Recorded History of Twenty-one

Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

Blackjack – also known as ‘21′ and ‘pontoon’ – is a card game that nowadays is usually seen in a betting house with players attempting their luck on achieving the elusive ‘twenty-one’. It is widely believed that the game originated in France during the 1600’s. However, as with most other gambling games the exact evolution of the game is a mystery.

Twenty-one was brought to the States following the French Revolution, but the game did not become favored in the betting houses until the house offered payouts as a bonus. This was the only method that seemed to get gamblers gambling on black jack. One variation on the bonus payout was for a gambler to make ‘twenty one’ with the black jack card (worth ten points) and an ace (worth eleven points). With the growing appeal of the game the pay outs were phased out but the name ‘black jack’ remained.

Twenty-one isn’t just about acquiring an immediate ‘21′, but the primary adventure is to defeat the dealer without busting. The betting house certainly has a house edge over the gambling players in the long term, but with twenty-one the player holds on to a bit of choice.

Since nineteen thirty one when the U.S. initial approved betting, blackjack has developed into a traditional casino card game. Furthermore, it’s the combination of both skill and mathematics utilized in pontoon that has made the game massively liked. Blackjack affords an attractive proposition to any scientist, math guy or betting player wanting to examine the strategy of the game.