Pharo, or Faro, (derived from Pharaoh) eventually would become the favorite gambling game of the American frontier (http://www.historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier.htm)…but had an auspicious beginning in France as a derivative of basset which was outlawed in the 1690s. It made its way across the channel sometime in the 18th Century, and was popular in gaming houses.
For very thorough and delightful instructions, enjoy the Regency source below!
Games of Whist, Quadrille Piquet quinze Vingt un, Edmond Hoyle (1807)
