considered to be the shared originators of the game even to this day, with of course people from both sides claiming to be its true inventors.
What is know for sure is that Baccarat did move to France as a result of the war under the name Chemin de Fer. It was soon adopted by the French aristocracy, including by King Charles VIII himself. From France, the game made its way across the English Channel to Britain, where it too became a popular pastime. It was not long before the game of Baccarat was appearing all over the globe, including in South America and the Caribbean. As the game migrated from place to place, the rules would be slightly tweaked in order to suit the local players. For example, one of the biggest adaptations that stuck as a result of the game’s travels was that players did not play against one another, but only against ‘the house’.
While the game did eventually make its way to the casino rooms of Las Vegas in the 1950s, it was not an instant success. Despite the game not having instantaneous mass appeal, casino owners were intrigued by its simple rule set and decided to find it its own special place in their establishments. A large proportion of casinos would position their Baccarat tables in separate rooms with expensive furniture, and set high minimum bets. This only added to the games mystery, and as a result, it attracted a certain type of individual to sit and play. There was somewhat of a special allure when it came to playing the game of baccarat in a casino.
While the game of baccarat may have remained in the shadows in this sense, it was always spoken about with a sense of excitement due this very fact. As we entered the digital age, and online casinos first began going live in the 1990s, casino games such as Poker and Slot Machines made their obvious jump into the virtual world. However, it was the transition of one game in particular, from the shadows of casino floors to the bright lights of the digital world, that proved to be the most intriguing. The online casino world turned Baccarat on its heads, and after years of exclusivity, the public were eager to finally have their turn to play in this new virtual environment.
One no longer needed to be part of an exclusive club, to know the right place to go to find a table, or to have the ability to place high minimum bets. It was now suddenly possible for anyone, anywhere to play online baccarat, all you needed was access to the internet and a computer or smart phone. After years of speculation, everyone wanted to try their hand at Baccarat, and the online version vey quickly became incredibly popular among players of all levels.
The online version is of course played in the same way as it is in those special rooms in Las Vegas, with bets being placed against the house, who also serves as the banker. The original concept of the internet was to share information amongst the masses and allow people to engage and experience things they were previously unable to do. While Baccarat was technically open to anyone who wanted to play, it was extremely difficult to do so for the reasons outlined in this article. The arrival of an online version suddenly pulled back the curtain and put everyone at the same table.
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