History of Blackjack
There are number of versions of the history of the game of blackjack and where the game originally came from. What is definitely known is that it was already popular and being regularly played in Europe as long ago as the 1600s.
In France there was a game called ‘vingt-et-un’, which is French for ‘21’, which is known to have been played at around this time. This is generally regarded as one of the earliest versions of blackjack. The rules of this game were broadly quite similar to the rules of the modern game. The goal of the game was to have a hand value total of 21 and no higher, for example, so it is likely that it is an earlier version which has changed over time due to casino house and player adjustments and preferences.
There are a couple of versions of how the game came to be called ‘blackjack’. One of these is that the game of ‘vingt-et-un’ gave a bonus payout for a hand which held both an ace and jack of spades, or a ‘black’ jack. It is the top rated hand in the game of ‘vingt-et-un’. Following the French Revolution, the game crossed the Atlantic to the United States where it became very popular. There were no gambling laws at this time so it was a merry free for all for all those involved.
The modern game of blackjack remains hugely popular amongst gamers and many people play it on online casino sites, e.g. reviewscasino.com, It is a fairly easy game to learn and play. Practicing some playing strategies can improve your winning rate if you’re willing to focus your playing behaviour. It is also extremely enjoyable, which is probably why it has remained a popular choice over literally centuries.
