There are historical debates concerning the exact source of the game, although many feel it is Italian in origin, while others claim the French invented it. Wherever it was invented, baccara (Italian) or baccarat (French) both translate to "zero" in English. The importance of this name is borne out by the tens and face cards, the majority of the cards in the deck, sharing that value. There are numerous varieties of the game played throughout the world. Chemin de fer and straight baccarat were both brought to America and introduced at the racetrack and spa at Saratoga and the ritzy Palm Beach resort in 1911. Each was met with shrugs from the nouveau riche. Both games lapsed in popularity in America due to a distinct lack of interest.The game remains most popular in Europe and Asia. In the European versions, a player or group of players "bank" the game, with other players involved getting paid by or directly paying the game's backers and the House taking a percentage or cut. The most common contemporary American version, in which the House provides the financial backing for the game owes its immediate lineage to George Raft's Capri Casino in Havana, Cuba dating from pre-Castro days. There is a debate as to the exact time and place in which the American version was re-introduced. It came about in Las Vegas in either 1959 or 1960 at the Dunes or the Sands casino. Its originator Tommy Renzoni, stated in his (out-of-print) book , Renzoni on Baccarat, that Punto-Banco as it was called in Cuba, was brought to Las Vegas by him in the late 1950s, as Castro was about to take possession of the island.Renzoni wrote that his game owed it roots to European chemin de fer via ArgentinaHe claimed that the night of the game's first modern American play, the Sandslost $250,000. While still carrying the status of the casino's most exclusive game, baccarat is offered in at least two or more different varieties, making it accessible to almost anyone who wants to play.

The website for English Harbour appears very comprehensive especially on security and banking issues which is encouraging. It does stress that it is only compatible with Windows systems however. Two different downloads are offered depending on the number of games that you want to play which we think is a useful feature, especially for those of you with slow download capability.

Unfortunately, we don't think that the casino itself lives up to the expectation caused by the website. English Harbour are no longer with Microgaming and have opted for Odds-On as their software provider. We are not aware of the reasons for the move but can only assume it was for cost concerns as the new playing interface is far less impressive than the standard Microgaming interface, in our opinion. The slots are simple and dull and only offer one 5-Reel machine. The lack of bonus features becomes tedious very quickly. The triple slots function is novel and allows you to play three slots of your choice simultaneously. They are still dull however and we could not get excited by it.

The email support is non-existent in our experience. Having asked specific questions of the support team, we received a non-relevant auto-responder and some months later, still haven't received answers to our specific questions.

It is not however, all negative. If you can put up with the average playing interface, English Harbour do offer some great competitions and prize draws. These would typically include holidays to Vegas, a sports car and various cash prizes.

There are three distinct kinds of roulette games available online. Each have their own unique characteristics, benefits, and drawbacks. Here we take a look at each so you can quickly find the style that suits you best. Downloadable roulette games

There exists a small selection of downloadable roulette games which are not playable for real money. These games allow you to play on your home computer for fun and entertainment, and may offer helpful things such as bankroll tracking across sessions. You'll probably want one of these if you don't spend much time online and wish to be able to play roulette on your computer without being on the Internet. In browser roulette games

Fast becoming the most common type around, in-browser roulette games are ones which you access via a web page, and are played while you are online. They often require a browser plug-in, such as shockwave or flash. The range in quality on these types of games is rather broad. You will likely come across some which don't even follow the game rules properly. Others include bonus features such as bankroll tracking and chat. Roulette-Info.net features a game with a bankroll that lasts from session to session, and built in chat so you can discuss your strategies with fellow players. Real money roulette games

The phenomenon of Internet gaming is not slowing down any time soon, and real money roulette games are available from a variety of operators. Real money games are often accompanied by a free-play version, similar to the downloadable roulette games mentioned earlier. Bankrolls are acquired either through standard credit card transactions, or through third party banking operations such as Paypal, Firepay, or Western Union.