Blackjack – also referred to as ‘twenty one’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a game that nowadays is often seen in a betting house with people trying their luck on acquiring the elusive ‘twenty one’. It is widely believed that the game started in France amid the 17th century. However, as with many other gambling games the precise evolution of the game is a mystery.
Chemin de fer was brought to the US after the French Revolution, but the game did not become favored in the betting houses until the casino provided bonus payouts. This was the only way that seemed to get gamblers betting on chemin de fer. One variation on the bonus payout was for a gambler to make ‘twenty one’ with the blackjack card (given a value of 10 points) and an ace (valued at 11 points). With the growing appeal of the game the bonus pay outs were canceled but the name ‘pontoon’ lasted.
Black jack is not simply about achieving an outright ‘twenty one’, but the main adventure is to defeat the dealer without going ‘bust’. The betting house obviously has a house edge over the chemin de fer players over the long run, but with blackjack the player retains an element of choice.
Since 1931 when America first legitimized betting, blackjack has developed into a quintessential gambling den game. Furthermore, it is the joining of both skill and math employed in chemin de fer that has made the game massively liked. Blackjack provides an appealing adventure to any scientist, math guy or gambling player looking to research the scheme of the game.