BlackJack is not only one of the most popular card games of chance in the world today, the game can also look back on a long history and origins. The uncomplicated card game has been played for almost 300 years, so it is hardly surprising that some interesting stories and facts have emerged during this time. If you want to impress your friends with some interesting facts in the next round of BlackJack, you shouldn’t miss the following lines. We want to give you some stories and facts about BlackJack that you probably didn’t know about before.
What does the name BlackJack mean and where does it come from?
While the origins of the BlackJack can be traced back to the French Vingt en Un, the name BlackJack has an American origin. The casino metropolis Las Vegas in particular is said to have been formative for the name of card gambling. Back then, Game 21 was not very well known and only a few players were very enthusiastic about it. A means was sought to make the game more attractive and so they came up with a special dividend. In addition to free bonuses in casinos with blackjack, many other terms have developed around the game, which you will get explained here .
If a player with the first two cards had an ace of spades (black, black) and any jack (jack), the casinos in Las Vegas promised a significantly higher payout, sometimes up to 10: 1. 21 quickly got the attention it needed and to support the image it was renamed BlackJack. In some cases, the casinos tightened the rule and demanded a black jack in addition to the wish upon a jackpot bonus. To date, the rule has been almost completely abolished and only a payout of 3: 2 is received for a BlackJack.
Statistically speaking, you lose money every time you take out insurance
With BlackJack there is always the option of taking out so-called insurance. Some casinos also offer a second insurance on the dealer’s bust, but the original insurance applies in the event that the dealer’s first face-up card is an ace and you then hedge against a blackjack. However, the fact is that the chances of winning an insurance are always very poor compared to the odds of winning a normal game. While the house edge in normal play is just 0.475 percent, the probability of an insurance policy occurring is far too low for it to be worth taking out. If the side bet works, the insurance will be paid out at a ratio of 1: 1. With the same stake as in the normal game,you can only get back the possible loss from normal play. It is very unlikely that the dealer will get a blackjack.
Where does the BlackJack Shoe come from and when was it introduced?
Before 1961, BlackJack in Las Vegas was sometimes played with just one deck of cards, which was shuffled after each round. However, as card counting became more fashionable, the casino had to react. Several decks of cards were introduced in games where card counting was an option, making a big step against fraud in casinos. Since it was difficult for the dealer to hold up to eight decks of cards, you had to come up with something. The card shoe, or simply shoe, was invented in which up to eight decks of cards could be inserted. The shoe was introduced by John Scarne when he stated in the Nevada Gaming Control Board that in future only one card shoe would be used. Among other things, this had the advantage that fraud by dealers could be prevented.The first card is simply removed from the shoe.
What does a BlackJack deck of cards have to do with calendars and seasons?
The history of card games goes back to antiquity and so the 78 card deck was probably changed to a 52 card deck in the Middle Ages. It was definitely not a coincidence. A year has exactly 52 weeks and the four colors introduced should reflect the four seasons. Each season has 13 weeks and therefore there are 13 cards of each color.
The 52-card deck represents the 52 weeks of the year as well as the 4 seasons
But that’s not all: The cards are marked with the numbers from 1 (ace) to 10 and there are also three face cards: jack, queen and king. If you were to change the three picture cards into numbers 11, 12 and 13 and then add up all the numbers of one color, you get 91, which corresponds to the number of days within a season. According to this system, the sum of all cards of the four colors would be 364, which corresponds almost exactly to the number of days in the year.
The game has been banned several times in BlackJack history
In the history of the popular card game of chance, blackjack, or gambling in general, has been banned several times in different countries. As can be seen from various documents, once in 1367 there was a ban on gambling in Switzerland.
A ban that has left its mark was imposed in the state of Nevada in the early 1990s. Even then, Las Vegas was considered a gambling stronghold and so the ban was a heavy blow for the city. The law banned gambling in 1910, but the new law did not last long. There was no money in the state treasury and it was quickly apparent that gambling had only retreated underground. In 1931 they realized that they were responsible for illegal gambling and so the ban was lifted under strict conditions.
The fact that the dealer always acts last is the reason for the house edge
With BlackJack, it is always the bank, which is embodied by a dealer, who acts in the end. This fact is, among other things, responsible for the fact that there is a house edge in BlackJack. The math is simple: if other players overbought themselves in front of the dealer, their stake goes to the bank. Even if the bank should overbought afterwards, the stake is lost. So the bets of the overbought players are collected first before the bank plays.
16 is the worst hand in the game
As with every card game, there is a worst hand in BlackJack. In this case, a hand with the number of points is 16. With 16 points, you have statistically the worst chance of winning. It is very likely that the dealer will end up above this number of points. Should you decide to draw another card, the chances are high that you will bust yourself. It is not for nothing that the dealer has the rule that he has to stop at 17 points.
