Farobank or Faro card game it's more different from popular card game like poker, its is among the earliest known gambling games. It was extremely popular in the late 17th century and is in fact mentioned in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace as a card game where Count Rostov loses his fortune. Any number of people can take part in this gambling game. It is fast, resilient and offers immense entertainment to both the player as well as any spectator.

  1. Faro Card Game History
  2. Faro Card Game App
  3. Faro Card Game Download
  4. Faro Card Game Equipment
  5. Faro Card Game

The Wild West Faro card game was the most popular card game played throughout the Old West. Known within the local Saloon as 'bucking the tiger' or 'twisting the tiger's tail' this name originated. This Faro card game is designed with polished HD graphics, fun sound effects and music, and intuitive touch screen controls. The Faro cards are elegant, the overall design makes you feel like you’re back in the Old West, playing with real opponents! Our game features different card designs and a bonus joker card with in-depth game stats as well. This video tutorial will teach you how to play Faro. This video will start by teaching you the general concepts of Faro, and is followed by the more detaile.

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It took American streets by a storm in the late 19th century. However, with the introduction of Poker, Faro card game lost most of its popularity.

In earlier times, it was referred by many names, some which are popular even today. These names include 'bucking the tiger,' 'twisting the tiger's tail' and other tiger references because of the Bengal Tiger playing cards usually used. Many families and detractors opposed the game as it caused ruin by way of financial loss.

The game lost steam after World War II but was still kept at as a classi​​c card game in various casinos around Reno and Las Vegas through 1985.

The game is played with an entire deck of playing cards. Some claim the game got its name from the 'pharaoh' present in French playing cards. In effect, faro card game is played by players against the house. There is a tremendous scope of cheating, resulting in the creation of devices to ensure that no cheating takes place.

​The game involves a designated 'banker' from the house and multiple players or 'punters'. Faro can be played by any number of players. However, there is only one banker from the house and cannot be rotated. It is usually played in an oval table setting with a cutout made for the banker to be able to place cards and chips.

In the middle of the table, a Faro Board is kept in which standardized betting layout is visible. The bet values, stakes and limits are set by the house and cannot be argued with. The most common check value was 50 cents to $10.

The standardized betting layout involves 13 cards enameled face up in numerical order marking two rows. The high card is kept at the head of the two rows. In Faro card game, spades suit is generally used to represent all denominations of the other suit.

Players have the option of placing multiple bets on multiple cards. This can be done by placing the bet either on the edges of specific cards or between two cards. Unlike some other betting games, in Faro, a player can bet on the high card as well.

​​The game is played with a full deck of 52 cards. All cards are kept with the banker, and no card is dealt out to the players. There are a few terms that are used in a faro card game that are explained below:

A whole deck of cards is shuffled and placed in a dealing box in front of the banker. This is a mechanical device and cannot be tampered with during the play. The introduction of the shoe was to increase assurance among players of a fair play and to prevent the house from cheating.

The first card from the shuffled deck of cards from the shoe is taken out and kept face down. This is also referred to as burned off as the card does not come into play again. This step is important to prevent the counting of cards.

This is the first card removed by the banker and placed to the right of a dealing box. It is also referred to as the bettor's losing card.

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Simply referred to as English Card, this is the third card removed from the shoe after opening a game. The English Card is placed to the left of the dealing box and is also referred to as the player's card.

A bettor can easily reverse a bet placed by using a hexagonal. This is a 6 sided copper token that is placed on the bet which effectively indicates the reversal of a bet placed by alternating the meaning of win/loss for that particular bet. In some cases, a penny can also be used in case of the copper token. Many card houses refer to hexagonal as 'coppering the bet'.

When only three cards are left in the dealing box, then there is a banker's card and a player's card dealt. The last card is called a Hock and is used in a special kind of bet.

Game

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Once the cards are shuffled and placed in the dealing box, the banker asks all players to place their bet on the betting table. Stakes and game bet values, as well as the limits, are set by the house.

After all, bets are placed, the banker will remove the first card (soda) and place it to be 'burned off'. The second card which is also called the banker's card is the measure of comparison.

All bets that are placed on an equal denomination regardless of the suit as the banker's card are automatically lost by the players and claimed by the house.

