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Blackjack is also known as twenty-one or Pontoon. To win the game, a combination of
good luck and skill is needed. This plus its simplicity is Blackjack’s appeal.
Blackjack Was Born
The origin of this game is somewhat unclear but it is believed to have originated
in French casinos and was known then as "vingt-et-un" which means twenty-one.
Allegedly, the plain name ‘twenty-one’ was changed to Blackjack because
a player who was lucky enough to get a Jack of Spades and an Ace of Spades for his
first two cards received an extra payout. The payouts were given by gambling houses
in order to get people to play the game. Blackjack, though it’s relatively popular
now, was not so popular when it was first brought to the United States in the early
19 th century.
Anyway, the name Blackjack was a play of words. It’s basically a combination
of the Jack card and the color black of the spades suit.
Three, Four…Twenty-One
Blackjack is a very simple game, which is probably why it has endured through time.
The players do not play against each other. Each player is actually playing against
the dealer. The table is semi-circular and the dealer is positioned in the center of
the semi-circle formation and the players are distributed evenly around the round portion
of the table.
You have only one goal when playing the game and that is to have a hand with a total
value that is more than the dealer’s but is less than 21. Going over 21 or getting
a total value that’s below the dealer’s is a certain loss. If you and the
dealer get the same card value, a tie – or what in casino lingo is called a ‘push’ – would
then be declared.
Whatever Color
There are no suits in Blackjack. The value of the card is the same as its number.
Picture cards like Jacks, Queens and Kings, have a value of 10 each. The value of the
Ace card depends on what is strategically called for at the moment of play. It is usually
11, but if having a card with a value of 11 will result in a bust, then the Ace assumes
a value of 1 so that the player will remain safe.
Blackjack Skill
Blackjack involves mathematical probabilities, thus the need for card counting skills.
Card counting requires the player to keep track of the cards being played so he can
tell whether he should stick to his cards, hit or surrender. |
