The History and Evolution of Blackjack

There is no casino game that is more widely played in the world than Blackjack. Whether in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Macau or Monte Carlo, Blackjack is being played at every hour of the day, every day of the week. But what is the story behind this fascinating and famous card game? Who invented it? When was it invented? Where did it originate?

Blackjack was originally known as 21. Don Quixote, a classic literary piece written in 1605, is the first book known to refer to Blackjack. This means that Blackjack has been around for at least four hundred years. There is great debate between both the French and the Italians as both aspire to be the motherland of this timeless card game.

Many researchers also believe that Blackjack finds its origins in French casinos.

The name Blackjack means twenty-one. Two card games called Chemin de Fer and French Ferme were very popular in France in the 1600s and some say that this is where Blackjack was derived from. Blackjack has an equivalent in Spain called One and Thirty. The principle of the game is similar to Blackjack but the difference is that in the Spanish version, one has to reach 31 with at least three cards. The Italians also had a game that was similar to Blacjack called Seven and a Half.

Another theory that was formulated by historians is that Blackjack was invented by the Romans.

It is believed that instead of cards, the Romans used wooden blocks with varying numerical values inscribed on them. While Romans are historically known to have had a penchant for gambling, there is no concrete evidence or proof that this theory has any truth to it. The popularity of Blackjack eventually reached America. French colonists were responsible for this. The introduction of Blackjack to North America brought about a change in some of the fundamental rules of the original Blackjack. For instance, only the dealer had the authority to double. The first recorded game of Blackjack was in Evansville, Indiana in 1910.

Blackjack earned the nickname 21 in 1931 after gambling was legalized in Nevada. Researchers of Blackjack have concluded that no single person was responsible for the invention of Blackjack. The evolution of Blackjack was executed throughout hundreds of years and even today, the game continues to change. This is largely in part to the popularity of online casinos and online gambling.