The History of Blackjack

Blackjack is a card game that originated in 17th century France, known at the time as “vingt-et-un,” which in French means “twenty-one.”

The game quickly gained popularity in Europe and was brought to the United States in the 19th century, where it received its current name.

Blackjack has become one of the most popular casino games in the world, played globally both in physical casinos and online casinos.

The objective of the game is to get as close as possible to 21 points without exceeding this value and to beat the dealer (or croupier), who represents the house. In this article, we’ll delve into the history of blackjack and how it has evolved.

Where did Blackjack come from?

The history of Blackjack is a little difficult to explain because nothing is really certain. The great experts are divided on where Blackjack was born.

Some say it was in France, with the name ‘Vingt-et-un’ in the 18th century, others think it was in Italy in the 15th century. In chronological terms, Blackjack first appeared in Italy, but under a different name.

At the time it was called ‘Thirty One’. Well, it’s a rather complicated name to understand, but the main objective at the time was to score 31 points.

There is some evidence that dates this game back to 1440 in a sermon given by an Italian monk, Bernardin de Sienne, which led to the elimination of several cards and dice, all done in public, showing how the church was against these games.

Then came another work in 1865 by Ed S. Taylor, ‘The History of Playing Cards’, which refers to the game ‘Trentuno’ from 1526 as an Italian game.

So these are the references that lead us to think that the game of blackjack originated in Italy, but there are still other works that talk about this ‘Trentuno’ game that then lead us to think that it originated in Spain.

However, this last theory is not well supported. Other researchers claim that Blackjack was born in France since the game appears in a novella by François Rabelais that was written between 1532 and 1542, i.e. just after the reference to Italy’s Thirty-One.

Theories about the origin of Blackjack

Basically, the biggest theory and the one that has the most supporters is that Blackjack was born in Italy and quickly spread throughout Europe, such as Spain, France and England. After a few years, Thirty One came to be called and played under the name ‘Twenty One’.

This is the closest version to modern Blackjack. It was the first game in which aces could be worth both 1 and 11.

Researchers claim that Twenty One replaced Thirty One to make the game much faster. That way, with just two cards you can get to twenty-one.

Twenty One dates back to France in the 18th century and, being the closest version to modern blackjack, it is believed that it was in France that it was born.

At that time, the nobility became very fond of it and began organising games of Blackjack in the palace. The big difference between Blackjack and modern blackjack is the Insurance rule, which didn’t exist at the time.

In the 19th century, Blackjack arrived in the United States and was quickly introduced to New Orleans by French refugees fleeing the French Revolution.

In 1823 this game was legalised by the Louisiana authorities, which made it even more famous, just after Roulette.

In the United States, Twenty One was renamed Twenty One. The popularity of the game exploded and Twenty One was played throughout North America, becoming an official game and always present in casinos.

Modern Blackjack

Blackjack, or Blackjack as it’s called in Brazil, has spread all over the world. It can be said that it is one of the games most loved by players and with the emergence of technology, online blackjack has been gaining more fans.

There are several casinos and online sites where you’ll find the game Twenty-One and several variations. There have been more and more ways to play this game, which has made it more and more fun.

Because it has become so famous, various mathematicians have started to create methods and theories in order to beat Blackjack.

One of the most widely used measures was for players to count the cards in order to know which cards were going to come out of the deck. There were even some players who made fortunes using this method.

To combat this cheating, the casinos had to take drastic measures. They implemented video cameras to see whether or not players were counting and even more recently Blackjack was played with more than one pack of cards so that it became completely impossible to count the cards.

In Brazil, Blackjack is gaining more and more fans and is one of the most popular table games. In online casinos you won’t find a single one that doesn’t have this game, it’s a must.

Due to its luxurious appearance and, of course, the large sums you can win, millions of Brazilian players have started playing Blackjack. They can enjoy the pleasure of the game and still win a lot of money.

Conclusion

In conclusion, blackjack is a card game that has an uncertain and controversial origin. Although there are various theories about its creation, there is no definitive answer as to who or when the game was invented.

However, it is known that blackjack has evolved over time and today is one of the most popular games worldwide.

Regardless of its origin, blackjack remains an exciting and challenging game, leading players to be attracted to it in casinos and online.