What is Blackjack?

Blackjack is a very popular card game that anyone can play as there is not a lot of money needed and the chances of winning are fair. When you engage in this game you are not playing against any other player, only the house.

The earliest reference to the game, known then as twenty one, is mentioned in a novel by Don Quixote in the seventeenth century. When the game arrived on the American shores, the gambling establishments started offering a 10:1 pay out, if you were dealt a black Jack and an Ace of Spades, this was to get people in to play the new game. As the popularity grew the 10:1 payout was withdrawn and by then the name caught on and is with us today as blackjack. Once in a while you will hear it referred to by its original name, twenty one.

There are all sorts of strategies on the best way to play this game, depending on the house rules, and how many decks you are playing with. It can be said that as many people who play this game there is a different strategy for each personality.

No matter what strategy you use when playing blackjack there is only one hard and fast rule. Learn the odds charts. These are mathematically set and cannot be changed. It is strongly suggested you do not enter a blackjack game without educating yourself first.