Online blackjack has advanced extremely quickly over the past 10 years, and is extremely popular. Online blackjack offers the same outcomes that you can expect in land based casinos – and often online casinos sweeten the pot with additional promotions and casino cash. Knowledge and research are power.

If you’re not sure how to play, use the online casinos “free play” mode (available on most games) to hone your skills without investing any real cash. Play and practice until you’re comfortable using real money. You’ll never be given free chances to win in land based casinos: this is a great advantage for new players.

Blackjack was originally created in the 17th century, in France, and was called “vingt-et-un” (twenty-one in French). Different names of blackjack over the years have included 21, boat, and California aces. The definitive French form of blackjack needed the player to draw a jack of spades followed by an ace of spades so as to make the best winning hand. This is why it’s called “black jack” and not red jack.

Eventually the French game became popular in the United States. It’s now a popular casino table in every casino that offers tables. Blackjack has a potentially beatable side (for card counters – and that edge is still tiny), and appeals to expert and novice players alike. In the 1910 prohibition area in the United States, blackjack went underground and was offered by mobsters and offenders. Now it’s a game offered by huge international gambling operators all around the world – and on the internet.

This is a very condensed history of blackjack – but may be useful for anybody studying casino game history. Keep coming back regularly to How to Beat the Casinos blog for casino game information!