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Blackjack has been played in some shape or form since at least the 16th Century, and is widely acknowledged to be one of the most popular casino table games in the world. You can play it at Slotsbaby or other similar sites on the internet. Blackjack is certainly the most popular card based gambling, Blackjack is only matched by perhaps Poker for popularity – school kids even play it at their break times!  

One reason for its enduring success is that it is fairly simplistic when compared to other casino games, and for this reason is incredibly easy to pick up. Blackjack also often has some of the best odds available, something that proves rather attractive to many keen gamblers – everyone likes winning money after all. Let’s have a look at a simple guide to Blackjack. 

The History 

Whilst there is evidence that even Ancient humans such as the Egyptians and Greeks were playing their own version of Blackjack as far back as 1000 BC, this cannot be proved for certain until there is some kind of important archaeological find. The earliest written mention of the game is in a short story by the writer Miguel De Cervantes in the late 1500s. He is often regarded as the Spanish Shakespeare and was responsible for the world’s first novel Don Quixote – a pretty reputable source then.

Cervantes wrote about a game called “Ventiuna”, which is Spanish for “21”. It quickly grew in popularity across central Europe, eventually ending up in all the major countries and even the first proper casino in Venice. Soon after the game spread to America via French colonialists, and in the next few hundred years it saw great success, eventually ending up as an essential casino staple. 

How Does It Work? 

Blackjack is an incredibly simple game once you get the hang of it, and, as you will see, it is no coincidence it started off life being called variants of “21”. More often than not it is played against a dealer, and the aim for both is to get to 21 or as close as you can. But here’s the catch – if you go above 21 you lose immediately.

There are various bits of Blackjack lingo that it pays to have a basic understanding of before you are playing. For example:

·         Hit: This simply means taking another card from the dealer.

·         Stand: When you don’t want to take another card. This is useful if you are already too close to 21 to risk another number.

·         Double Down: Performing a double down means that you can raise the bet by up to 100%, however you must commit to stand after receiving exactly one more card. Useful if you have a gut feeling you could end up winning after the next card is drawn.

·         Split: This play is often used by more advanced players. If the first two cards of a hand have the same value you can split them into two separate hands. These are treated independently, so you could theoretically lose your wager on one but win on the other. It is a good ploy to use to increase your odds in certain scenarios.