 
HISTORY OF BLACKJACK
It is commonly believed that Blackjack,
as we know it today, originated in France. The first
recorded citation of the game is found as "vingt-et-un"
(twenty and one) in the seventeenth century. Similar
to most other games, the precise historical origin of
Blackjack is unknown and only speculation remains as
to what and where marks the true beginning of this famous
game. Blackjack is thought to have descended from other
similar French card games but as the gambling games
are built upon precise and well balanced calculations,
this is very unlikely. Casino games seldom mutate one
into another all on their own accord.
However, according to some gaming scholars, it is widely held that Blackjack was derived from a family of games that includes Baccarat, Seven-And-A-Half and Vingt-et-Un (known in North America as "21" and in Australia as Pontoon).
Certainly the names of some of these games will be known to you but what is it exactly that they all have in common? Actually, they are all games that claim or are credited to be the origin of today's Blackjack. Of course there is always a considerable deal of contention when trying to prove the origins of such games. But we know that standardized decks of cards first appeared in 1440 when Johann Guttenberg printed the 50 card deck. Within a few years, his cards were being used to play a variety of exciting and popular games.
Skipping ahead a few hundred years marks the moment when Blackjack really began to dominate gaming circles. Soon after the French Revolution (1789), Blackjack hit the United States and rapidly became popular because of its flexibility and freedom. Professional gamblers soon realized that Blackjack was a wonderful playing field for manipulating the odds and bets. Without any government regulation, gambling was flourishing and provided fertile soil for this unique game to grow and evolve until almost the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the government of United States realized that the unregulated and uncontrolled gambling industry was leading to major forms of internal and external corruption and blatantly encouraged, or at least provided the atmosphere for, organized crime. The State of Nevada legislated gambling as a severely punishable crime in 1910, and the situation was rapidly deteriorating for both casual and not-so-casual players and the industry was forced underground and became essentially criminalized. Some say this decision by the US government, and other similar legislative crackdowns, had the effect of providing the basis for the very core of gangsters as we know them today. Eventually things became so horribly rotten that the Nevada authorities were finally forced to remedy the situation, and gambling was once again legalized, not to mention the implementation of laws that would protect the players and overseeing governing bodies. As Las Vegas was reborn, the popularity of Blackjack spread quickly throughout the casinos, momentarily winning the hearts and the minds of the players. As all other US states were comparatively conservative and did not seek to reintegrate casino gambling, Las Vegas quickly became the gambling center of the United States. Although other states are extremely reluctant to legalize casino gambling, the fear of illegal and underground casinos springing up is generally not regarded as a likely threat.
When the game was first introduced in America, it wasn't very popular so the gambling houses tried various bonus payouts to encourage the players to try the game. One such bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if the player's hand consisted of the Ace of Spades and a black Jack (either the Jack of Clubs of the Jack of Spades). This hand was labeled a "blackjack" for obvious reasons, and the name stuck even though the bonus payout was soon abolished.
So, by 1919 special green-felted Blackjack tables were being made and by 1931 Blackjack was the third most popular Nevada casino game after Roulette and Craps. By 1948 it was second only to Craps. In 1958 the first numerically proven Blackjack basic strategies appeared and Blackjack was well on its way to being number one.
History of gambling
History of Baccarat
History of Caribbean Stud Poker
History of Blackjack
History of Craps
History of Keno
History of Pai Gow Poker
History of Roulette
History of Slots
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