Blackjack is one of the world's most widely played gambling card games and is also known as twenty-one or vingt-et-un, which originated in French casinos in the early 18th century. There are contesting claims as to the origins of blackjack, but it is safe to say that the French, who introduced the vingt-et-un are the most promising prospect for the original Blackjack.
The game itself was played quite differently after crossing the ocean from Europe to America in the late 19th century. The goal of the game was to reach a card total of 21, the cards were dealt in rounds followed by betting each round and only the dealer could double. When the game reached America it began as a strictly private game, and later on appeared in American gambling halls in 1910, in Evansville, Indiana.
In an effort to popularize the game, gambling houses tried offering several bonus payouts to pull in players. One of the bonuses offered was a 10-1 payout if the player's hand consisted of the Ace of spades and a black jack. The name stuck to the game even though the bonus was abolished, and as the game is currently played, a 'Blackjack' may not necessarily contain a Jack at all.
