It is descended from Basset, and belongs to the Lansquenet and Monte Bank family of games due to the use of a banker and several players.

It is not a direct relative of poker, but Faro was often just as popular due to its fast action, easy-to-learn rules, and better odds[1] than most games of chance.

The earliest references to a card game named Pharaon (French for "Pharaoh") are found in Southwestern France during the reign of Louis XIV.

[5] With its name shortened to Faro, it spread to the United States in the 19th century to become the most widespread and popularly favored gambling game.

A simplified version played with 32 German-suited cards was known as Deutsches Pharao ("German Pharo") or Süßmilch ("Sweet Milk").

Faro's detractors regarded it as a dangerous scam that destroyed families and reduced men to poverty because of rampant rigging of the dealing box.

Criminal prosecutions of faro were involved in the Supreme Court cases of United States v. Simms, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 252 (1803),[10] and Ex parte Milburn, 34 U.S. (9 Pet.)

[11] Although the game became scarce after World War II, it continued to be played at a few Las Vegas and Reno casinos through 1985.

A board was placed on top of the table with one suit of cards (traditionally spades) pasted to it in numerical order, representing a standardized betting "layout".

This, too, was acknowledged by Hoyle editors when describing how faro banks were opened and operated: "To justify the initial expenditure, a dealer must have some permanent advantage.

[3] Their methods ranged from crude to creative, and worked best at a busy, fast-paced table: Being caught cheating often resulted in a fight, or even gunfire.