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| The History of the Rules of 4 Casino Card Games |
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Card games like poker and blackjack
are wildly popular today, but they're not a modern invention. Poker is over a
thousand years old, and blackjack and other card games have been practiced for
centuries. Of course, rules and names have changed, and some variations of how
to play have been created throughout history. Learn more about the origins of
some popular casino card games and how their rules have evolved.
Baccarat
Baccarat was created in 1400 in medieval Italy and
is named for an important rule: The 10s and face cards are worth zero (or
“baccara” in Italian). The game moved from Italy to France and became
a hit with King Charles VII, from which we get the name “baccarat,”
or the French spelling of “zero.” Eventually, this became the common
name for the game worldwide. Baccarat is so popular that it even inspired Ian
Fleming in his creation of James Bond.
Originally, baccarat was played
with four dealers handing out cards to the players. Each player took a turn as
“banker,” and all other players placed bets against that person and
against the house
A major change occurred when baccarat was introduced
to the New World during America's colonization. In Cuba, for example, the game
was played with bets made against the house only. Individual players no longer
took turns as “banker.” This form was called “Punto Banco”
in Cuba, but the adjusted rules eventually became known as “American
Baccarat.” The game was introduced to Las Vegas casinos in the 1950s, but
due to the high minimum bets required, it was mostly a game for aristocrats and
high rollers.
Today, the dealer, house, and the banker are the same
person. Bets are generally only placed against the house. Baccarat is no longer
a game exclusively for society's privileged class. The rise of online casinos
has led to low betting minimums for baccarat, meaning it's now a game that all
can play.
Poker
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| Image via Flickr by pokerphotos |
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Poker is one of the oldest card
games still played today. “The Cheating Game” was a popular version
of modern poker played on Mississippi riverboats in the 1830s. The rules for
this game came from the French “Pochen,” but it's believed that the
earliest form of a game resembling poker was played in 969 A.D.
The
most widely-known and played version of poker today is Texas Hold'em. However,
several other types exist, including 5 Card Draw (the most popular rendition of
poker played in the Civil War era), Stud Poker, Draw Poker, 7 Card Stud, Omaha,
and Razz. Despite so much nuance, one rule exists in all types of poker ever
played: bluffing to deceive an opponent despite holding poor cards. Before the
1700s, a version of modern poker was played in Spain using three-card hands.
The French “Poque” and
games played in America in the 1830s used a 52-card deck and
five-card hands.
Blackjack
Blackjack has been played for over
300 years, and it came from French casinos. The game was originally called
“Vingt-et-Un,” which translates to “twenty-one,” as a nod
to
the objective of the game: to either beat the dealer by
scoring 21 points on the player's first two cards or to reach a higher score
than the dealer without exceeding 21 points. When French colonists traveled to
America in the 1700s, they brought the game with them and introduced it
abroad.
The rules for modern Blackjack solidified in the 1700s and
haven't changed much since. The only major adjustment was to its name; in the
1930s, Nevada casinos offered 10-to-1 odds for being dealt a Jack of spades or
clubs (the two black suits) and an ace of spades, thus leading to the name
“Blackjack.” Today, Blackjack is a casino favorite for almost one out
of every five visitors.
Faro
Faro is yet another card
game that traces its roots to 17th and 18th century England and France. The
name “Pharaon” was first recorded in 1688, named after a Pharaoh
character who appeared on one of the cards in the French deck, but Faro adapted
its rules from the card game “Bassetta.”.
Despite Faro's vast
popularity throughout the Civil War era, it's an uncommon game today, perhaps
because the player enjoyed
better odds for winning Faro than any other type of card game
available. Faro is played using a 52-card pack plus the 13 cards of one suit
from another deck. The rules are incredibly simple: Essentially, players bet on
which cards the dealer will draw.
Our favorite card games have tons of
history behind them, and with the evolution of online gambling, we're sure to
see more changes and new games become popular in the future. The next time you
go all-in during a hand of poker or split a pair in blackjack, know that you're
playing by rules that have been perfected over centuries. |
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