History of Blackjack.

These days, it is generally agreed upon that the beginnings of the classic game of blackjack were first taking root during the 17th century in France. It was there that a game called Vingt En Un was gaining popularity in the French casinos. The name Vingt-en-Un means “twenty one” in French.

Vingt en Un was, in many ways, much like what we know as blackjack, with a few key differences. For example, in this early French Blackjack ancestor, only the dealer was allowed to double down, and the betting method was very different, in the way that the player would have to bet after each round. Yet the process and goal of winning at Vingt-eb-Un was the same. Attain a ‘natural’ or a total of 21. The term blackjack did actually come from this French game. A blackjack was a special payout when a player had a Jack and an Ace of spades. This was considered the best hand to get while playing Vingt en Un.

While Vingt en Un was growing in popularity in France, a similar game called 7 1/2 was being played all over Italy. 7 1/2 was played with face cards and the 7′s, 8′s and 9′s cards, and to win you had to reach a hand of seven and a half points. Regular cards (7′s, 8′s and 9′s) were valued as one point while face cards valued half a point. If a player went over seven and a half points they were “busted”. Many believe that the term “bust” that we use in blackjack came from this popular Italian game.

Blackjack was about to experience its evolution when after the French Revolution, it crossed the shores to North America. In a young, rough land that loved gambling and didn’t prohibit it, blackjack had found a home. Just as Blackjack had started to gain popularity in the beginning of the 19th century the government decided to ban all gambling, in an effort to reign in organized crime. The game of Blackjack refused to disappear, and along with other popular casino games, became an underground phenomenon.

When the state of Nevada decided to legalize gambling, back in 1931, blackjack and its companion games were released again into the desert of Las Vegas, and since then it has attracted millions of players who love its speed and strategic possibilities.

Most standard English playing cards used today all came from original French models which were made in the mid-16th century. Because they were mass produced, the very first playing cards were printed using woodblocks. Over the decades, the woodblocks became worn down as novice block makers redid the original designs. This resulted in hands and other attributes losing their original look and meaning. Among the many distortions that occurred, the King of Hearts lost his mustache, and the axe he was originally holding became a sword.