Once the banker's wins are established, third card or English card is removed to be placed on the left. All bets placed on the equal denomination regardless of the suit are won by the players. This is also called the winning card.

Faro Card Game History

The stakes won are paid back as 1:1. This means that for every dollar bet, the bank shall pay two.

All players are allowed to bet on the high card which is the top card placed on the standardized layout. A high card bet is won when a player's card or English card has a value higher than that of the banker's card.

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After every round, the banker settles all bets in order to free players that want to leave. Players have the option to continue playing or leave the table after every round. Also, the bets that have neither won nor lost can either be left on the table or picked up and used as another bet. The game continues until only three cards are remaining in the dealing box.

At the end, there will be three cards remaining in the dealing box. This is when the banker will 'call the turn.' It is a special kind of bet in which the players have to predict the exact order of cards about to come - banker's card, player's card, and the hock. In this round, a player's odds are increased 5:1.

The casekeep is similar to an abacus and is used to keep track of the cards dealt by the banker. This is an added measure of prevention against cheating in combination with the dealing box. There are four rows of spindle with beads denominating the number of cards in each suit. For every card dealt from a suit, a bead is moved to the left side.

A casekeep ensures that there are no multiple cards being played and also that the playing ​​deck has not been tampered with.

​Faro card game is a pure luck game, and unless you are extremely good at counting cards (highly frowned upon in betting circles), you might have to depend upon lady luck to win this game. However, there are a few strategies that can ensure that you have better odds.

There are a total of 13 flat bet or denomination bet opportunities in a faro game played with a full card deck. There is one bet for each rank. If there are 23 or more cards left in the dealing box, then by placing on a flat bet, you increase your odds to win at this game.

A case bet is when you bet on a rank when there is only one card of the same denomination left in the dealing box. There is zero house advantage on such bets, however, in case of a win the house might request for 5% commission. Case bets can work in your favor if there are fewer cards left in the deck. Generally, 21 or lower cards make good odds to place your bet on a case card.

In regular games at gambling houses, there were routine events of cheating by both players and house. The banker would cheat by tampering the playing deck or rigging dealing boxes. Even a casekeep could not ensure the house not to cheat.

Similarly, at a fast-paced faro table, the players would cheat by moving bets using a thin strand of silk. Many times players would even reverse the copper placed.


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Faro card games are an ultimate test of your random luck, counting skills and winning opportunities. This thrilling game can promise immense enjoyment. Though, faro card game is not available at many regular casinos; you can find a 'banker' that will play with you online.

Faro is a popular gambling card game that originated in France in the late 17th century. Initially known as “Pharaon”, the game took Europe by storm in the 18th century.

It wasn’t long until Faro spread to America and became the favored pastime during the California Gold Rush.

It’s often compared to poker because of their similarities of being the fast-paced games that follow easy-to-learn rules. However, the odds of winning in Faro are much higher than in poker. Unlike poker, however, not many people play Faro nowadays.

Faro accommodates any number of players, and the game itself lasts for about 10–15 minutes. It’s played only with a single deck of cards.

Today, we’ll try to teach you everything you need to know about this legendary game.

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Contents

  • The Basics of Faro
  • How to Start Playing Faro Online — Step by Step Guide
  • History
  • Online Faro Tips and Strategies
  • Faro Game Apps

The Basics of Faro

The round of Faro was called “Faro bank” because it involved a designated “banker” from the house. The game can accommodate any number of players, or bettors. There are multiple bettors, but only one banker, and they cannot be rotated.

A typical game of Faro takes place on an oval-shaped table covered in green baize. The table also had a cutout made for the banker to be able to operate — place cards and chips.

The house determines bet values, chips, and stakes. The betting chips were usually set between 50 cents and $10 per person.

The standardized betting layout involved 13 cards glued to the faro table face up in numerical order marking two rows. In Faro, the suit of spades is generally used to represent all denominations of other suits. The banker puts a high card at the head of the two rows.

In the Faro card game, players can bet in three different ways:

  • place bets on one of the 13 cards
  • place multiple bets on multiple cards
  • bet on the high card.

