The card game of blackjack was not invented by a single person. There are still debates going on about the beginning and history of blackjack. This game has been developing for a long time and the virtual world of the Internet keeps changing it even today.
Beginning of blackjack
There is a theory that the Romans already played a game similar to today´s blackjack. They used pieces of wood with different point values. Even though the Romans really loved gambling, this theory has yet to be backed up by any solid facts.
There is a general consensus that the history of blackjack started in France. It evolved from the games Chemin de fer and French ferm. At the beginning of the 18th century it was already being played in French casinos under the name "Vingt-et-un", which means 21. Another version of this game prevailed in Spain where it was not played to the sum of 21 but 31.
Blackjack in the US
During American colonization, 21, similar to roulette, got across the big pond. In the US the game became very popular. The name of Blackjack was coined in Nevada where gambling was legalized first. It was the name of a special bet that the Casino used to attract more players. Even though the special bet did not survive long, the new name for the game became widespread and has remained so until today.
In the middle of 20th century, blackjack pioneers started to use calculators- legal at the time. They tried to increase their advantage. In defense, casinos introduced a series of measures to reduce the winning odds and to increase the casino´s profit. They prohibited calculators, used shuffling machines and introduced multiple card stacks.
In 1962 Eward O. Thorp was the first to develop a technique for counting cards without the need for a calculator. He even wrote and published a book about how to win at blackjack. American casinos hated the book when the numbers of clever players grew. Their defense was in the change of rules. However, this raised such a strong wave of resistance, loss of visitors and profits that they had to accept the original game rules that are still valid.
Online blackjack
At the end of the last century, casino games started to move to the Internet. Here you will find all versions of blackjack. Casino software can either be downloaded and installed on your computer (similar to applications or other games), or you can play online - using a browser and without downloading. This has many benefits - you can play anytime and mainly - you can play in free mode - just for fun.
Play online blackjack in casino