» Some people believe that Blackjack is based on some European card games. Blackjack have elements of French “Vingt-Un” (21), “Trente et Quarente” (20 and 30), “Chemin de Fer” (Railroad), Spanish “One and Thirty” and Italian “Baccara” and “Seven and a Half”. French “Vingt-Un” (21), “Trente et Quarente” (20 and 30), “Chemin de Fer” (Railroad), Spanish “One and Thirty” and Italian “Baccara” and “Seven and a Half” come to the United States in the 19th century and were very popular. For some time casinos and gambling houses were forbidden. In the Western part of the USA gambling was legal from the 1850’s to 1910. In Nevada gambling was illegal from 1910 to 1931. When casino gambling was legalized Blackjack became one of the most popular games. Casino gambling and Blackjack were very popular. Blackjack was played at nearly every casino and gambling house. The most popular types of Blackjack were played with one or two decks. The first article about Blackjack was titled “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack”. In “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” Roger Baldwin wrote about some strategies. Roger Baldwin explained how to reduce the “House”, or casino, advantage based upon probability and statistics. It was Edward O. Thorp who developed and wrote about the first card counting systems. “Beat the Dealer” was one of the most popular books. After “Beat the Dealer” was published much more people began to play at casinos. People wanted to implement Thorp’s strategy. Some casinos changed Blackjack rules as Thorp’s strategy really worked. When Blackjack rules were changed in some casinos most people stopped playing Blackjack. Thorp’s book ended up making money for casinos, as it increased the amount of Blackjack being played. Thorp’s strategy seemed complicated and difficult for some players. Braun’s updated strategies and card counting systems were included in the second edition of “Beat the Dealer”. Troph, Braun and others made Blackjack very popular. Blackjack History

» Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Those who play different casino games spend most of their time playing Blackjack. Blackjack rules are easy to understand and to learn. Blackjack gives the skilled player a consistent winning advantage over the house! A dealer and several players take part in Blackjack. Every player and the dealer have two cards each. The players don't play against each other. If you obtain a hand value closer to twenty-one without going over than the dealer does, you will win your hand. The objective of Blackjack is to Beat The Dealer! The most powerful hand possible is a hand value of twenty-one in your first two cards. When you receive a blackjack, the dealer will pay you three chips for every two that you have bet. If both you and the dealer have blackjacks your bet is simply retained by you. If both you and the dealer have blackjacks you neither lose nor win. There are fixed rules governing the play for the dealer. The dealer must hit until he has seventeen or more. If the dealer gets a hand value less than or equal to twenty-one and greater than a player's hand value, a player loses his bet. If both a player and the dealer has the same hand value, it is known as a "push". A push bet is neither won nor lost. If your hand value goes over twenty-one, you "bust" and lose your bet. If both your hand and the dealer's hand is a bust, you lose your bet because the dealer always plays out his hand last. Players have the advantage of flexible play. Players determine when to hit, when to stand, when to split (play two separate hands) and when to double down (double your wager in favorable situations) About Blackjack

» Aces can be valued differently. If you have an ace in your hand that counts as eleven, you have what is known as a "soft hand". If you hold no aces or have an ace in your hand that counts as one, you have a "hard hand". Think of an ace in your hand as "soft" because the hand value can always be reduced. You can never bust when you hit a soft hand Soft and Hard Hands in Blackjack

» Insurance. The insurance option is simply another form of wager that is offered to the players when the dealer has an ace showing. If you think that the dealer has a blackjack you can take the insurance. The insurance bet costs one-half your original wager, and the payoff is 2:1 Insurance

» Blackjack Terminology. Push happens if the hand value of the dealer and of the player is equal. If there is a ‘Push’ nobody wins and nobody loses. You have a bust it the total of your hand goes over 21.  ‘To cut the deck’ means ‘to insert a plastic card into a deck’. Blackjack Terminology

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About Blackjack with reviews of the blackjack strategies, blackjack casinos, bets, bonuses, tips and rules for UK players