21 or Blackjack?
For as long as most people can remember, this game has had two names. One place calls it blackjack and the next calls it 21. So is it called 21 or blackjack? And what’s the difference between the two? We decided to find out, and this is the why the game has two names.
The game of 21 has been around for a long time. It was first played in the casinos of 17th century France. It was called Vingt et Un, which means 21 in French. The game was played a bit different, with betting coming after each card that was played. It first arrived in America after the troops came home from WW1, where it starting popping up at county fairs and special events.
Blackjack is a variation of this game. Someone started to pay out a bonus when a player hit a natural 21 with the blackjack and ace. The earliest account of this comes from a Chicago-based gambling equipment distributor who was selling felt table layouts emblazoned with the announcement: “Blackjack Pays Odds of 3 to 2.” Some games paid as much as 10 to 1 for the blackjack, but made up the edge in some other part of the game.
Many variants of blackjack have since evolved. Casinos will play with the rules to make it appear that a game gives you a better chance to win, but the house will always carry an edge. Recently Vegas casinos started offering single-deck 6:5 Blackjack games as an advantaged variation to play. Single-deck games have developed a reputation that they are easier to beat than multi-deck shoe games. These single-deck games are only an advantage to someone who is counting cards, and for the average player you’re just getting poor odds on the game.
