Black Jack – also known as ‘Chemin de Fer’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a card game that nowadays is commonly found in a betting house with players trying their fortune on achieving the elusive ‘twenty one’. It is commonly presumed that the game came into existence in France during the 1600’s. However, as with many other casino games the exact development of the game is still a mystery.
Twenty-one was brought to the United States after the French Revolution, but the game did not become popular in the gambling dens until the casino offered payouts as a bonus. This was the only way that appeared to get players betting on pontoon. One variant on the bonus payout was for a gambler to acquire ‘twenty one’ with the blackjack card (worth ten points) and an ace (worth eleven points). With the growing popularity of the game the pay outs were canceled but the name ‘black jack’ stayed.
Blackjack isn’t just about getting an immediate ‘twenty-one’, but the main challenge is to defeat the dealer without busting. The casino clearly has an advantage over the gambling players in the long run, but with black jack the gambler holds on to an element of choice.
Since nineteen thirty one when America initial legitimized betting, blackjack has grown into a traditional casino card game. Furthermore, it is the blending of both ability and math utilized in blackjack that has caused the game to be hugely popular. Black jack provides an alluring proposition to any scientist, math guy or betting player wanting to research the tactic of the game.