August 22nd, 2008
Blackjack is hugely popular card game that is commonly known as “Twenty-one”. It is also known in some circles as “Vingt-et-un”, which is simply “Twenty-one” in French. “Pontoon” is another name for Blackjack, although it is far less common.
One of the most attractive qualities of Blackjack is its unique card game play. Combining a large degree of skill with some elements of chance, this is one of the reason’s why the casino game is so popular.
Blackjack has actually been played since the early 18th century, when the “vingt-et-un” variation was widely enjoyed in many French casinos. Back then, a British card game with the same name was also played, although it was not like the casino game we recognize as Blackjack today and was more a variation on “Crazy Eights”.
Interestingly enough, the game was not very popular among American players when it first reached the country. Many gambling houses then started offering bonus payouts as a way to attract more players. One of the most popular enticements was a 10-to-1 bonus for a hand made up of the ace of spades and a “black” Jack. Although this practice is no longer followed today, the game of Blackjack is more popular then ever.
Tags: blackjack, card game, casino game, pontoon, twenty one
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April 10th, 2008
Blackjack is a card game that is also popularly known as “Twenty-one”, and somewhat less commonly as “Vingt-et-un”–which is French for “Twenty-one”–and Pontoon. Blackjack is by far one of the most popular of all the card games played in casinos. A lot of the game’s popularity can be attributed to its unique game play, which combines skill with some elements of chance.
Blackjack is actually an adaptation of the “vingt-et-un” card game played in French casinos since the early 1700s. There is also a British card game of the same name, but it is a variant on the “Crazy Eights” and not the same as the game we now know commonly as blackjack.
The game first came to the United States as “21”, where it was not very well-received. In an effort to draw in more players, gambling houses began to offer bonus payouts to the players. One of these was a 10-to-1 bonus given to a hand that included the ace of spades and either of the “black” Jacks–the Jack of clubs or the Jack of spades. Today, the bonus in no longer given, and a “blackjack” does not necessarily have to include a jack or even any black cards for that matter.
Tags: ace of spades, black cards, blackjack, bonus, card game, casinos, gambling houses, jack of clubs, jack of spades
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