A gambling card game popular in 17th-century Europe, played with specific betting and dealing rules similar to faro or hazard.
From Italian 'bassetta' or 'bassetto,' possibly from 'basso' (low/bass) referencing the lowest card or bet. The game was particularly popular in Italy and spread through European courts.
Bassetta was so popular that wealthy nobles lost fortunes playing it—King Charles II of England loved the game and lost enormous sums, making it a symbol of how addiction crossed class lines in history.
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