Although directly tracing Blackjack’s history is impossible, many modern scholars believe that the game probably originated in the French casinos around 1700. The French cards were called "Vingt-et-Un," which translates to "Twenty-one." These cards are probably derived from card games Chemin de Fer, which were popular at that time. The card game was played at the French Royal Court during the reign of King Louis XV and some aspect of the game have also been derived from the Italian game of "Sette E Mezzo" and the Spanish game of "Trente-Un", both believed to have contributed several features to what is today known as the game of Blackjack. American gaming houses offered the game in the early 1800's, but it wasn’t called “blackjack” until the first part of the 20th century. The name comes from a special “bonus” of 10 to 1 that was paid if the player received a Black Ace and a Black Jack as his first two cards. Although that particular bonus is no longer found in the modern game, a smaller bonus of 3:2 or 6:5 is still paid for any player that receives an Ace and any 10-valued card as his first two cards (assuming the dealer doesn’t also have a Blackjack). Today, Blackjack is the most popular banking card game in casinos, and it surpassed Craps as the number one table game back in the 1960's. There is actually a theory that Blackjack is an invention by the Romans. The theory stands because Romans loved to gamble, but it is not confirmed. It is believed that Romans played this game with wooden blocks with different numbers painted on them, instead of paper cards. Besides the various versions of Vingt-et-Un, the popularity of the card games expanded through North America. The card game has made it to the American shore in the 18th century with the help of French colonists. The game couldn’t spread and develop in France in the 19th century. However, during this time the game evolved and gained popularity in America. The game would be seen in New Orleans in 1820 at the legalized gambling halls. Interesting enough, during this time the rules were different than the contemporary Blackjack we now know. For instance in the earlier form of Blackjack only the dealer was allowed to double. Also during this time, there was a tale of Eleanor Dumont. She was born in France and immigrated to America. She was a skilled dealer and was traveling around until she opened a gambling hall in Nevada City, California. Ironically, the place was named Vingt-et-Un. People were coming from all around the country to play against Eleanor, because she was considered a rarity between card dealers. Modern Day Blackjack: In the 20th century, the precursor of the blackjack was still called 21 in Nevada but it was during this time the card game 21 had changed its name to Blackjack. Gambling halls and casinos needed a way to promote the game. They offered bonus payouts, including one that paid extra if a black jack (a jack of spades or clubs) was dealt along with an ace of spades. As the game became more popular, the bonus payouts became less common but the informal name stuck. How To Play Blackjack: The rules are simple, the play is thrilling, and there is opportunity for high strategy. As a popular home game, it is played with slightly different rules. In the casino version, the house is the dealer (a "permanent bank"). In casino play, the dealer remains standing, and the players are seated. The dealer is in charge of running all aspects of the game, from shuffling and dealing the cards to handling all bets. In the home game, all of the players have the opportunity to be the dealer (a "changing bank"). ⭐ The Pack Of Cards: The standard 52-card pack is used, but in most casinos several decks of cards are shuffled together. The six-deck game (312 cards) is the most popular. In addition, the dealer uses a blank plastic card, which is never dealt, but is placed toward the bottom of the pack to indicate when it will be time for the cards to be reshuffled. When four or more decks are used, they are dealt from a shoe (a box that allows the dealer to remove cards one at a time, face down, without actually holding one or more packs). ⭐ Objective: Each participant attempts to beat the dealer by getting a count as close to 21 as possible, without going over 21. ⭐ Values & Scoring: It is up to each individual player if an Ace is worth 1 or 11. Face cards are 10 and any other card is it's face value. ⭐ Betting: Before the deal begins, each player places a bet, in chips, in front of them in the designated area. Minimum and maximum limits are established on the betting, and the general limits are from $2 to $500. ⭐ Shuffle & Cut: The dealer thoroughly shuffles portions of the pack until all the cards have been mixed and combined. The dealer designates one of the players to cut, and the plastic insert card is placed so that the last 60 to 75 cards or so will not be used. ⭐ Dealing: When all the players have placed their bets, the dealer gives one card face up to each player in rotation clockwise, and then one card face up to themselves. Another round of cards is then dealt face up to each player, but the dealer takes the second card face down. Thus, each player except the dealer receives two cards face up, and the dealer receives one card face up and one card face down. ⭐ Naturals: If a player's first two cards are an Ace and a "ten-card" (a picture card or 10), giving a count of 21 in two cards, this is a called a Natural or "Blackjack." If any player has a natural and the dealer does not, the dealer immediately pays that player one and a half times (x 1.5) the amount of their bet. If the dealer has a natural, they immediately collect the bets of all players who do not have naturals, (but no