Blackjack History

Although the Spanish and Italians both claim to be the originators of blackjack, it was really the French with their card game of “21” or “Vingt-et-Un” that claimed to be the originators of blackjack.  The French game of 21 traveled to the U.S. in the 1800’s where it was not very popular.  In order to attract players to the game, casinos offered a 10 to 1 payout if the player’s hand consisted of an Ace of Spades and a black jack.  This hand was nicknamed “blackjack” and the name stuck to the game.

Playing Blackjack Online

Playing blackjack online is not much different than playing in a land based casino.  Your dealer is your computer, and some online casino sites even offer “live” blackjack dealers via a video feed inside the casino software.  The live dealer game is a multi-player game, and you can text chat with the other players and the dealer while you play.  The live dealer game moves more slowly than regular online blackjack, but players who are a bit wary of the dealer get to see how the cards are dealt.

Basically blackjack is not a difficult game to learn.  However, really experienced players figure out all kinds of strategies to increase their winnings, and it is always a good idea to try out the practice and help features that most online blackjack sites offer.

The object of the game of blackjack is to achieve a hand with a card count of 21, or as near to 21 as you can get without exceeding that number.  If your hand exceeds the 21 you are “bust” and lose your bet.  You and the dealer are dealt two cards to begin with, and one of the dealer’s cards is always turned face up.  A player may draw up to nine cards after the first two as long as his hand does not exceed 21.  If a player receives two initial cards of the same denomination, he may “split” his hand, creating two hands and places a bet on the second hand which is equal to his original bet.

Playing blackjack requires concentration and quick thinking.  For those who are really attracted to this game, blackjack offers many hours of entertainment and always the possibility of earning some profitable wins.