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Blackjack History
The Origin of Blackjack
Blackjack was originally a French casino game in the 18th century, known as vingt-et-un (21). Other variants have emerged throughout the world in the centuries that have followed. As with most games that are now popular in the U.S., blackjack made its way state-side with tradesmen and colonists from Europe. It is now an incredibly popular game online and at land-based casinos and is sometimes known as Twenty-one or Pontoon.
Blackjack got its name from a gimmick used at American casinos when the game was first offered on US soil. In order to boost the game's popularity, casinos gave bonus payouts of 10-1 to players with a hand of an ace of spades and a jack of spades or clubs (a black jack). This hand was called a black jack and became the name of the whole game, even long after this bonus was eliminated.
Big Blackjack Winners
Edward O. Thorp was a professor at MIT when he teamed up with Emmanuel Kimmel, a businessman from New York in 1961. The two headed to Reno to experiment with innovative card-counting techniques. While they began with $10K, they completed their expedition with more than double this amount. This climactic moment in blackjack history brought card-counting to the forefront of experts' attention.
Thorp authored a book "Beat the Dealer" in 1962. His book presented ground-breaking techniques and card counting strategy. It was such a popular read, that it made the New York Times' list of best sellers. The book made such an impact on the game, that it temporarily affected the rules of Blackjack at many casinos. Long lasting effects of this event on the blackjack scene include: multiple deck games, and shuffling procedures.
In 1981, "Sixty Minutes" featured Ken Uston, who won millions of dollars from blackjack casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City by using a device implanted in his shoe to assist him in card-counting. Uston worked with Keith Taft, and electrical engineer who helped him develop a prototype gadget that was unnoticed by the casinos as remarkable winning commenced. Only after they won enormous sums of money, did Uston and his team get closed-out of the blackjack tables. A court case that quickly followed affirmed the rights of card-counters at casinos in Atlantic City.
Stanford Wong is such a renowned blackjack player that a new verb in his name was created. "Wonging" is a method of card-counting, which Wong brought to players' attention in the 1980's. Wong was the initial blackjack player to be able to beat the Continuous Shuffle Machines. He was able to win tens of thousands of dollars before the casinos caught on and upgraded their shuffling devices, and based their new machinery on his abilities.
A real expert on blackjack history must read "Professional Blackjack" by Wong, a basic reference for players of all levels. A few other published works are also noteworthy. "The Theory of Blackjack" (1999) by Peter Griffin is an excellent primer on blackjack. Lawrence Revere's "Playing Blackjack as a Business" (1969) is also a classic reference on the subject.
The BlackJack Hall of Fame
In 2002 a group of professional, experts and authors were given admittance to the Blackjack Hall of Fame. This honor was bestowed by the top professional blackjack players world-wide. While the public was allowed to voice their opinions via internet, the principal votes were cast by the top professional players. These continue to be the primary judges as more individuals are granted this award. The first year seven people were inducted to this elite group. In 2004 two more players were added, and one more person was added in 2005 and 2006.
Blackjack on the Internet
No summary of Blackjack's history would be complete without mention of the advent of the internet. The boom of the cyberspace has made online casinos available, and incredibly popular. In turn, this has made blackjack more popular, and has made free practice games, tutorials, and endless information available. It has also forced casinos to compete by offering bonuses and better payouts. Online blackjack has introduced fancy graphics, and interactive computer features to the original blackjack game. This has revolutionized blackjack playing, making it available all the time to anyone.
So, wherever you are and whoever you are, dare to walk in the path of blackjack players who came before you. See if you can set new records. Play blackjack online and at traditional casinos, and wherever you play - enjoy the game and good luck!
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