The history of blackjack

... in numbers

What are the origins of Blackjack? How old is the card classic? And how is a woman with a beard connected to the game? This is a brief history of the card game Blackjack, told in numbers.

1638

Our journey through the history of Blackjack takes us all of the way back to the Thirty Years’ War and 1638. Jan Lievens, a Dutch painter and illustrator who once shared a studio with none other than Rembrandt, completed a piece that captured the popularity at the time of card games: “Die streitenden Kartenspieler und der Tod” (“The fighting cardplayers and Death”).

The piece depicts French playing cards that were used in precursors to Blackjack and two players brawling in front of Death.

21

In the 18th century, the card game Vingt-et-un (21) was a hugely popular pastime in the French royal court, and it quickly spread throughout the dynasty and across Europe.

Among the possible predecessors to this game were the Spanish Trente-un (31), the Italian Sette de Mezzo (7.5) and the French game Quinze (15). In all of these card classics from the Late Middle Ages, the aim of the game was to get as close to the eponymous number as possible without exceeding it.

1820

In this year, the first gambling houses were opened in New Orleans. One of the most popular games played there was 21, a variant of Vingt-et-un that was brought to America by French immigrants. The simple setup, with only a single deck of cards needed, contributed to the popularity of the game. This enabled 21 to spread from one casino to the next at a much faster pace than Roulette, for which a wheel is needed.

25

This is how old Eleanor Dumont (born Simone Jules, 1829-1879) was when she arrived in Nevada City in 1854. And that is where she became what she is still known for today: one of the most famous female croupiers and a key figure in the history of Blackjack.

When Dumont later began to grow a beard, she came to be known as Madame Moustache and sealed her legendary status as a fair casino dealer and skilled cardplayer.

In her twilight years, however, Eleanor was betrayed by her lover, who left with all of her worldly belongings, catapulting her into a tragic downward spiral. On 8th September 1879, she died from an overdose of morphine. According to legend, her death came shortly after she had registered one last big win.

10:1

This was the payout ratio that players in the casinos of Las Vegas were treated to from the 1930s onwards when they achieved 21 points with the ace of spades and a black jack (either spades or clubs).

And that’s where today’s game got its name. This bonus reward was discarded when the Nevada Gaming Commission standardised the rules of the game.

1959

This was the year in which Herbert Maisel, Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey and James McDermott released the book “Playing Blackjack to Win”, which marked the birth of card counting – a significant development in the history of Blackjack.

The book “Beat the Dealer” (1962) by mathematician Edward O. Thorp was even more popular. As a reaction to the so-called ten count system (Thorp kept track of all the cards dealt and assigned a value to each, with all cards worth 10 points assigned a value of 16 and all other cards assigned a value of 36), casinos raised the number of decks used in their games to two, four and later eight.

5,000

Professional Blackjack player Al Francesco earned USD 5,000 annually, which was a huge amount back in the 1960s when he was active. His trick was to play in teams of counters, sometimes together with his brother, to remain as inconspicuous as possible when counting.

In 1977, one of his playing partners called Ken Usten published the book “The Big Player”, which revealed Francesco’s tricks and led to many casinos banning him and other card counters.

Francesco, who is now known as “The Godfather of Blackjack”, even inspired the MIT Blackjack team, whose amazing story was dramatised in the 2008 Hollywood film “21”.

14

There are currently 14 different ways to experience Blackjack on StarVegas. And the range of Blackjack titles on offer is continually being expanded.

The classic card game that became the first to transition to the world of online gaming can be enjoyed in exciting variants, such as Lux Blackjack and Grand Blackjack. Even if you prefer to play live with real croupiers, the Swiss online casino is still the place to play.

FAQs: Important questions about the history of Blackjack

Who invented Blackjack?

Unfortunately, the origins of the game cannot be traced back to one person. What we do know is that Blackjack is based on card games that were popular in the Late Middle Ages, like the Spanish Trente-un (31), the Italian Sette et Mezzo (7.5) and the French Quinze (15). The most similar predecessor, however, is Vingt-et-un (21), which was played in the French court in the 18th century. In the same century, it made its way to America, where the development of Blackjack really picked up pace.

How did Blackjack get its name?

The name caught on in the casinos of Nevada in the 1930s. Back then, players who achieved 21 points with the ace of spades and a black jack (irrespective of whether it was a spade or club) were given a bonus payout at the ratio of 10:1 – hence the name “Blackjack”.

Where can Blackjack be played today?

This card classic can be found in pretty much every land-based casino around the world. But Blackjack has also been very popular online for many years now. In Switzerland, for example, it is available in the online casino StarVegas, which is home to a Blackjack area with over a dozen Blackjack variants.