Blackjack is one of the more favored games played in betting houses. Black jack is also known as "twenty one" or "pontoon." The game is a combination of luck and skills combined with choices. The game has evolved over a period of time. Players have specialized in certain skills like "card counting," with which they turn the edge in the game in the players favor. The card game has been in existence since the 1700s. References can be seen in historical documents to a card game referred to as "vingt-et-un," which means twenty one in French, and is deemed as the ancestor to blackjack.
The game was originally not very popular in the US. This caused the gambling houses trying different things like providing a reward like a 10-to-1 pay out, if the black jack player had a "black" jack and an ace of spades. The jack could be either clubs or spades. After the card game became popular, the bonus payout soon vanished from the game.
Any hand which reaches a sum of twenty-one is considered a winner. The total can not go beyond twenty one, in which case the hand is said to be "bust." The aim of any player is to beat the dealer. If the black jack player and the casino both have an identical hand value, it is called "push" (a tie), with neither the black jack player nor the casino coming away with a win on the hand.