History of blackjack

Origins of blackjack

Blackjack was first played in French casinos under the name “Twenty-one” in the eighteenth century.

When blackjack (also written blackjack, and blackjack in French) was introduced in the U.S., it was not very popular. Las casinos have then tried to attract players by creating different bonuses. The name comes from a blackjack bonus casino where the player with the same time the jack and the ace of spades is seen remit payment of 10:1. Since the Jack of Spades, Jack of spades in English, was paramount and that the spades are black, the name blackjack was adopted, and remained until today, even though the bonus associated with that hand has been abolished.

In France, Blackjack has been allowed again in 1969, this game has some popularity since then.

The basic strategy

Roger Baldwin published in 1956 in the Journal of the American Statistical Association an article entitled “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” (the optimum strategy in blackjack), who studied the rules of blackjack in a mathematical way and proposed a strategy for optimal game depending on the dealer’s card and the player’s cards. This basic strategy blackjack reduces the casino advantage to less than 1% according to the variations of the game

Edward Thorp, the card counter

Six years later, el professor Edward O. Thorp developed a method of counting cards . The book he published ” Beat the Dealer “, or” Beat the Dealer “became an instant best seller.

This book led to change some casinos blackjack rules applied, giving them an added advantage, but protests by players and their boycott has forced these casinos back to the old rules.

Game strategies were introduced even more sophisticated in the 70s, computers became sufficiently accessible performing complex calculations for card counting and calculating statistics. Mathematicians, scientists, professors and other intellectuals published many books on strategy and statistics on blackjack at the point of frightening casino owners fearing their profits soar. Their reaction was to abandon the simple card game for a shoe containing several sets of cards. They have been introduced to parts 5, 6 or even eight decks of cards per hand of blackjack. This greatly complicates the matter for the players an average level.

Blackjack made ​​the fortune of many ” card counters “professionals in the 1960s. These experts were able to determine the phases of the game in favor of players and increasing at such moments dramatically staked.

While casinos have become more difficult to beat over the years, they can still be beaten, professional blackjack players still exists.