Blackjack – also referred to as ‘21′ and ‘pontoon’ – is a card game that is usually found in a casino with players attempting their luck on achieving the elusive ‘twenty-one’. It’s widely presumed that the game originated in France during the 1600’s. However, as with many other casino games the exact development of the game is a mystery.
Pontoon was brought to the U.S. following the French Revolution, but the game didn’t become popular in the betting houses until the casino offered payouts as a bonus. This was the only method that seemed to get people gambling on twenty-one. One variant on the reward pay out was for a gambler to make ‘twenty-one’ with the black jack card (given a value of ten points) and an ace (valued at 11 points). With the expanding appeal of the game the pay outs were phased out but the name ‘blackjack’ stayed.
Chemin de fer is not just about getting an outright ‘twenty-one’, but the primary adventure is to defeat the croupier without going ‘bust’. The betting house certainly has a house edge over the chemin de fer players in the long run, but with blackjack the gambler holds on to an element of choice.
Since 1931 when America first approved betting, twenty-one has grown into a traditional casino card game. Furthermore, it’s the blending of both skill and mathematics utilized in black jack that has made the game massively loved. Pontoon gives an alluring adventure to any academic, mathematician or gambling player looking to examine the strategy of the game.