Black Jack History
The Precursors
The precursor of the widely famous game blackjack, who started the black jack history, had been a game called "twenty one" which has an unknown origin. The first ever written reference to the game had been in a book written by the author who wrote Don Quixote, Miquel de Cervantes who was a gambler himself. The main characters in the book had been a few cheaters who had worked in Seville. These characters had been quite proficient at cheating at the game called veintiuna which is Spanish for twenty one.
In the book it had been mentioned that the objective of the game was to reach a total of 21 points without busting out and also that the value of Ace was 1 or 11. The game was played without the tens which makes it quite similar to that of Spanish 21. This particular book had been written in the year 1601 so it is believed that the game must have been played in Castilia since the 17th century or even before that. Later on, many references were found in Spain and in France.
Though the exact black jack history is not yet clear, it is generally believed by most that it must have evolved from the French games like Chemin de Fer or from French Ferme. In the 1700s, blackjack was played in the casinos in France where the game had been referred to as vinght et un and in the US since the 1800s.
The histroy of blackjack is so rich that the players stumble upon new and new notions, rules and modern game variations. We would like to recommend you onlinecasinosdoc.com.au site where you can get more detailed info about the awesome game of blackjack and its close card game variations. All from A to Z in the world of blackjack is here.
The Name "blackjack"
The name of the game "blackjack" evolved from an earlier bet which is no more used. This particular bet paid 10 to 1 when the player got an ace of spades and a jack of spades, both of them being black cards as the first two cards in the hand.
Blackjack in the US
In the 50s and the 60s, when blackjack had already been a huge hit in the US, mathematical studies had been published which showed serious players how they could play in a manner which would give them an edge equal to that of the house and even better than it. One of these books changed how blackjack was played forever, written by Edward Thorp. The information created waves among the professional blackjack players and blackjack soon became the most popular game in the casinos in the US.
The casinos too made a lot of money and grabbed the attention of media in the process. However, all was not smooth with the game. The casinos were not at all happy with the new generation of card counters that were trying to beat the house. They changed several rules in order to make it difficult for the players to win.
However, the players too did not take this very lightly and protested against it. Over the course of years, the casinos did their best to bar card counters and spot them while the players tried their best to cheat the casinos. In the end, after many struggles it was ruled in the court that card counting is in fact not illegal and not cheating, unless done with the help of any electric gadgets or outside help.
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Blackjack Variations
It is exciting to play blackjack online though sometimes you want to try something new of course: different blackjack variations given here and at blackjackdoc.com will help to solve this problem for every gambler.
Spanish 21 was created by one casino employee in 1995 and became popular at once thanks to its additional rules which gave more chances for gamblers to win.
Blackjack Switch is impossible to play with only one hand of cards, so, be ready to split and switch the second dealt cards of your hands to get the better result.
Pontoon is the British variant of blackjack which is popular in England: it has some extra card combinations to increase your chances for winning.
Double Attack blackjack is usually played in Atlantic City casinos and reminds Spanish 21 somehow: it is played with a deck of 48 cards where 10's are absent.
European Blackjack does not differ much from a conventional one: it is played with 2 decks of 52 cards, and a gambler can hit up to 9 cards to have a hand of 11 cards.
Bonus Blackjack is played with 2 decks of cards, and it gives more chances for a gambler to guess the outcome of the first two cards. You are welcome to bet on it.
Super Fun 21 is a very easy and fun to play blackjack variation which has only few slight rules differences in comparison with a traditional blackjack.
Vegas Strip Blackjack can be found only in Las Vegas casinos or online: special rules concerning splitting and doubling down makes it being attractive for players.
Progressive blackjack gives you a chance to win much money with the help of only two cards: you should not choose any additional options for this goal.
Atlantic City Blackjack can be met only in several casinos of Atlantic City, that is why it has such a name; anyway, this variation is interesting to try.
Multihand Blackjack is similar to a single-hand one though here a gambler has a chance to bet on up to 5 different hands and play them separately.
Vegas Downtown is an exciting blackjack variation available at most online casinos today: it is easy to learn and play but winnings can be serious here.