Brief History of Black Jack

The origin of Blackjack is still debated; the most popular belief is that it originated in French casinos around 1700 due to its mention in Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote, which dates to the late 16th/early 17th century. Then, the game was referred to as ‘Vingt-et-un’ which translates to 21 in French. Another belief is that the Romans played this game or something similar using wooden blocks.

During its popularisation in the 18th century, casinos and other gambling houses started to offer ‘special bets’ to draw more people to the game. A notable special bet is the 10:1 odds of a player having a Black Jack (the Jack of spades or clubs) with an Ace. This is where the name we know today originated. Although, as casinos gradually removed this special bet, the name Blackjack remained.

Blackjack came from games in France and Spain. The version that eventually swept across Europe was called “Vingt-un” or “Vingt-et-un” (meaning “21”), but it was very likely predated by other games such as the French “Quinze” (meaning “Fifteen”) and the Italian game of “Sette e Mezzo” (“Seven and a Half”). The oldest forefather of blackjack, based on the research of blackjack historians like Roger Baldwin and Arnold Snyder, seems to have been the Spanish game “Trente-un” (“Thirty-one”). A priest referenced the game in 1440, and the author Miguel de Cervantes mentioned Trente-un in a 1570 text. These stand as some of the oldest references to what eventually became the game of 21. Cervantes was the guy who eventually wrote the great feat of literature Don Quixote. I wonder if Cervantes might have likened his character who wildly charged at windmills to modern day card counters taking on casinos?

All of these games involved cards with values and a goal of drawing as close to a certain value without going bust. Some of them included the idea of an ace having a fluctuating value of one or eleven. The game of 21 became popular in Europe, very possibly because it was one of the few games that had all the appearances of requiring skill, as opposed to merely luck. The player made 바카라사이트 decisions on whether to hit or stand. Making decisions always gives players a feeling of control.

There is a theory that revolves around Blackjack. The theory is that Blackjack is an invention by the Romans. It is believed that Romans played this game with wooden blocks with different numbers. The theory stands because Romans loved to gamble but it’s not 100% confirmed.