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Blackjack History – Rumors and Reality

Blackjack history to some extent is mysterious and rumored that most probably the game was stemmed from French games like “French ferme” and “Chemin de fer”. Historians claim that the beginning of the blackjack game can be traced back to the French casinos of early 1700s, when it was known as “vingt-et-um” or “twenty and one”.

Historical data shows us that the game of blackjack finds root in other countries in the world as well. This time around historians found some traces of this popular game in Spain where another popular Spanish version - “One and Thirty”, much similar to that of French “21” was also found. This Spanish version included a basic rule where a player had to reach the number 31 with  3 cards minimum.

Blackjack History – French Connection

The origin of the game of blackjack has eluded worldwide researchers for long and till date it continues to be a hot topic for debate. Strngely, there is no straight consensus about the origin of the game. But most people believe that blackjack might have originated around the 1700 in the French casinos. It was in France where the game was popular as Vingt-et-Un, when translated refers to 21. According to another group of thought, blackjack is thought to be derived from the French card games like French Ferme and Chemin de Fer, in vogue during that time.

Like all other card games, the history of blackjack also dates back to many centuries ago. Unfortunately, the full trace of this game could not be found by researchers till today.  At present, most scholars commonly agree that blackjack's first roots were traced in the French land in the 17th century.

Blackjack History – “Vingt-en-un” the “first ancestor” of Blackjack

History of Blackjack shows that the game finds similarity to the blackjack game including a few differences. In the Vingt-en-un game, only the dealer could double whereas the betting method was to bet after every round which is not similar to that of the rule followed in the modern blackjack. However, like the other blackjack variants and traditional blackjack, the French Vingt-eb-un's goal  was to reach a 'total 21' or 'natural' using the ranking system of the blackjack hand. The name blackjack in English came from one of the special features of the Vingt en un. It is said that it was one special payout where one included an 'ace of spades' or a “hand of jack” hence forth the English term blackjack became common.

Blackjack History – Roads leading to Rome

Another group of thought believes that the game was favored amongst the early Romans. It is said that Romans used wooden blocks including diverse numerical values to play the game. This particular theory holds weight as the Romans loved to gamble. However, this very fact do not confirm this theory.

Blackjack History - Roots in Italy

Blackjack history tells that it was a game named 'Seven and a half' familiar in Italy from where historians believe that the word 'bust' used in blackjack came forth.

Blackjack History - Other Facts

Researchers also find versions of blackjack in other countries, like Russia, where the game blackjack is known by the term “Ochko” or “the hole” or “21”. Other similarities of blackjack with card games include California Aces, Spanish 21 and Pontoon.
 
The history of blackjack also throws light on the migration of the game of blackjack during the French revolution. It was during that time when this game was brought to North America where it gained tremendous popularity. Professional gamblers understood the potential laying dormant and soon several strategies were developed. All these strategies were incorporated for the overall improvement of the game.

Presently, blackjack is still popular in most countries like Australia, Europe, Canada, US and other parts of the world. Online blackjack is also growing popular in the last few years and hopefully this trend will remain for a long time.