Blackjack

Blackjack - or Twenty-One - is said to have originated in French casinos around 1700 and arrived in the U.S. at the beginning of the19th century.

Originally called "vingt-et-un" (French for "twenty-and-one"), it became known as Blackjack if a player got a Jack of spades and an Ace of spades as their first two cards. Today Blackjack ranks as one of the most popular online casino games played around the globe, as well as at online gambling .

In Blackjack, each player competes only against the dealer - or the "house" - and not against other players. The player's goal is to draw cards until his/her hand adds up to 21, or comes as close as possible without 'busting it,' that is, going over 21. If your first two cards total 21, you've got Blackjack . If the dealer gets closer to 21 than you without going over, the dealer wins.

The player bets before any cards are dealt by placing a wager in the designated space in front of their table position. The dealer then deals two cards, one face up and the other face down, to each of the players including himself. Face cards (kings, queens and jacks) count as 10, ace counts as one or 11 (however the player chooses, and whichever is more advantageous) and the rest of the other cards are counted at their face value.

Unlike games of pure chance, Black jack players may increase their chances of winning and achieve a greater level of play by developing playing strategies and card skills. Real and online casino Blackjack games are very similar, with the major difference being that with online Blackjack , the dealer shuffles the deck at the beginning of every round.

Computers back in the 1970's could perform a million Blackjack hand simulations which paved the way for gamblers to produce sophisticated game strategies. As a result, a number of mathematicians, scientists, university professors, and other intellectuals began writing guide books on Blackjack . Casinos naturally became very concerned that computer-generated scientific systems would cut into their potential profits and so many casinos in the 1970's altered their games from single deck to multi-deck games to counteract these new computer-based strategies.

Ken Uston, a living legend during this time, is also famous for having inserted five computers into the shoes of members of his playing team in 1977. In very little time, these gamblers accumulated in excess of a hundred thousand dollars in winnings. Upon discovering this new method, one of the computers was confiscated and sent to the FBI whose experts concluded that the computer utilized public information on Blackjack playing and was therefore not categorized as a cheating device.

Uston was subsequently barred (not surprisingly) from at least seven of the major Las Vegas casinos as a result of this incredible success. He sued them for violating his civil rights and in 1987 was found dead in a rented flat in Paris. His cause of death still remains a mystery.

Common Blackjack terms:

Blackjack - If the player's first two cards are an ace and a 10 or face card, the player wins. However, should the dealer also have Blackjack , it is a push or a tie, and you receive your bet back.

Hit or Stand - To Hit means to draw another card. A player signals their request for a Hit by scraping the table with his/her cards or a similar hand motion. To Stand means the player doesn't want another card and indicates this by placing the corner of their cards under their wager or moving their hand in a horizontal direction. If the player hits and busts (goes over 21), they immediately turn their cards over and lose their wager.

Double Down - A player is allowed to double their bet on their first two cards and draw an additional card to improve their hand. This is usually done if they are dealt a total of 11 or a 10, and their chances are good their next card will likely bring them to 21 or 20. Always take the dealer's up-card into account; if they are showing busting cards (4, 5, or 6), it's wise to double down even if your total is as little as nine.

Splitting Pairs - If the first two cards dealt to a player are a pair, the player can opt to split them into two separate hands, bet the same amount on each and then play them as separate hands. Aces can receive just one additional card. After splitting, A-10 sometimes counts as 21 and not as Blackjack , so you might not get paid 3 to 2.

Insurance - If the dealer's up card is an ace, the player can request insurance which is a bet not exceeding one-half his original bet. If the dealer's down card is a 10, or any face card for that matter, the player wins 2 to 1. Any other card means the dealer wins. As a basic rule, taking insurance is not recommended. It could be regarded as a gesture of bad faith by the other players at the table. And statistically, it's rarely an intelligent move.

Surrender - a player may be permitted sometimes to give up his first two cards and lose only one-half his original wager. This is generally a rather silly move, and far from manly.

Free Blackjack is enjoyed today in a wide variety of forms with the more common versions at both land-based and online casinos being: Multihand, Atlantic City, Double Exposure, Vegas Strip, Vegas Downtown, European, Spanish Blackjack , Super Fun 21, and Bonus Blackjack.