BLACKJACK HISTORY

Blackjack (originally named "21") appeared in France in about 1700. Although its history is full of arguable episodes, it is most likely to have derived from other French games such as Chemin de fer and French Ferme.

The etymology of the word "blackjack" is a more difficult issue. Some researchers think that the game owes its name to a now long-forgotten rule - If the first two cards dealt to the player were a jack of spades and an ace of spades, the player was awarded extra money.

Unlike roulette, blackjack is a relatively fair game. A player, who has thoroughly studied all aspects of the game, can hope to win. In blackjack, the casino has no mathematical advantage over the player.

This is probably the reason behind the popularity of blackjack. There are more blackjack tables on the planet then there are all other casino tables put together - poker, roulette, craps, baccarat, etc.