It used to be symbolic of the French haute monde in formal dress playing high stakes games at elaborate casinos in Monte Carlo – remember James Bond? Or, perhaps more amusingly, Paul McCartney’s grandfather in A Hard Day’s Night?

But in recent years, Baccarat has come to the U.S. According to Wikipedia, “American casinos are generating an increasing amount of their revenue from baccarat play. For example, in May 2012, Nevada only generated 18.3% of its total table gaming win from baccarat. However, in May 2013, this percentage increased to 33.1% and in May 2014 it rose to 45.2%.”

And now Baccarat has come to Central City. Maverick Gaming made Colorado gaming history when its Dragon Tiger Casino recently hosted the first Baccarat Tournament ever staged in Central City.

The two-day tournament, which attracted 48 expert and novice players, awarded a total of $8,000 in prize money. The first-place winners each day of $1,100 were Duane Martinez of Westminster, Colorado, and Bruce Shultz of Denver, Colorado. The rest of the participants all won prizes ranging from $50 to $800.

“It was thrilling to host the first Baccarat tournament in the 32-year history of Central City as a gaming destination,” said Steve Sirianni, President of Colorado-Maverick Gaming. “Our team, led by Table Games Director Jini Weaver, did a wonderful job organizing the event and the dealers were extremely helpful to players who were new to Baccarat.

“This tournament reflects Maverick Gaming’s commitment to offer new and exciting events to attract players of every level to the market and our properties,” he said.

The tournament was such a success that Maverick is planning another one in the near future. The casino is also planning to hire additional Baccarat dealers, and offering increased compensation for those with fluency in Asian languages.

The Dragon Tiger Casino, the first Asian-themed casino in the Central City, is also home to the city’s only Pan-Asian restaurant, the Dragon Tiger Noodle Company.

Maverick Gaming works hard to reflect its name, calling itself “a young, upstart gaming company.” It was founded in 2017 by industry veterans Eric Persson and Justin Beltram, and prides itself on its “all-star leadership team.” It now owns and operates a portfolio of 31 properties.

“Created by gamblers, for gamblers,” Maverick is also the proud employer of Teamsters Local 117 workers at its Washington locations as part of its commitment to providing sustainable, family-wage jobs. Here in Gilpin County, Maverick also owns and operates the Grand Z Casino Hotel in Central, and Z Casino in Black Hawk and the Z Stop Convenience Store south of town.

The Dragon Tiger Casino is located at 132 Lawrence Street in Central City. Find out more by checking out their website at https://www.maverickgaming.com/ colorado/, their Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/dragontigerco, or by giving them a call at 303-582-5623.