Faro (also known as Pharaoh, Pharao, or Farobank) is a gambling card game that originated in 17th-century France. The game spread to the United States in the 1800s, and was popular for its quick pace, easy rules, and high odds of winning. The game's popularity has waned over time, replaced in most gambling parlors by poker.
The object of the card game faro is to win bets. The dealer (or banker) starts by laying out the thirteen cards (ace through king) in the spades suit to make a game board. The dealer turns over the top card of a 52-card deck, showing everyone before they place their bets. Players place bets on by setting their money on the spades-suit game board card they expect the dealer to reveal from the separate 52-card deck. The dealer turns over the next two cards, the first of which is the losing card, the second of which is the winning card. Players with chips on the losing card lose their bets to the dealer, while the winners get a payout from the dealer by doubling the bet they staked.
