Dear
Mark, How did Blackjack come into being and arrive
at the number 21? Why not 18 or 33? Also, where did
the 3 to 2 payoff come from? Nick B.
Just
about every card game has a unique history, but unfortunately
historians cannot always uncover the full trace of
a game. Blackjack is one such shadowy customer. It
confounds some researchers even today. Many scholars
believe that blackjack was derived from French games
such as "French Ferme." and "Chemin
de fer." When a game resembling blackjack first
appeared in French casinos around the early 1700's,
it was called "vingt-et-un," meaning twenty-and-one,
and most likely, Nick, the genesis of the number 21.
The word Blackjack got its name from one of its winning
hands, a Jack an Ace, both of Spades.
If
a player was dealt these two cards, they not only
won the hand, but also got an additional bonus.
When Blackjack was first introduced in America,
it wasn't very popular, so in order to attract
players, gambling houses of ill repute tried gimmick
bonuses and payouts. One such reward was a 10-to-1
payoff if the player held the Ace of spades and
any black Jack, hence the name Blackjack, American
style. The name "Blackjack" stuck, even
though the bonus payoffs were eventually eliminated.
Yet Blackjack was still not as popular as either
Craps or Roulette, so to stimulate interest, casino
operators offered a 3 to 2 payoff for any two-card
count of 21, and a 10-to-1 payout if the 21 consisted
of the ace of spades and either the Jack of spades
or Jack of clubs. Eventually the 10-to-1 payout
was once again eliminated but the 3 to 2 payoff
and the term" 21" remained as an alternative
name for the game. In 1919, tables manufactured
in Chicago with the "Blackjack Pays Odds
of 3 to 2" motto began appearing in illegal
gambling joints throughout America. Then once
gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931, the
popularity of Blackjack grew to its number one
table-game-status that it still holds today.
Good
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