additional amount). If the dealer and another player both have naturals, the bet of that player is a stand-off (a tie), and the player takes back his chips. If the dealer's face-up card is a Ten-Card or an Ace, they look at their face-down card to see if the two cards make a natural. If the face-up card is not a Ten-Card or an Ace, they do not look at the face-down card until it is the dealer's turn to play. ⭐ The Play: The player to the left goes first and must decide whether to "stand" (not ask for another card) or "hit" (ask for another card in an attempt to get closer to a count of 21, or even hit 21 exactly). A player may stand on the two cards originally dealt to them, or they may ask the dealer for additional cards, one at a time, until deciding to stand on the total (if it is 21 or under), or goes "bust" (if it is over 21). In the latter case, the player loses and the dealer collects the bet wagered. The dealer then turns to the next player to their left and serves them in the same manner. The combination of an ace with a card other than a ten-card is known as a "soft hand," because the player can count the ace as a 1 or 11, and either draw cards or not. For example with a "soft 17" (an ace and a 6), the total is 7 or 17. While a count of 17 is a good hand, the player may wish to draw for a higher total. If the draw creates a bust hand by counting the ace as an 11, the player simply counts the ace as a 1 and continues playing by standing or "hitting" (asking the dealer for additional cards, one at a time). ⭐ The Dealer's Play: When the dealer has served every player, the dealers face-down card is turned up. If the total is 17 or more, it must stand. If the total is 16 or under, they must take a card. The dealer must continue to take cards until the total is 17 or more, at which point the dealer must stand. If the dealer has an ace, and counting it as 11 would bring the total to 17 or more (but not over 21), the dealer must count the ace as 11 and stand. The dealer's decisions, then, are automatic on all plays, whereas the player always has the option of taking one or more cards. ⭐ Signaling Intentions: When a player's turn comes, they can say "Hit" or can signal for a card by scratching the table with a finger or two in a motion toward themselves, or they can wave their hand in the same motion that would say to someone "Come here!" When the player decides to stand, they can say "Stand" or "No more," or can signal this intention by moving their hand sideways, palm down and just above the table. ⭐ Splitting Pairs: If a player's first two cards are of the same denomination, such as two jacks or two sixes, they may choose to treat them as two separate hands when their turn comes around. The amount of the original bet then goes on one of the cards, and an equal amount must be placed as a bet on the other card. The player first plays the hand to their left by standing or hitting one or more times; only then is the hand to the right played. The two hands are thus treated separately, and the dealer settles with each on its own merits. With a pair of aces, the player is given one card for each ace and may not draw again. Also, if a ten-card is dealt to one of these aces, the payoff is equal to the bet (not one and one-half to one, as with a blackjack at any other time). ⭐ Doubling Down: Another option open to the player is doubling their bet when the original two cards dealt total 9, 10, or 11. When the player's turn comes, they place a bet equal to the original bet, and the dealer gives the player just one card, which is placed face down and is not turned up until the bets are settled at the end of the hand. With two fives, the player may split a pair, double down, or just play the hand in the regular way. Note that the dealer does not have the option of splitting or doubling down. ⭐ Insurance: When the dealer's face-up card is an ace, any of the players may make a side bet of up to half the original bet that the dealer's face-down card is a ten-card, and thus a blackjack for the house. Once all such side bets are placed, the dealer looks at the hole card. If it is a ten-card, it is turned up, and those players who have made the insurance bet win and are paid double the amount of their half-bet - a 2 to 1 payoff. When a blackjack occurs for the dealer, of course, the hand is over, and the players' main bets are collected - unless a player also has blackjack, in which case it is a stand-off. Insurance is invariably not a good proposition for the player, unless they are quite sure that there are an unusually high number of ten-cards still left undealt. ⭐ Settlement: A bet once paid and collected is never returned. Thus, one key advantage to the dealer is that the player goes first. If the player goes bust, they have already lost their wager, even if the dealer goes bust as well. If the dealer goes over 21, the dealer pays each player who has stood the amount of that player's bet. If the dealer stands at 21 or less, the dealer pays the bet of any player having a higher total (not exceeding 21) and collects the bet of any player having a lower total. If there is a stand-off (a player having the same total as the dealer), no chips are paid out or collected. ⭐ Reshuffling: When each player's bet is settled, the dealer gathers in that player's cards and places them face up at the side against a clear plastic L-shaped shield. The dealer continues to deal from the shoe until coming to the plastic insert card, which indicates that it is time to reshuffle. Once that round of play is over, the dealer shuffles all the cards, prepares them for the cut, places the cards in the shoe, and the game continues.
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