Here at NetBet casino UK, you can play thousands of exciting games. We’re not just talking about slots, which are well and truly entertaining. Every great online casino will have a variety of games on offer, including roulette and online blackjack, as well as other table and card games which we’ll feature right here!
When and How Did Blackjack Originate?
Blackjack is legitimately one of the oldest table games in history. Historians can’t settle on how it all started. However, most believe that it originated in French casinos around 1700. That’s when it was first mentioned in the great Miguel de Cervantes’ book ‘Rinconete y Cortadillo’. The characters in the book are cheats who are making money on a game known as Vingt-et-Un, which translates to 21. Since 21 is the number you’re aiming to hit in a game of blackjack, the XVI century is the most likely time when blackjack originated.
The game of 21 belongs to a group of card games that also include the similar Pontoon and Ochko, a Russian card game. All these games are played against a dealer rather than other card games such as poker that are played between players.
The first official records of the game occur in Britain at the end of the XVIII century. In 1800, the first rules for Vingt et Un appeared in Britain too. Further documents about the game occur in France in 1888, while the first American rules were printed in 1825. The American variant is the one that we play most commonly nowadays, and it was originally developed from the British variant around 1900.
Further Developments in the United States
As soon as the game was introduced to the United States, it enjoyed immense popularity in gambling houses – both legal and illegal. They introduced some bonus payouts that players loved, including a 10:1 payout for a hand that consists of an Ace of Spades and a black Jack. The side bet grew very popular and was named blackjack which quickly caught on as the game’s name.
Another belief of how the game grew popular was introduced by French historian Thierry Depaulis. He stated that the game got its name by players during the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the XIX century, using a similar version of the side bet-Ace and any 10-point card-as the name base. He also attributes the name to the mineral zincblend associated with silver and gold deposits, crediting prospectors for transferring it to the top bonus hand.
Regardless of the true origins, blackjack’s popularity soared in the United States in the XX century, especially after the end of the Second World War and the creation of Las Vegas. The Internet took things even further, giving it a new identity with plenty of fun variants including live dealer blackjack titles that perfectly capture the land-based casino atmosphere.
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