Blackjack, like the game of roulette, has its beginnings in Europe more than two centuries ago. Even now, we do not have a complete understanding of the history of blackjack. Despite the fact that there is a commonly accepted belief that the game was first played in France in the 18th century, there is no evidence to support this. Blackjack is said to have originated from the French game Vingt-et-un, which translates as “21.”
During the reign of King Louis XV, this card game was played on a regular basis at the Royal Court of France. There were several variances between it and the present game, but the essential purpose was the same: reach as near to 21 as possible without exploding out of the game. Similar games, like as the Spanish Trent-Un, had an impact on the development of the game of blackjack. In 1570, Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, wrote about the game Trent-Un in a piece of literature that was published in the Spanish language.
The History of Blackjack continues in the United States throughout the nineteenth century.
Because of successive gambling laws in France throughout the nineteenth century, the game did not grow and spread as quickly as it might have. During this historical period, on the other hand, the game was introduced to America by French colonists and quickly acquired popularity.
New Orleans became the first city in the United States to allow gambling in 1820, however there were other illicit games taking place across the city at this period. It swiftly expanded across North America, and with that, we can begin to discuss about the history of blackjack in the United States.
This is also the historical period in which the narrative of Eleanor Dumont takes place. She was born in France, but she and her family moved to the United States when she was a child. A superb card dealer, Eleanor was capable of dealing and banking the game to any player, regardless of their bet. She travelled from place to town until settling in Nevada and opening her own gaming establishment. Eleanor dubbed it Vingt-et-Un, and only wealthy men were permitted to enter; women were barred from doing so.
She had a really sound plan for winning, and her attractiveness also played a role. Hundreds of men went from all over the nation to take on this female dealer in poker. Because of a line of facial hair on her upper lip, she was dubbed “Madame Mustache” by her male admirers. Eleanor was a cunning lady who flirted with guys in order to get them back to the table the following time. However, she maintained her distance at all times.
Eleanor enjoyed a great deal of success in the company till the conclusion of the gold rush. Following that, she continued to work as a dealer and went around the nation. Unfortunately, she committed herself on August 8, 1879, as a result of her indebtedness. Madame Mustache has played a very essential part in the history of blackjack, despite the tragic conclusion to the film.
The first casinos in the history of blackjack were established in the twentieth century.
The legalization of gambling by the state of Nevada in 1931 resulted in the widespread popularity of the game of 21. Players began to mold the game and implement new regulations, such as the unique payout of 10:1, which was introduced recently. It occurred when a player achieved a total of 21 points by using the ace of spades and one of the blackjacks. This regulation subsequently resulted in the creation of the term “blackjack.” However, as a result of the legalization of gambling, there was a need for clear, standardized game regulations to be established. The Nevada Gaming Commission specified the rules of blackjack for the first time in the history of the game, and they are the ones that are still in use today.
As soon as the game was become legal in the enormous casinos of Las Vegas, players began to devise tactics and systems to maximize their chances of becoming successful. The most well-known of them was probably card counting. Jess Marcum employed this approach to defeat the house in the 1950s, and as a result of his success, some casinos barred him from their establishments. In 1957, four blackjack players collaborated to write the first book on the game. The book’s title was ‘Playing Blackjack to Win,’ and it offered fundamental tactics for reducing the house edge to the bare minimum when playing blackjack. To this day, though, card counting tactics are still widely used by gamers.