Origins of Blackjack

The murky origins of blackjack remain a rather hotly contested topic; however, based on research done by blackjack historians Arnold Snyder and Rodger Baldwin, the oldest game bearing close similarities to modern day Blackjack appears to be a Spanish game “Trente-un” or Thirty-one, with its oldest reference being by a priest in 1440. In addition, the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes also mentioned the name “Trente-un” in one of his texts written during 1570, although at least three other games discussed below bear similarities that could have had an influence in the evolution of blackjack.

The three most likely contributors

Historically blackjack originated from Spain and France from a game popular in France that swept across most of Europe, called “Ving-et-un” or “Vingt-un”, which translates to 21, but even so, it was quite possibly predated by “Quinze”, a French game that translates to 15, as well as a  “Sette e Mezzo”, an Italian game that translates to 7 ½. This group of referenced games remain the oldest and most likely origins of the card game that eventually were to become blackjack.

Each and every one of these games had a goal where the player and dealer had to draw cards close to a specific value. In contrast to games of mere luck, the game’s popularity is likely due to it being one of a very limited number that offers the act of requiring player skill, which in turn provides players with a sense of being in control.

The Americas

Wherever the game of 21 may have originated, it migrated across to the North American continent with French immigrants from as early as 1789 in the wake of the French Revolution. Hereafter it continued to evolve through an endless number of varieties and presentations until somewhere around World War I dealers started offering particularly attractive payouts for hands showing the ace of spades and a black jack.

This was the origins of the name Blackjack, which caught on eventually to replace “Ving-et-un” or 21 as the most popular vernacular to identify the game. After being played for hundreds of years in Europe and over 140 years of play in the Americas, the game finally achieved legalised status for the first time in the state of Nevada in 1931.

The online origins and influence

1994 saw the birth of the first online casino, with blackjack included as one of the first forms of online gaming. Classic table games such as blackjack and poker that require minimal explanations became part and parcel of opening offerings in online casinos. This also marked the beginnings of the tug-of-war between online and land-based casinos for the attention of the gaming enthusiasts worldwide, due to the ease of access offered by iGaming casinos online establishments quickly gained a huge following. The game had already proved itself extremely popular in the past decade gained such popularity that a number of online casinos offering specialising purely in blackjack and all of its myriad of variations already caters for the mass of enthusiasts this game has gathered under its wings amongst the online community.