BLACKJACK HISTORY
Gambling with playing cards spread steadily throughout Europe when Johann Gutenberg printed the first deck in Germany in 1440, and many of the games involved a drawing cards to reach a certain total. Although the exact relationship remains obscure, Blackjack is believed to have evolved that evolved from several of these early games. Baccarat with the magic number of nine, appear in Italy about 1490, followed by the game of seven and a half, which seems to be the first game to be automatically lost if he went over the desired number. The game of One and thirty was first played some time before 1570 in Spain and the Duke of Wellington at the Marquess of Queensberry and prime minister Disraeli all played quince (fifteen) in Crockfords the famous English casino which flourished between 1827 and 1844. From France came trente et quarante (thirty and forty) and finally vingt un or vignt et un twentyone (or twenty and one). Which crossed the Atlantic ocean and was listed in the American Hoyle of 1875.
As first played in the United States Blackjack was a private game but by the early 1900's tables for twenty-one were being offered in the gambling parlours of Evansville, Indiana. Acceptance was slow and, to stimulate interest, operators offered to pay three to two for any count of 21 in the first two cards and then ten to one if the 21 consisted of the ace of spades and either the Jack of spades or Jack of clubs. This hand was of course called blackjack. The ten to one payoff was soon eliminated, but the term remained first as the name of any two card 21 hand and subsequently as the name of the game itself, although 21 would have been more appropriate.
By 1919, tables covered with green felt and emblazoned in gold letters is announcing "Blackjack pays odds of three to two" were being manufactured in Chicago and appeared in illegal gambling halls throughout the country. The popularity of the game grew slowly until gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931, then Blackjack became the third most successful game outstripping Faro but trailing both Roulette and Craps.
Because all of the prohibitive casino edge of 5.26 percent in roulette, discouraged players drifted away from the game and by 1948 blackjack and become the second biggest casino money maker.
Todays game
In 1956 a book called "Playing blackjack to win" was written by Baldwin, Cantey Maisel and McDermott containing a nearly perfect basic strategy. This is followed in 1962 by Edward Thorpe's book "Beat the Dealer", which refined the strategy and adding a counting system. Now for the first time that the sophisticated gambler could learn to play nearly even with the house and perhaps with a slight advantage in his favour. This scientifically developed information sparked a nationwide interest in blackjack that made it the number one table game in American casinos throughout the sixties and seventies and into the eighty's.
Because the table is less than half the size of those required for craps, roulette or baccarat with a corresponding reduction in both the number of players and casino personnel blackjack is far less intimidating to the beginning player. Couple this with the simplicity of the basic rules-both the player and the dealer draw cards and whoever comes closest to 21 without going over wins-and you can understand the popularity of the game.
Blackjack is unique among the casino games in that any player can make decisions that will affect the results of the game. In addition it is the only game where the outcome of one hand influences the following hands. Since the type of cards that have been played determines the value of the cards remaining to be played, the probability of winning or losing is in a constant state of flux and although chance is still a significant factor, the skilful play enjoys a marked advantage over the novice. Obviously the casinos are profits making to institutions, so why do they continue to offer a game where a player has a fair chance? Elementary my dear reader, because of a 90 percent of all players do not make a sufficient effort to learn the fundamentals of the game. Ironically, the fact that the game can be beaten is well known to the casino operators but since very few players will be bothered to invest the necessary time to learn to play at this level, blackjack and its variations have become the most profitable table game in the house.
Blackjack basics
New casinos are still being designed and built in Nevada, Atlantic City and other casino locations across the USA, and hundreds of new casino gamers are trying their luck every day. Many of these neophytes know little or nothing about how to play or how to bet. To accommodate these newcomers as well as the multitude of existing players who are not playing to their best advantage, lets thoroughly explore the basic elements of the game.
First of although you will find seven betting spots on the table blackjack is not a group game. Each bettor is playing against the dealer and bidding against the house; the number of players or where they sit has no effect on the ultimate outcome. Second, the decision to draw or not to draw by the any one player has no long-run affect on other players. Of course in any one hand, the player to the right of you or the dealer appears to have significant control of the results of your hand, but really, the draw of each player at the table has an equal effect on the hand. Nevertheless many players critically observe the play of the hand preceding the dealer commonly called "third base" with the result that most beginners shun this chair to avoid contention. Ninety percent of the bettors are there to enjoy themselves and because of the game's frequent pauses for shuffling dealing and settling bets you'll find an air relaxation not always found at the other games. So if you happen to sit where there are disagreeable players move to another table. Tables are almost always plentiful.
Chips
As soon as you sit down, you'll need chips. Place some currency alongside the betting circle directly in front of you; the dealer will announce the amount to the pit supervisor and exchange it for distinctly decorated clay disks, setting them in front of you as he pushes your money through the slot in the table into the concealed drop bix. All the tables carry $1, $5, and $25 dollar chips, frequently coloured with a red, white and green and some tables keep $100 chips usually black. The dealer's rack also contains half-dollars but these are used any settling odd bets such as the three to two payoff for a blackjack on as $3 or and $5 wager. If you want to change a large denomination chip for smaller ones place it alongside your betting spot and announce "Change please". Never place it in the circle as it may be mistaken for a bet.
Although state regulations in most gambling locations prohibit the betting of cash, money wagers may be made in Nevada even though casinos there prefer the use of chips. Skilful dealers can add up the value of a stack of mixed chips in an instant because of the various colours; however all currency is green and the bills must be checked and rechecked. Casinos also realize that many bettors subconsciously do not place the same value on chips that they do on actual cash. Somehow many people feel that once they give up the money for chips is not really their's anymore; subsequently players find it infinitely easier to push out four green chips than to reach into the wallets and extract $100 bills.
Most gaming locations have regulations that prohibit the using if chips from one casino in different casino. This practice used to be prevalent in Nevada. However because junketeers who were required to buy in for a certain sum in order to qualify for complementary rooms meals and travel frequently reneged on their obligation to play at the tables by converting their chips to cash in other casinos, the interchange of chips between casinos has just about become a thing of the past. So be sure to cash in your chips with the casino cashier before departing the casino.
As you stack your chips you may notice one or two small signs displayed near the dealer. One often lists the casino's particular blackjack rules and the other can indicate the minimum and maximum bets in effect at that particular table. Minimum bet size may be $2, $3, $5, $10, $15, $25, $50 and $100, and but $2 $3 minimums are often hard to find; the most common table size seems to be $5 or $10. Although maximum bets can range up to $1,000, pit bosses have special signs are available for high rollers, and 2,000 to 5,000 maximums and not unusual. Occasionally the entire table will be roped off for really big bettor. All bets must be placed before any cards are dealt, and many casinos will permit you to place additional wagers in adjacent vacant positions. Procedures for betting more than one hand vary from casino to casino, so check with the dealer if this type of betting appeals to you. Incidentally, when you're finished playing, the dealer can't reconvert your chips into money, but he will be more than willing to change them for larger denominations. The term for that request is "colour me up". For cash you must take your chips to the cahiers cage.