History of Twenty-one
Friday, 5. March 2010
Blackjack – also known as ‘21′ and ‘pontoon’ – is a game that nowadays is generally seen in a casino with players attempting their fortune on acquiring the elusive ‘twenty-one’. It is widely believed that the game originated in France amid the 1600’s. However, as with most other casino games the precise evolution of the game is still a mystery.
Twenty-one was brought to the US 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 appeared to get people gambling on chemin de fer. One variant on the reward pay out was for a player to acquire ‘21′ with the blackjack card (worth 10 points) and an ace (given a value of 11 points). With the increasing appeal of the game the pay outs were canceled but the name of the game ‘twenty-one’ lasted.
Black jack isn’t just about achieving a straight ‘twenty one’, but the primary challenge is to defeat the dealer without going ‘bust’. The betting house obviously has an edge over the black jack players over the long term, but with chemin de fer the gambler holds on to an element of choice.
Since 1931 when the U.S. initial legitimized gambling, chemin de fer has developed into a traditional casino game. Furthermore, it is the joining of both skill and math utilized in pontoon that has caused the game to be massively popular. Twenty-one provides an attractive adventure to any scientist, math guy or gambling player wanting to research the scheme of the game.
Posted in Blackjack by Clark