History Of Blackjack

The first references to the Blackjack card game can be found in the book Noveljas Ejemplares, by Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, in 1602.

At that time, Veintiuna, the Spanish term for twenty one, was played in Castilia, Spain. The object was to beat the dealing hand by scoring twenty one points without going over.

Each cards’ numerical value was tallied, with suits irrelevant. Tens were not used, with earlier forms of the game called seven and a half.

In seventeenth century France, vingt en un or twenty and one, was played across all social classes. It was taken by seafaring colonists to Canada around the time of the French Revolution, spreading to America.

Rules of the game first appeared in American Hoyle in 1875, a publication on card games. Authorities had tried prohibition on many forms of gambling, only to force the game underground.

By 1910, it was appearing in illegal gambling halls. It was not until Nevada legalised gambling in 1931 and offered bonus pay outs to get players in, that its popularity soared.

One bonus of a ten to one pay out was given out if the player was dealt an instant 21. The first hand had to consist of a ten point value black jack, and the ace of spades, scoring an instant twenty one.

The blackjack term was popularised.

By the 1950s, statisticians soon realised that the game offered more favourable odds than was initially thought, withjust player against dealer.

Roger Baldwin, one of a group that became known as the Four Horsemen, published a paper on how to reduce the house advantage. However, its complex mathematical explanations confounded many.

In 1962, Edward Oakley Thorp published a book called Beat the Dealer. The book outlined a card counting system for those players who could adopt his card counting techniques. With that, the game continued its popularity.

With their house advantage under threat, casinos accordingly varied the rules. Multiple deck cards were introduced and frequent shuffling of the shoe cards to thwart the card counters.

Concurrently, the computer age continued to encourage enthusiasts to continue researching simple strategies and calculations, based on works beforehand.

Julian Braun, a computer company employee, is credited with creating the basic strategy used today. Building on the works by Thorp and Baldwin, it assisted the player in deciding whether to hit or stand on the cards both he and the dealer have been dealt.

By following basic strategy charts, it enabled players to be on near as possible terms with the house. Gambling houses though, prohibited basic strategy charts and computer calculators inside their premises. This was as a result of the first high rolling scams already hitting casinos.

Still, by educating themselves on the basic strategy theories, players became confident. The factor of other players, where their decisions affected the game, could be ruled out.

At the table, knowing how to reduce the house advantage enamoured their enjoyment of the game, as it continues to do.