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Brief History of Blackjack

The history of blackjack is somewhat unclear, though it is believed that the early version called 'vingt-et-un' (twenty-one), evolved in France from the card games 'Chemin de Fer' and 'French Ferme' in the 1700's. Twenty-one found its way to the US along with French immigrants in the 1800's. The name blackjack came about much later, in the 1930's, when Nevada casinos trying to spark interest in the game, introduced a 10 to 1 pay out for holding an Ace of spades, and either of the 2 black jacks. This pay out was later discontinued however the attraction to blackjack did not wane.

History of Blackjack Strategy

Although the history of blackjack itself is not well defined, the history of blackjack strategy is easily traceable and only began remarkably recently. In 1956, Roger Baldwin wrote a paper, just 10 pages long, published by the Journal of the American Statistical Association entitled 'The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack'. This was the first time that mathematical theory had been applied to a card game, and despite its brevity was the first milestone in the history of blackjack strategy. A more influential piece of literature came a few years later, in 1962, when Professor Edward O. Thorp aka the 'Einstein of Blackjack' drew from Baldwin's theories and wrote the first recognised book on blackjack strategy. The book, aptly named 'Beat the Dealer' made it into the New York Times bestseller's list and was a raging success, changing the face of blackjack forever. Casino's at the time weren't too happy about this success, and tried to change the rules of blackjack to contend with the punters' new knowledge. However, due to staunch opposition by the public, they were forced to revert back to the original rules and accepted the fact that blackjack was now a lower edge game. Casinos did however combat card counting, which was a major element of Thorp's strategy, mainly by increasing the number of decks in the shoe and shuffling more often. Since Thorp, blackjack strategy has evolved immensely including BBS (Basic Blackjack Strategy). Just Google the words 'blackjack strategy' and you'll find a plethora of information, tips and BBS tables for every variation of blackjack. Blackjack is by far the most popular casino game, probably because of the element of skill involved, and no doubt, due to the fact that it is the casino game with the lowest house edge, and highest average pay out for players.

BBS Tips

Here are 2 easy-to-remember Basic Blackjack Strategy tips on whether to hit or split...

1. When holding a pair of 4's, split if the Dealer's up card is 5 or 6, otherwise hit.
2. When holding a pair of 6's, split if the Dealer's up card is between 2 and 6, otherwise hit.

Note: These BBS tips apply to Betfair Casino's Main Lounge blackjack games only. BBS does not guarantee a win every time, but gives you the best odds in the long run.