Recorded History of Twenty-one
Black Jack – also known as ‘twenty-one’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a game that is normally seen in a betting house with players attempting their luck on acquiring the elusive ‘21′. It is widely presumed that the game originated in France through the 1600’s. However, as with many other casino games the exact evolution of the game is still a mystery.
Twenty-one was introduced to the U.S. after the French Revolution, but the game did not become favored in the betting houses until the casino provided bonus payouts. This was the only way that appeared to get people gambling on blackjack. One variation on the reward payout was for a gambler to make ‘21′ with the blackjack card (valued at 10 points) and an ace (valued at 11 points). With the expanding appeal of the game the bonus pay outs were phased out but the name ‘chemin de fer’ stayed.
Chemin de fer isn’t just about acquiring an outright ‘21′, but the main adventure is to defeat the dealer without going ‘bust’. The betting house certainly has a house edge over the gambling players over the long run, but with black jack the player holds on to a bit of choice.
Since nineteen thirty one when the U.S. initial legitimized betting, black jack has developed into a classic betting house card game. Furthermore, it is the blending of both ability and math used in pontoon that has caused the game to be hugely popular. Chemin de fer affords an appealing proposition to any scientist, mathematician or betting player looking to research the strategy of the game.
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