Blackjack History Reveals Truth
No one can say for sure when blackjack was invented and no one really knows when it will cease to exist. However the fact remains that blackjack is still one of the most loved games on the planet.
Our history of Blackjack takes people on the long and twisting journey of the game to present day. We also pay tribute to the game's incredible rise in popularity.
Tracking Blackjack's origins
Many of the card games we play today can be easily traced back to 10th century china were playing cards were first printed. It was later in the time of the Middle Ages that card games arrived in the Middle East region from where it was picked up by European Crusaders who later returned back to Europe with wealth and card games. Many historians agree that the first European card game that gained popularity as Hazard and from Hazard stemmed games such as poker and eventually blackjack.
Blackjack History: Naming wars
Now even though it's accepted that card games arrived in Europe around the 14th century it's still unknown where the blackjack game was played. Some historians credit the Spanish game "Veintiuno" for being blackjack's first ancestor. Some believe that blackjack originated from the famous French game "Vingt-Un" that took off in the 18th century. Italy however seems to have the strongest argument owing to "Trentuno" which is Italian for 31 and dates back to the 15th century.
Evolution of Blackjack Rules
Now regardless of which country tries to clam to be the originators of Blackjack it's widely known that the rules of the game originally evolved from French Blackjack. All of the common rules in blackjack today except for surrender and insurance options were available in the 18th century game of Ving-Un.
The French Vingt-Un meaning "21"
Like many casino games Americans seem to have been the last gamblers on earth to discover the game of blackjack. However they managed to make it into the game it is thanks to their vision that helped propel blackjack to the heights it has achieved today.
Blackjack originally took off in America in the 19th century owing to the influx of French immigrants into the city of New Orleans. Now although the game stayed largely the same the name of the game was translated into English i.e. "Twenty-One" which stuck on for several years.
