A History of Black Jack

Although there is nothing in terms of certainty, there is general agreement among the experts that the origin of Black Jack can be traced back to several card games in 17th century Europe.

Among the possible precursors to the game include the French card games "Vingt-Un", "Trente et Quarente" and French Ferme. Other card games that may have had a hand in shaping the game of Black Jack are the Spanish One and Thirty and Baccara. In Russia there was a game called Ochko, which was very similar to Black jack.

The history of Black Jack in the United States began around the same time as other games like Poker and Roulette would come into prominence, that is, in the 1800s. As soon as the game was introduced, it spread like wildfire among professional and casual gamblers. From the east to the western frontier, the ard game gained wide acceptance.

The next important event in the history of Black Jack was the government crack down that began in the late 1800s. By 1910 most states had outlawed nearly all forms of gambling. This did not stop people from engaging in the activity; it merely drove the industry underground.

The rampant illegal gambling industry, coupled with the need to raise funds and generate taxes, led the state of Nevada to reconsider its gambling laws. Gambling was finally allowed, albeit under strict supervision. The reluctance of other states to follow suit turned Nevada, and Las Vegas in particular, into the Black jack and gambling capital of the country.

As with most games of skill, players sought ways to increase their chances of winning and eliminate the house edge. Of all the techniques, none would prove to be as popular or controversial as card counting. Roger Baldwin was the first author to write a popular book on the mathematics of Black Jack, but it was Edward Thorp, in 1962 who originated the concept of card counting in his book, Beat the Dealer.

The book effectively altered the course of Black jack history. As more people came to play and win, the casinos introduced card shuffling machines and multiple decks, thus eliminating the player's edge.

This did not stop card counters though. Electronic devices and miniature computers were used by gamblers, most notably Ken Uston and his cohorts. In 1977, Uston and his friends managed to sneak these devices into the casinos and would eventually win $100,000. During the early 1990s another card counting group won hundreds of thousand of dollars, but as in the Uston case, they were apprehended. These incidents would result in the barring of card counters in most casinos today.

Black Jack is the game of choice for most card players in the United States. With Black Jqck online, friends and strangers from all over the world areable to play the game together, a luxury unheard of in its history.