Blackjack is a typical gambling game, as it is steeped in history. Most gambling games have a surprisingly rich and fascinating history that regular gamblers are not aware of. What blackjack has in common with many other no deposit casino slots games is that when it was introduced to other parts of the world from its original source, it underwent subtle changes.
Where It All Began
The origins of blackjack or 21 as it was also known by, lie in Europe and more especially France. Here it was called Vingt-et-Un which means 21 in French. The precise beginnings of blackjack are hard to pin down exactly, but it is thought that the French casinos of the 1700s gave birth to the game.
However, some historians controversially are convinced that the origins of blackjack go even further back to the time of the Roman Empire. Those that are not willing to go back that far or accept this theory, do make a convincing case for the origins of this game to lie in 18th century France and Europe in general. This is because blackjack is closely linked to a Spanish game called Trente-Un (One and Thirty) and the Italian game Sette e Mezzo or (Seven and a Half)
As the game of Vingt-et-Un was spread around the world by French travellers and French colonists, it eventually landed at the shores of the United States and here it became known as blackjack, and this is still the name that this game goes by, even today in the 21st century. The game of blackjack proved immensely popular in America and it was played more especially in New Orleans and California.
The 20th Century
The 20th century was a boom time for casinos as gambling bans became a thing of the past. Blackjack became the staple of casino lounges across the globe. In the 1950s, the first blackjack card counters appeared on the scene. In 1957 a book called ‘Playing Blackjack to Win’, was released and this was followed in 1962 by a book called ‘Beat the Dealer.’ This book was written by a mathematician named Edward O Thorp.
In 1996 gambling games moved away from their traditional land-based casino homes and landed in a new virtual world that gamblers embraced. Blackjack was one of the games that made a successful transition from land-based casinos to online ones. Early online casinos were indeed table games focused. This was short-lived though because the dawn of the era of slot games was just about to commence.
The Present Day
Slot games are now the dominant force in the gambling world today and most online casinos are more slot-focused. Despite this, blackjack continues to develop and there are now variants of the original format online. You can play American blackjack, European blackjack, and Quantum blackjack.
Final Thoughts
Traditional table games are far too deeply embedded into gambling culture to disappear altogether and despite the current fascination with slots, table games like blackjack are here to stay.
