Black Jack – also referred to as ‘twenty-one’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a game that nowadays is commonly seen in a casino with players trying their luck on acquiring the elusive ‘21′. It is commonly presumed that the game started in France through the 17th century. However, as with most other betting games the precise evolution of the game is a mystery.
Twenty-one was brought to the United States following the French Revolution, but the game didn’t become popular in the betting houses until the house provided payouts as a bonus. This was the only method that seemed to get gamblers betting on pontoon. One variant on the bonus pay out was for a gambler to make ‘twenty-one’ with the blackjack card (worth 10 points) and an ace (valued at 11 points). With the growing popularity of the game the bonus pay outs were phased out but the name ‘black jack’ remained.
Blackjack isn’t simply about achieving an immediate ‘twenty one’, but the main adventure is to defeat the dealer without busting. The betting house obviously has an advantage over the gambling players in the long run, but with twenty-one the gambler retains an element of choice.
Since nineteen thirty one when America initial legalized betting, blackjack has grown into a classic casino game. Furthermore, it’s the fusion of both skill and math used in black jack that has made the game massively liked. Chemin de fer affords an appealing adventure to any academic, mathematician or gambling player wanting to examine the scheme of the game.