BlackJack Card Game: History and Evolution

The earliest mention of 21 is in a Spanish dictionary dated 1611. The entry for Carta or cards mentions the game of ventiuno (21). Don Quixote author, Miguel de Cervantes, provides a brief description of the game in his novella (short story) Rinconete y Cortadillo in 1613. The evidence suggests that ventiuno was played in Seville from the early 17th century or earlier.

The game of vingt-un was first recorded in England in the comedy play “Dissipation” by Miles Peter Andrews, published in 1795. The actual rules appear in the 1800 edition of Hoyle's Games Improved, showing that this was already a popular pastime some years before the publication was released.

These rules remained unchanged until the 1850s when they began to evolve towards modern-day pontoon. Around the same time, the game became widespread in German-speaking countries.

After the First World War, Britons began referring to the game as pontoon. The pontoon rules are the same as the rules published by Trumps in 1870 for Vingt-un.

Vingt-un's first mention in France was in the gazette and literary magazine Mercure de France in 1768. Although this predates the first instance in England, the first rules were only published in France in 1817, almost two decades after Hoyle's published theirs in 1800.

Courtiers of Louis XV played vingt-un and, according to rumour, it was a favourite of Napoleon Bonaparte. The game was popular among soldiers on both sides of the First World War, resulting in a new interest in the game as troopers began returning home.

By the 1850s, Germans played vingt-un, sometimes calling it siebzheinundvier (17 and four) or einundzwanzig (21). Its popularity continues to this day.

Many sources claim that vingt-un arrived in North America with the soldiers returning from World War One. Others claim it only came with the era of the large casino in the 1930s. There is evidence that New Orleans saw the first legalized games played in the 1820s. The game was certainly around during the Klondike Gold Rush between 1896 and 1899.

There is no doubt that the modern game developed in North America. Blackjack in its present form started in the 1930s. After the legalization of gambling in Nevada, there was pressure to attract bettors to the new casinos. Around this time, the Nevada Gaming Commission published a set of standardized rules, establishing the game of modern blackjack. Casinos started offering exceptional 10:1 odds for making 21 with the ace of spades and any blackjack.

Many people believe that this is the origin of the name blackjack. However, French card historian, Thierry Dupaulis, proved that the name originated during the Klondike Gold Rush. ZincBlende is a mineral associated with gold or silver deposits and is known as blackjack. Prospectors began referring to the winning combination of an ace and any 10-point card in vingt-un as blackjack.

Placing real money bets in real time and on any device, isn’t the future? Well, even with all these advantages, there is still enough space for the game to evolve. Today, more and more brands deliver live blackjack games with dealers, which is a new word in the iGaming industry. You play with a live dealer in real time together with lots of other players, especially when you choose games like Infinite Blackjack by Evolution with no limits for the number of seats.

Perhaps, the next steps to making the game even more modern are applying Virtual Reality and combining standard rules with bonus features, like in the case of Lightning Blackjack by Evolution where you can randomly receive extra multipliers for your hands. As for entertainment elements, Blackjack Party is a good example of how a standard table game can turn into something so catchy and exciting.

Blackjack varies slightly according to the version, but the object of the game remains the same: to get as close to 21 as possible without going over or bust. The ace is used either as a one or 11 at the player's discretion.

The Play

The dealer will deal each player and himself one card face-up. He then places the second card face-up to the players and face-down to himself. Players may then request another card or hit, or they may stand. Once the players all stand, the dealer will turn his card face-up and continue to take cards until the value is 17 or more.

BlackJack Betting

Bettors must make initial wagers before the deal. Players can create additional bets during the game, as explained below, including side bets like 21+3 based on the player’s two cards and the dealer’s face-up card.

Splitting pairs

If the player is dealt a pair with his first two cards, he may decide to split. That is to treat each of the cards as a separate hand. The original wager remains with the first card and an equivalent amount is put on the second card.

Doubling down

If the value of the first two cards dealt is nine, 10, or 11, the player may choose to double down. The player doubles his bet. The dealer deals one more card face-down. The card remains face-down until settlement at the end of the hand.

Insurance

If the dealer's face-up card is an ace, players may make a side bet of up to half their original wager that the face-down card is a 10. This side bet pays out at 2-1, ensuring the player against losing their initial stake.

Settlement

If a player goes bust (over 21), the dealer collects the bet. If the dealer gets a natural (21 in the first two cards dealt), he collects the chips of all players who do not have a natural. If the dealer goes bust, all players receive their payout on bets that stand at less than 21.

If the dealer has less than 21, he will pay out any players with a higher total than his but less than 21. In the case of a tie, no chips change hands.

Today, gamblers can not only access online blackjack games and dedicated tournaments on the sites but also participate in global events and compete with other blackjack players worldwide. These are the most popular blackjack events of 2023 and 2024:

• November 22nd & 23rd 2023, 7th Blackjack World Championship, Casino Innsbruck, $1,320 buy-in 
• February 19, 2024, Wildhorse Resort, $25 Entry Fee
• February 20, 2024, Feather Falls Casino, $25 Entry Fee
• February 15, 2024, Indian Head Casino, $12 Entry Fee 
• November 26th & 27th, Win ‘Em All Tournament, Casino Innsbruck, $550 buy-in

Of course, the number of these events is even larger, as well as the list of popular blackjack winners. In 2007, there was the last World Series of Blackjack event (Season 4) where Alice Walker was the absolute winner, while Rick Fortin, Kristine Johnson, and T. J. Boros were other popular players who reached the final. As for the Ultimate Blackjack Tour, the winner of its latest All-Stars Tournament was Phil Hellmuth, while other outstanding participants were Freddie Deeb, Annie Duke, and "Hollywood" Dave Stann.

The true origin of blackjack is unknown. There are even claims that the Romans played a similar game with tiles rather than the cards we see today. We know that blackjack is an enjoyable game with just the right mixture of chance and skill to keep punters interested.

Today, you not only access the modern game’s rules but also get a range of other benefits, including the opportunities to play blackjack online, place side bets, and even use casino bonuses. It takes seconds to open the game on your desktop or smartphone and start playing at once.

Who wouldn't want to play a game that Napoleon's soldiers or Klondike Gold Rush prospectors enjoyed? Playing blackjack is like playing a little bit of history.