Betting

As for bet size in Faro, there are two limits — the plain limit and the running limit. The plain limit is the highest amount staked on a card for the initial bet. The running limit is 4x the plain limit. If, for example, a player bets 10 and wins, they may leave the initial stake + winnings (which is 20 in total) on the same card while also betting on the second card where they win 20 as well. The player’s total stake would be 40, whereas the banker determines the running limit.

If a player wins the second bet, then they are allowed to place 40 on the next bet, and this is called “parlaying” a bet. Every time a player wins, their maximum stake doubles. Bankers allow this practice because they have the statistical advantage.

Placing Bets

Players choose the cards they wish to bet on. If they put a betting chip at the center of the card, that means they are betting on that card alone. There are several ways a player can place bets in Faro. Placing a betting chip in the center of the table, at equal distances from four cards, would mean betting on all four cards. Players can also place a bet in the corner of the card, which would mean placing a bet on that card and the card directly diagonal from the card with the chip.

Players can also place a bet toward the end of the table, at equal distances from three cards. This puts a wager on all three cards. The last way to place a bet in Faro is also the most straightforward one. Here, you place bets on the high card, which means that you’re betting that the winning card will be higher than the losing card.

Placing a “coppered” bet (only a penny) would mean that you’re betting on the particular card (or cards) to be a losing card rather than a winning card.

Players also skip a turn (avoid risking the stake) or reduce the stake by half.

How to Start Playing Faro Online — Step by Step Guide

Here are all the necessary steps you need to take in order to start playing real-money faro on an online casino site.

The Shoe

The banker first shuffles the whole deck of cards. Afterward, they put this deck of cards in the shoe — a mechanical device that was used to prevent the house from cheating and increase assurance among players of a fair play.

Burned Off

The banker then takes out the first card from the shoe and puts it face down, leaving the remaining 51 cards in play. This card is also referred to as “burned off” because it doesn’t come into play again. This step was significant, as it prevented the counting of the cards.

Removal of Two Cards

Next, the banker removes two cards; the first is the banker card (bettor’s losing card), and it’s placed to the right of a dealing box. The second one is the player’s card (English card) and it is placed to the left of the dealing box. Each game has two cards — a winner and a loser. Before the next round begins, the banker moves the winning card to the same pile as the soda — the first card on the top.

The losing card typically wins it only for the banker who collects all the chips placed on it, unless the bet was coppered. If the bet was coppered, then players win, with winnings equal to the amount of wager placed.

If players place bets on a winning card, they can win. The winnings are equal to the bet amount placed on the winning card, and the banker pays them out.

If the banker draws two cards of the same denomination, also called a split or a doublet, they collect half of the chips placed on that card.

Final 3 Cards

The banker keeps drawing two cards out of the dealing box until only three cards remain. At this moment, the banker could call a special bet, also known as “call the turn”. With this bet, players can predict the order of the three remaining cards that are drawn out. The first of the three is the banker’s card, the second is the player’s card, and the last card in the box is called the “Hock”.

If a player predicts the order of the three remaining cards correctly, then they get paid 4 to 1, unless there was a “cat-hop” or a pair among the three cards. If all three of the remaining cards are of the same denomination, then all bets are off.

Betting Rounds

The game consists of 25 turns with betting rounds in between. It starts with the soda and ends with the hock (the last card that was drawn). All bets are settled at the end of a turn, and then players place new bets for the next turn.

When the deck is used up, and the banker disposes of the hock, the cards are collected and reshuffled. The next round can then begin and playing resumes as usual.

The Casekeep

A device called the casekeep is used to prevent the banker from cheating and allow players to keep track of denominations that have been played. The person in charge of this device is called the “coffin driver” or the “casekeeper”.

History

Like most other card games that made their way into the US during the 18th century, the Faro card game was invented in France. It derived from the British card game called “basset” that was popular among high-class society members because of the vast sums of cash that were at stake. Basset was a polite game, but King Louis XIV outlawed it back in 1691.

It was during the reign of King Louis XIV that Faro was first mentioned. It first appeared in Southwestern France under the name “Pharaon” only a couple of years after basset had been outlawed. Fast forward a couple of years later, and Faro was outlawed as well.

While banned in France, the game gained massive popularity in other parts of Europe. Then, around 1717, Faro was brought to the States through the port city of New Orleans by John Law — a Scottish outlaw who had to flee England.

