Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games in the world and also known as 21. Much of blackjack's popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill, and the publicity that surrounds card counting (keeping track of which cards have been played since the last shuffle). Blackjack's precursor was vingt-et-un ("twenty-one"), which originated in French casinos around 1700, and did not offer the 3:2 bonus for a two-card 21.
When 21 was first introduced in the United States it was not very popular, so gambling houses tried offering various bonus payouts to get the players to the tables. One such bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if the player's hand consisted of the ace of spades and a black Jack (either the Jack of clubs or the Jack of spades). This hand was called a "blackjack" and the name stuck to the game even though the bonus payout was soon abolished. As the game is currently played, a "blackjack" may not necessarily contain a jack or any black cards at all.
Generally speaking, Blackjack is competing against the dealer yet there is, however, one very important difference from other games: dealer is actually deprived of making any choices during the game and plays by rules that are different from those that apply to you. The rules prescribe exactly how the dealer behaves in each game situation. Neither a human dealer nor the computer have any freedom to make game decisions even though the game is built entirely around the next card coming into the player's hand. Blackjack is one of those games where you compete against the game rules. |
