| | |  | Last Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 |  | | | Gambling History of Blackjack
- Monday, 17 Oct 2005
Blackjack is one of the oldest and most popular gambling games in the world. Many gambling experts believe that blackjack was invented during 18th century France. It is believed to have evolved from French gambling games like "French Ferme" and "Chemin De Fer". Back in the days, the game was called “Vingt-Et-Un", which is the number 21 in the French language.
According to gambling history experts, blackjack made its way to North America during the 1800's. In its early days, blackjack wasn’t as popular as other gambling games at the time, such as poker or craps. In order to make the game more appealing to customers, the gambling establishments that were running back then (mainly in the Wild West) increased the payout rate making it 10 to 1.
In order to collect the 1000% payout, the player had to obtain an initial hand totaling 21. This meant that the player had to be dealt a hand that contains an Ace of Spades combined with either a Jack of Clubs or a Jack of Spades. Since both cards (i.e. Spades & Clubs) are colored black, an initial hand of 21 was named a “blackjack” - hence the name of the game. | |
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