History of BlackJack

History of Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular games at any casino, no matter if it is a live casino or the online variety. How did blackjack get started? What forces came together to produce the card game we know as blackjack today?

 

Origins of Blackjack

The blackjack history writers often credit the French for the invention of the game. In fact, the game bears a similarity to baccarat, a popular modern day French game that has been around for hundreds of years. Vingt-et-un, French for "21" was a French casino game from the 18th century that found its way to the U.S. around the same time that poker did. The rules of this game differed in some ways, including offering a special bonus for being dealt the ace and jack of spades, hence the name "blackjack."

 

Beating Blackjack

The game of blackjack changed in the 1960s after Edward Thorpe published his comprehensive manual for beating blackjack, called "Beat the Dealer!" The game explained basic blackjack strategy and provided a comprehensive system for counting cards that could give players an edge. This changed the game of blackjack and forced casinos to take counter measures, including adding more decks to the shoe, reshuffling earlier in the shoe and making note of skilled counters to bar them from the casinos.

 

Blackjack Today

Blackjack remains one of the most popular casino games on the Internet and in card rooms. Many blackjack variations have emerged, including ones that use "Spanish decks," in which the tens (but not the face cards) are removed, and other, player-favorable rules are added to make up for this.