Black Jack – also known as ‘twenty-one’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a card game that is normally found in a casino with people trying their luck on acquiring the elusive ‘21′. It is commonly believed that the game started in France through the 17th century. However, as with many other casino games the exact development of the game is still a mystery.
Pontoon was brought to the United States after the French Revolution, but the game didn’t become favored in the casinos until the house offered bonus payouts. This was the only method that appeared to get players betting on blackjack. One variant on the bonus pay out was for a gambler to acquire ‘twenty-one’ with the black jack card (valued at 10 points) and an ace (valued at 11 points). With the increasing appeal of the game the pay outs were canceled but the name of the game ‘blackjack’ stayed.
Chemin de fer isn’t simply about acquiring a straight ‘twenty one’, but the main challenge is to beat the croupier without going ‘bust’. The betting house obviously has a house edge over the gambling players over the long run, but with pontoon the gambler retains a bit of choice.
Since 1931 when America initial approved betting, chemin de fer has become a traditional betting house card game. Furthermore, it is the blending of both ability and math used in twenty-one that has caused the game to be hugely liked. Blackjack provides an alluring adventure to any scientist, math guy or gambling player looking to analyze the scheme of the game.