A card game of chance popular in 18th and 19th century Europe, played with a standard deck and involving betting on cards, similar to modern casino games.
From French 'pharaon,' likely named after an elaborate deck design or perhaps from the opulent grandeur associated with ancient Egyptian pharaohs, reflecting how the game was perceived as exotic and luxurious.
Faraon was so wildly popular in European gambling dens that entire fortunes were lost in single nights—some historians think the game contributed to the French Revolution by bankrupting nobility who borrowed money to gamble!
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