Short History of Blackjack

The modern game of black jack that we know and love evolved from the 17th century French game called Vingt Et Un which was played in casinos. Vingt-et-Un means "21" in French!

Vingt et Un was similar to blackjack and, as suggested by the name of the game, the objective was to try to obtain a hand valued at 21.  This was called a “Natural”. However there were some differences with the modern game of Blackjack. For instance, betting took place after each round of cards instead of just at the start, and the dealer was allowed to double!!!

Most importantly, there was also a special payout if you had a hand of the Jack and Ace of Spades.  This hand came to be known as “the Black Jack” which is where the name of today’s most popular casino table game derives from.

At the same time as Vingt-et-Un was being played in France, a popular game in Italy known as “Sette e mezzo” or Seven and a half was being played. It involved players trying to obtain a score of, guess what, 7 ½. The face cards were valued at ½ point and the only other cards used were the 7’s 8’s and 9’s which were valued at 1 point. If the players scored over 7 ½ they were said to be “busto” or busted and that is where the term “bust” used in modern Blackjack is derived from.

During the French Revolution, many Frenchmen fled to the United States taking the game of Vingt et Un with them. It became very popular with other immigrants and  because there were no laws restricting gambling it continued to gain in popularity, being adapted along the way until it became the game that we now know as Blackjack or 21.

Casinos all over the world now offer different variations on the rules of Blackjack but it can be safely stated that there is not a casino anywhere in the world that does not offer it.

More recently, the advent of the internet and online gambling has resulted in possibly the most radical and popularizing development of all. You can now play blackjack at home, any time 24/7 and with any rule variation you could possibly dream of.  It has introduced millions of new players to blackjack and allowed them to learn in the privacy of their own homes before risking real money.