Blackjack – also referred to as ‘twenty-one’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a game that nowadays is generally found in a betting house with people trying their fortune on achieving the elusive ‘twenty one’. It’s commonly believed that the game came into existence in France around the 17th century. However, as with most other betting games the exact development of the game is still a mystery.
Chemin de fer was brought to the United States following the French Revolution, but the game did not become popular in the casinos until the house provided bonus payouts. This was the only way that seemed to get people betting on pontoon. One variation on the bonus payout was for a player to make ‘twenty one’ with the blackjack card (valued at ten points) and an ace (given a value of eleven points). With the growing popularity of the game the pay outs were canceled but the name ‘chemin de fer’ stayed.
Blackjack isn’t just about achieving an outright ‘twenty one’, but the main challenge is to defeat the dealer without going ‘bust’. The casino obviously has a house edge over the gambling players over the long term, but with blackjack the gambler retains a bit of choice.
Since 1931 when America initial legalized wagering, twenty-one has grown into a traditional gambling den card game. Furthermore, it’s the fusion of both ability and mathematics utilized in black jack that has caused the game to be hugely popular. Blackjack provides an alluring proposition to any scientist, mathematician or betting player wanting to examine the tactic of the game.