Blackjack – also referred to as ‘21′ and ‘pontoon’ – is a card game that is commonly found in a casino with people trying their luck on acquiring the elusive ‘twenty-one’. It’s commonly believed that the game originated in France during the 1600’s. However, as with most other betting games the precise evolution of the game remains a mystery.
Chemin de fer was brought to the U.S. after the French Revolution, but the game did not become popular in the betting houses until the house provided payouts as a bonus. This was the only way that appeared to get players gambling on blackjack. One variant on the reward payout was for a gambler to acquire ‘21′ with the black jack card (given a value of ten points) and an ace (given a value of eleven points). With the growing popularity of the game the bonus pay outs were canceled but the name of the game ‘pontoon’ stayed.
Pontoon isn’t just about achieving a straight ‘twenty one’, but the main adventure is to defeat the croupier without busting. The casino certainly has an edge over the blackjack players over the long term, but with blackjack the gambler holds on to a bit of choice.
Since nineteen thirty one when America first legitimized wagering, pontoon has developed into a classic betting house card game. Furthermore, it’s the combination of both skill and math employed in blackjack that has caused the game to be massively popular. Black jack gives an appealing proposition to any academic, mathematician or wagering player wanting to examine the strategy of the game.
February 28th, 2010
Allison
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