The History of Blackjack

Early Origins

No one can say exactly how card games originated, but we can reliably trace the history of blackjack through documented references. The modern game of blackjack is most likely descended from the Italian card game “Thirty-One” (Trentuno). The earliest known mention dates back to the year 1440 when the Italian monk St. Bernardine of Siena preached against gambling, resulting in the destruction of thousands of dice, cards, and boards.

Spread Across Europe

Trentuno quickly spread throughout Europe, becoming popular in France, Spain, England, and Ireland. Players aimed to collect cards totaling 31 points or the highest number close to it. In this game, aces counted as 11 points, kings, queens, and jacks as 10 points, and other cards at face value. There were no modern blackjack elements such as busting, insurance, or doubling down.

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A further mention appeared in 1865, in Ed. S. Taylor's book “The History of Playing Cards,” citing a 1526 Italian compilation by Bernie that included Trentuno, reinforcing Italy as the origin point.

Literary Mentions

The game appeared again in French literature between 1532 and 1542 in François Rabelais's novel “Gargantua and Pantagruel.” Chapter XXII lists numerous games, including “one-and-thirty,” indicating the game's established popularity:

«… Then the carpet being spread, they brought plenty of cards, many dice, with great store and abundance of chequers and chessboards. There he played at flush, primero, the beast, trump… one-and-thirty…»
Chapter XXII of «Gargantua and Pantagruel»

Emergence of Modern Blackjack

The direct ancestor of modern blackjack is the Spanish game “Ventiuna” (Twenty-One), first referenced by Miguel de Cervantes in his 1613 story “Rinconete and Cortadillo.” In Ventiuna, players aimed to reach 21 points without exceeding it. The ace could count as either 1 or 11 points. Notably, the Spanish deck lacked eights, nines, and tens, closely resembling today's blackjack.

Around the same time in 17th-century France, the game “Vingt et Un” (Twenty-One) emerged. Unlike the Spanish version, Vingt et Un allowed both players and dealers to double bets, likely influenced by the games Chemin de Fer and French Ferme.

Italy developed a similar game called “Sette e Mezzo” (Seven and a Half). Players used a deck containing sevens, eights, and nines, aiming for a total of 7.5 points. Face cards counted as half a point, numbered cards as one point, and the King of Diamonds served as a wild card. Exceeding 7.5 points resulted in a bust, much like modern blackjack.

Blackjack in America

Blackjack arrived in the United States after the French Revolution in 1794 when gambling became legal. Initially, the game struggled to gain popularity, prompting gambling establishments to offer promotional payouts to attract players. One significant promotion was a 10:1 payout for a hand containing the King of Spades and a Ten, known as a “blackjack.” This term stuck, even after such bonuses disappeared in favor of the current 3:2 payout for an Ace and a Ten.

In the 19th century, blackjack was banned in the United States, forcing it underground. It wasn't until the legalization of gambling in Las Vegas in the 1930s that blackjack returned to legal prominence, eventually becoming one of America's most beloved casino games.

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