Blog Posted on 27/11/2014 | Author: Karen Macarthur

All You Need to Know About History And Origin of Blackjack Games

In all probability we may never know the exact origin of the Blackjack. The date and timeline of when the History of Blackjack started can never be known. Every country from Egypt to China have some records to have used cards as a source of entertainment, currency etc. Long before there was correct and authentic documentation, word of mouth and popular stories are the only sources of confirmation for the History of Blackjack.

History of Blackjack – In the beginning

With no known recorded history, it is indeed difficult to pinpoint the exact century or country. History of Blackjack suggests that playing cards were the pursuit of the aristocracy. It was an expensive activity as the cards were hand painted previously.

It is a known fact that after the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg, the cards became more accessible to the common man. They were printed on paper in bulk making it popular and cheap.

The other story goes that the Romans invented the game. Played with blocks of wooden cards with different values, it was another origin story. With no confirmed reports, it such remains just that another story.

History of Blackjack – other versions on the Blackjack timeline

Over time the History of Blackjack shows that the cards have undergone changes in rules and design. Popular speculation points that the Blackjack Timeline started in France around 1700’s. It was supposed to be the outcome of two games – “chemin de fer” and “French femme” which were popular at that time.

By far the most conformable version regarding the origin of the modern Blackjack is the French version. “Vingt-un” or “Vingt-et-un” (meaning “21”), in French was the reigning card game during this time.

Another version suggests the modern blackjack had its origin from the Spain – from a game called “One and Thirty” the rules stated that the player had to collect only 3 cards without the total value going over thirty one.

All these different versions confirm the widespread reach and popularity of the card games across Europe. With little game variations, these continued to spread across continents and finally reached North America.

History of Blackjack – Move to North America

By this time the different variations of the Twenty One crossed the oceans, into North America in the 1800’s where it became popular. The most played card games was the poker or the craps in the western gambling halls. The card game Twenty One as it was played then, had not caught the fancy of the people yet. To make it more popular, the casinos started to offer a 10 to 1 payout for the first two of the players cards which had an Blackjack ( i.e. jack of clubs or a jack of spades) and an Ace of spades. Thus the game of Blackjack was born because of the colour of the cards.

It wasn’t until the 1931 that it became legal to gamble in the state of Nevada. Thus it became the first state to allow legal gambling. Till then it was played across the country in small establishments with no legal support.

Although the 10:1 payout was discontinued by the casinos later, the name Blackjack remained stuck. The standard payout of 3:2 for the blackjack condition regardless of which face card is present along with the Ace is given by the modern casinos.

Modern Blackjack The Basic Strategy and Much More

The idea of Blackjack is to beat the dealer and not the other players. There is no definite way to achieve this. A game of skills, it takes a lot of patience to have a decent chance of winning. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that mathematics was applied to give the players a better chance of winning.

The Basic Strategy table was the first recorded attempt in that direction. With time there were lots of different books and literature trying to make it easier to beat the house. But they always came back strong with their own strategies and rules.

The Blackjack timeline doesn’t end here. There are still many pages to be filled in the History of Blackjack. With the explosion of internet revolution, online Blackjack is the most popular casino table games. Different variations are available while retaining the basic game rules. The Blackjack has undergone changes over centuries and will continue to do so. Pushed by the Internet and its growing popularity, the online casino market will keep raking in the cash.