History of Blackjack

Learn more about the history of blackjack.

The true origin of the game 21 is shrouded in mystery. The earliest known reference to the game can be found in ”The Exemplary Novels” by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, proving that the game was played as early as 1601 in Spain.

The term blackjack was coined in the United States when the game was initially introduced after the 1789 French Revolution. Due to the lack of initial appeal, a 10 to 1 jackpot reward for being dealt an ace of spades and a jack of spades or clubs (both of which have black suits, hence the name blackjack) was introduced. Unfortunately, the payout did not stay, but the name did.

Since then, the game has been further altered to create a fun game that players can enjoy in many variations while keeping it financially feasible for the casino to offer it.

Many advances have been made particularly since the invention of the computer. The first person to study blackjack was Roger Baldwin, who did so without computer assistance. He released the first blackjack strategy book, the "Optimum Strategy Guide", in 1956. Later, as machines become more sophisticated, a professor by the name of Edward Thorp expanded on Baldwin's findings by writing and publishing a book that sparked a craze among computer enthusiasts to "solve" blackjack.