The very popular game of blackjack traces back to a card game played in France during the 18th century. Called Vingt et Un, or 21, our modern blackjack really hasn’t changed all that much. The top hand then, as in now, was a natural 21 – vingt et un. Two things were different in the original game compared to the modern version that we play. Players would bet after each round in the original and were not able to double – only the dealers had that privilege.
The game came to be called blackjack eventually, most likely from the early days of Las Vegas casinos where they offered special payouts and odds for a hand that won with the Ace and Jack of Spades. After a while, the special payouts and odds were dropped but the name remains with us to this day. Some have said that the same thing happened in the original French game but there isn’t much historical support for that theory.
Blackjack is one of the most popular games in casinos over the world, perhaps because it is one of the easiest gambling card games that there is. There are no complicated rules or figuring out hand rankings like there can be with other poker games. Your aim is to get 21 in your hand without going over – or at least a higher value than the dealer. You always are hoping that the dealer will "bust" – go over 21 and thus automatically lose the hand.
These days, blackjack strategy is not only played in live games at the casinos. The game has maintained its popularity, if not more so, in making the transition to the internet casinos. With the worldwide reach of online casinos, you can play and converse with people from seven different countries at once in the chat rooms. There are also exciting variations of blackjack at the different online casinos so be sure to see what each has to offer. Most variations will have the same basic gameplay and rules but they each could offer a unique twist to add to the fun.
