It is commonly accepted that the Italians invented baccarat; however, the French also claim to have originated it. Baccarat is “zero” in both French and Italian. It was originally played with a Tarot deck. In medieval France, the game was popular with the French nobility, and it eventually evolved into “Chemin de Fer,” a variation that is still played today. The game then migrated to England, where it where it underwent further development, and “European baccarat” emerged.

The United States history of baccarat can be traced to the Dunes casino in the late 1950’s. Baccarat first spread to South America from England and eventually up to Cuba. Baccarat came to America through the casinos of Havana, Cuba. The American version of baccarat is essentially a mixture of Chemin de Fer and European baccarat. Although American baccarat is still popular among high rollers, mini baccarat has become much more popular in American casinos.

Baccarat has both a history and a reputation of being a game for high rollers. Although this is still true of classic baccarat, the introduction of mini baccarat has expanded the game to a larger group of players. A wide misconception is that baccarat is a complicated game, popular only among the rich, when it is in fact quite easy to learn and play. The primary difference between classic baccarat and mini baccarat are the minimum betting requirements.