Blackjack – also referred to as ‘twenty-one’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a game that is generally found in a casino with people trying their luck on achieving the elusive ‘twenty one’. It is widely believed that the game started in France during the 1600’s. However, as with most other gambling games the exact development of the game is still a mystery.
Twenty-one was introduced to the U.S. after the French Revolution, but the game did not become favored in the casinos until the casino provided bonus payouts. This was the only method that appeared to get players betting on black jack. One variation on the reward pay out was for a player to make ‘twenty-one’ with the black jack card (given a value of 10 points) and an ace (valued at eleven points). With the growing appeal of the game the bonus pay outs were canceled but the name of the game ‘black jack’ stayed.
Twenty-one is not simply about getting an outright ‘twenty one’, but the primary challenge is to defeat the croupier without going ‘bust’. The casino clearly has an edge over the gambling players over the long run, but with blackjack the gambler retains an element of choice.
Since nineteen thirty one when the U.S. first legalized gambling, black jack has become a quintessential casino card game. Furthermore, it is the combination of both skill and mathematics used in pontoon that has caused the game to be hugely loved. Twenty-one provides an alluring proposition to any academic, mathematician or gambling player wanting to research the scheme of the game.