If you are a passionate blackjack player, but never knew where this came comes from, or how it evolved during the past centuries, then you're at the right place. Read this article and learn about the history of this remarkable casino game.
Origins of Blackjack
Card games are as old as history itself. Some researchers believe that the first card games in history were played by the Chinese some 3000 years ago. Obviously the games they played had nothing to do with blackjack itself, but we can be sure they also influenced the evolution of other cards games around the globe.
Blackjack is believed it be invented in France, sometimes during the 16th or 17th century. It was played under the name "Vingt En Un" which means 21 in French. The game was very similar to the blackjack we play today, but it had some key differences. In Vingt En Un it was only the dealer that was allowed to double and players had to bet on each round.
Another game that had a significant influence on blackjack was an Italian game called Seven and a Half. The game worked similar to blackjack, but player's goal was to reach a hand with the value of seven and a half. Regular cards offered one point, and face cards a half point to the player. It's also said that the term "Bust" originates from this Italian game.
At the time of the French Revolution, the game was actively played in France. Because of the revolution many people immigrated to America and brought the game with them, where because of the lack of anti-gambling laws it quickly spread across the country. After the USA adopted anti-gambling laws, blackjack continued to be played underground. In the first half of the 20th century, when some American states decided to legalize gambling blackjack was one of the favored games in the newly established casinos.
It was in the US where the game changed its name from "21" to blackjack. Las Vegas casinos in order to attract more customers invented a new bet type that allowed players to wager on a hand containing one of the black jacks and the ace of spades. Casinos abandoned this bet, but the term "blackjack" remained, and it became the new name of the game.
Online Blackjack
After online casinos were introduced, operators quickly recognized that blackjack is one of the games that simply can't be left out from a serious game offering. The online casino companies developed sophisticated software that allowed them to provide high-quality blackjack games in online format.
Online blackjack games worked the same way as real blackjack, only that people didn't had to visit a real casino anymore. This revolutionary new concept changed gambling forever, and online casinos slowly started to take over the market and become major ventures.
Nowadays online blackjack is a large business, with casinos offering several types of this fabulous game. There is also a vast blackjack literature available on the internet teaching people how to play blackjack efficiently. Blackjack strategy books are all over the place, and if people choose to read and learn from them, they'll have the chance to considerably increase their winning chances.
If you want to learn more about blackjack, then we recommend you to read our additional blackjack articles. They will teach you how to play blackjack online and what to do to make sure to win a lot of real money.