Baccarat has been the game of choice for Asian gamblers ever since France first began to influence the Orient. It has certainly had its share of players that became addicted to the game, but individuals that become addicted to gambling show these tendencies regardless of the game of chance that is in front of them.

There’s nothing about the game that would make it any more addictive than blackjack or roulette. Odds within the game are close to that of blackjack, or the outside bets on a roulette table. Play is fast, but no faster than blackjack or three-card-poker.

Baccarat does have a high-roller element to it. Traditionally, players dressed for the game and it was a social event to go the baccarat pit. Perhaps this social status makes the game more important than others to some players, but it shouldn’t cause more players to become addicted to it.

Baccarat was a James Bond favorite because it’s long been considered the most recognizable high-roller game in Europe. Casino Royale was the first book in the series penned by Ian Fleming, and it was written in the early 1950s. Baccarat was the game of choice for the time.

The Bond image has always been about being the best at the hippest game. In Casino Royale, Bond was out to beat the movie villain’s baccarat game. Fleming claims he got the idea from a night at the casino in Portugal when he was cleaned out by a German agent playing Chemin de Fer. That game is a form of baccarat, although different from the version we know in today’s casinos.

Now that poker is all the rage, Bond is not only an expert baccarat player but also an ace poker player. The new version of Casino Royale had Bond playing poker instead of baccarat.

The game of baccarat is believed to have been first played in 15th-century Europe in the Italy / France region. It’s also believed to have been invented by Italian gambler Felix Falguierein. The word means “zero” in Italian so Italy has the best claim to the game but it’s widely debated as to who really invented it. Aristocrats of the period enjoyed card games, and baccarat quickly became popular.

There are three versions of the game that have evolved over time. There is “baccarat chemin de fer” (railway), “baccarat banque” (a deux tableaux) and “punto banko” (North American). The North American version of the game is played in casinos today, and is purely a game of chance.

The game also has a legend about a princess who had to throw a nine-sided die for the Gods. If she threw a nine or eight she would become a priestess.

If you would like to learn how to become a baccarat priestess check the following instructional video from baccarat legend John Patrick- take special note of the light-blue suit, a must for all baccarat afficionados.