By the 1800s, Faro became a hit in America. You could find it at nearly every single bar, pub, tavern, and saloon across the US. At one point, the New York police Gazette stated that people were spending more money on Faro than on all other gambling titles combined.

As bigger casinos emerged, Faro began to disappear because they presented a considerable advantage to the player. Casinos heavily favored American roulette and other games with a higher house edge, and Faro faded into the dust.

Nonetheless, you can still find Faro at a few selected establishments around the world, and there are several online versions of the game for people to enjoy as well.

Layout of Faro Card Game

Cheating

In regular games at gambling establishments, both players and the house were cheating. The banker would cheat by rigging dealing boxes or tampering with the playing deck. Not even the casekeep could prevent the house from cheating. The banker usually used three different methods of cheating:

  • Rigged dealing boxes,
  • Stacked or rigged deals, and
  • Sleight of hand.

A rigged deck had the cards marked with different textures so that the banker was able to find the pairs and put them together while they were supposedly shuffling.

A rigged dealing box had a small mirror next to it that was only visible to the banker. This way, they could see the next card that would be drawn and, if players were placing massive bets on it, they would have just switched it with another one, giving the house the edge.

Faro Card Game App

A stacked deck was when the banker put pairs in a deck so that the house would win half of the bets placed on that denomination.

Sleight of hand was used on the rigged dealing box. The banker would merely look at the next card that was supposed to get drawn, and if there was a large bet on that denomination, they would replace that card with another one. This was a common cheating strategy because faro tables were often loud, and players wouldn’t notice anything.

On the other hand, players would cheat by moving bets using a sleight of hand and distraction to their cheating. The three most common cheating moves by players were:

  • Moving with a thin strand of silk
  • A simple move of their bet
  • Removing copper.

Players often used a small strand of silk that was attached to the bottom of the pile of the bet, and a player could merely pull the strand to move the bets to other cards. This cheating move was less detectable than others because a player only needed to slightly move their hand instead of moving the entire body.

Sometimes players would wait for the banker to get distracted, and then move their stakes to another card.

Removing the copper is similar to moving with a strand of silk. Players would attach the strand to the copper and quickly remove it from the table if the card they betted on lost. This tactic was popular because the strand didn’t leave any marks on the table to be detected.

More often than not, when a player was caught cheating, the things would escalate, resulting in a fistfight or even a gunfight.

Online Faro Tips and Strategies

Faro is 100% a game of luck and, unless you possess extraordinary counting card skills, you may have to rely on lady luck to win in this game. There are a few tips, though, that can improve your winning chances.

Faro Card Game Download

Flat Bets

In a Faro game played with a full card deck, there are 13 denominations or “flat” bet opportunities — one for each rank. If there are 23 or more cards left in the box, then you can place a flat bet to increase your winning odds in that round.

Case Bets

When there is only one card of the same denomination left in the box, you can place a case bet — bet on a particular rank. While there is zero house advantage on such bets, the house may request a 5% commission. You can use case bets to your advantage when there are fewer cards left in the deck. The excellent time to place case bets would be when 21 or fewer cards are remaining in the box.

Faro Game Apps

If you want to try out Faro Card Game but can’t find a gambling establishment offering this game, there is an exceptional Faro mobile app that could keep you entertained for hours. Below, you can find a short description of the app along with download links.

Wild West Faro

Faro Card Game Equipment

This is probably the best mobile adaptation of the once-upon-a-time popular game. It is optimised for both iOS and Android mobile devices. The game features fantastic graphics, funny sound effects, and smooth touch screen controls. The Android version requires OS 2.3 and up whereas, if you want to play it from the iPhone, your device must have 6.0 OS installed. You can download the app from the App Store and Google Play.

Faro Card Game

Conclusion

Faro was the ultimate test of counting skills, random luck, and winning opportunities. This fast-paced game provided immense enjoyment. Although Faro is practically extinct nowadays, you can find a “banker” that will play with you online. If you enjoy the thrill of poker and the excitement of a blackjack table, then you’ll love this game. Even if you can’t find a “banker”, you can gather a group of pals, teach them the rules, and have a blast with a new game. You can find all the information you need on this page.

If there’s something else that we can help you with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us in the comment section below.