Blackjack History

Blackjack is one of the oldest card games. Similar games were very popular in France during the 18th century. One of the most popular versions was called simply 21. Blackjack migrated to America with the French colonists and traveled across the country on riverboats. Actually it was only in the 20th century Vegas that blackjack received its name. When the state of Nevada has legalized gambling, Vegas has turned into the gambling capital of the world and casinos have began importing more and more new games into their gambling halls.

To draw more attention to the game a special bonus was added to the game. Any hand that has the ace of spades and any of the black jacks in the deck (either spades or clubs) would pay 10 to 1 on the players bet. Somehow the name blackjack has stuck to the game long after casinos have stopped giving this special bonus. Today, 70 years after the introduction of blackjack to the world of casino gambling, blackjack is one of the most popular games in online and land based casinos.

Jeff Louden, Editorial team. 10/2005