The present form of Baccarat can be traced back to Italy. The game was introduced to the French Court in the 15th century and became the favorite game among French nobility. Although it has always been a popular game in European and Latin American casinos, it never caught on as strongly as Blackjack in US casinos. In the 1950’s the game was popularized in Vegas because of the efforts of Frank Sinatra, a co-owner of The Sands at the time. Targeted towards high rollers, Baccarat tables used to be exclusive territory with roped off access and dealers dressed in tuxedos. More recently, a lot of US casinos have offered “Mini Baccarat”. Mini Baccarat has the same rules as Baccarat but has lower stakes and is played on a standard Blackjack shaped table.