21 Blackjack in the Real and Virtual Worlds

21 Blackjack in the Real and Virtual Worlds Blackjack is a casino card game that has graced the tables of casinos from East to West for hundreds of years. Originally, the earliest form of the game of blackjack was developed in the French casinos in the 1700s. The original name of the game is 21, or in French, “vingt-et un,” which is the number each player hopes to be dealt with either the outcome of breaking even, or winning against the house. Making its United States debut in the 1800s, it was a legal gambling game in all venues until around 1910.

The blackjack game began to be referred to as blackjack for the optimal hand that every player wishes, strategizes or calculates for, which is receiving the ace of spades and the jack of spades. This is the blackjack! To play a game of basic blackjack, a standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. The number cards maintain their value of two through ten. Each of the face cards – jack, queen and king also are valued at ten. The four aces from the four suits of cards have either the value of eleven or one. The player can decide based on the sum of his other cards whether or not to use the ace for its highest value or its lowest value. In the event that a player receives two of the same cards, for instance: two kings, or two threes, he has the option to double down and increase his stakes two-fold. As a rule, blackjack betting takes place before the dealer hands out the cards to each player.

The history of blackjack marked a milestone starting in the 1990s with the rising popularity of online gaming, which continues to bring blackjack games to players across the globe. Of course, there are differences between online blackjack and real life blackjack played in the flesh. Most notably is the blackjack strategy known as card counting. In casino blackjack a player can hope to be seated in the “third base seat” where card-counting conditions are ideal. This player receives the last cards dealt by the dealer and has the advantage of viewing all of the visible cards of the other players and those belonging to the dealer. Then the counting can begin, the careful tracking of which cards are on the table, which helps to estimate whether or not it is wise to request another card from the dealer. Using this tactic in online blackjack gambling is useless however because the deck is shuffled after each round.

21 blackjack maintains a strong presence in the online gaming world. In fact, it is one of the most popular games played by online game players in addition to online poker. Most internet blackjack sites offer players helpful blackjack tips, a free blackjack download, and the opportunity to play in blackjack tournaments that are ongoing and geared toward creating the blackjack atmosphere from the comfort and convenience of your personal computer, or wherever you feel comfortable playing games online.


Well-known blackjack aficionado Gene Marshall writes for several recognized blackjack magazines. The author focuses on commentaries about intermediate blackjack strategy and online blackjack. Extra resources and blogs by Gene Marshall about online blackjack are accessible on the internet.