Origin of Blackjack
When it comes to the origins of blackjack, there are different theories as to when and how the game started. One widely accepted theory is that the game started in the 18th century in France. The game which was popular in the courts of Louis XV was called Vingt-et-Un or Vingt-Un, which translates to 21. There were some differences to the modern game, such as only the dealer being allowed to double down, and bets being placed with every card that was dealt, but it had the same basic objective of getting as close to 21 as possible without busting. Blackjack came from games in France and Spain. The version that eventually swept across Europe was called “Vingt-un” or “Vingt-et-un” (meaning “21”), but it was very likely predated by other games such as the French “Quinze” (meaning “Fifteen”) and the Italian game of “Sette e Mezzo” (“Seven and a Half”). The oldest forefather of blackjack, based on the research of blackjack historians like Roger Baldwin and Arnold Snyder, seems to have been th...