There was also a “high card” box at the top of the layout, which players could bet on. As the game commenced, each player would lay their stake on one of the 13 cards or place multiple bets on different cards. The Faro layout consists of a board where one card of each denomination is displayed at the top of the table, usually in the suit of spades. Though the rules are similar to Mini-Baccarat, Faro is played with only one deck of cards and allows for any number of players, referred to as “punters.” The Faro dealer was called the “banker.” From 1825 to 1915, the game was the most popular enticement in almost every gambling hall in the American West.
Not a direct relative of poker, Faro was played alongside its other popular counterpart and played by the masses due to its fast action, easy-to-learn rules, and better odds than most games of chance. The game then spread into gambling halls all over the American Frontier, with such illustrious names as Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp, often performing the task of a Faro Dealer. With its name shortened to Pharo or Faro, it soon spread to America and became the favored game during the California Gold Rush. First known as Pharaon, it became extremely popular in Europe in the 18th century. Faro originated in France in the late 17th century. Faro is a gambling card game that was a derivation of a card game called Basset.
