The Early Days of Vingt et Un

French casinos were always a popular hang out for the gentry and noblemen after a long day's battle. With a calming drink in one hand and a good set of cards in the other, nighttime card playing was very popular. One of the games that evolved was "Vingt et Un" where the players had to get as close to or reach the total of 21 without going over it. This game can also be attributed to the Spanish game of "Thirty One" which dates back as far as the late 1500's. For both Vingt et Un and Thirty one, bets were placed by all the participants in the game who were at the table and stakes could sometimes end up being very high. Vingt et Un was a very popular game in France during the 1700's and it spread across Europe to different countries where variations were played. Russia had a version of Vingt et Un called Ochko which means "the hole" referring to the down turned card of the dealer.

Blackjack History in America

It was not until the late 1900's that Vingt et un made its way across the Ocean to America. Vingt et Un was introduced to the American casinos just before the banning of gambling and in order to entice players to play the game, casinos offered bonus payouts of up to 10:1 if a player landed a Jack of Spades with an Ace. It is from this bonus payout that Blackjack got its name and the game soon adopted the name of Blackjack in America. As the game of Blackjack became more widespread, punters began to see the value and potential of the game. Because of the flexibility and freedom of the game, players were able to employ card counting and shuffle tracking techniques.

Casinos Deal with Blackjack Strategists

After the 1930's when legalized gambling was reintroduced to Nevada and later on in other states in America, casino owners began to realize the tricks that players were using in order to beat the casino at Blackjack. In 1963 the infamous book by Professor Edward Thorp" Beat the Dealer" exposed to casino owners and Blackjack players the enormous possibilities that were within easy reach in order to beat the system and win at Blackjack. It was at this stage that casinos introduced the automatic card shuffling machines and also broadened their horizons to introduce multi hand Blackjack. From the 1930's right up until today, Blackjack remains the most popular card table game today.

Online Blackjack

When Blackjack was introduced as a game that could be played online, the simple game of 21 reached a whole new audience. There are Blackjack clubs, rooms and exclusive casinos all devoted to Blackjack players. Loyalty clubs and bonus credits are dealt out to frequent players at many online casinos. Thanks to the internet, you can now play many different versions of Blackjack from Multi-hand to Vegas to Blackjack switch which involves two separate hands that can be switched around. Today you can even play Blackjack from your mobile phone or hand held device. The common payout is 3:2 for a Blackjack which is a far cry from the original 10:1 bonus but that does not discourage players from enjoying and benefiting from this truly international game.