We’re reasonably confident you’ll have heard of blackjack. After all, this is a game that’s been around for a long, long time (you’ll find out exactly how long later in the article). Even people who have never stepped foot in a casino understand that it’s a Las Vegas staple. It’s one of those games that pretty much everyone is familiar with.
And, as you might expect, there’s a lot to know about blackjack. So let’s dive straight in and unpack some fun facts about this eternally popular card that you probably didn’t know.
It’s (Probably) the World’s Most Popular Table Game
There’s a long list of popular table games, but even among the illustrious company that it keeps, blackjack stands tall above the rest. It’s played in all corners of the globe and one of the reasons for this is that it’s so simple to learn. Even newcomers can be up and running with a game in a matter of minutes and, once you’ve gotten the basics, it’s unlikely you’ll ever forget it. That makes blackjack the go-to option for any group of friends with a deck of playing cards.
It Has a Long History
While no one knows precisely when blackjack was invented, we do know that it’s been around since at least the 17th century. In fact, the very first record of the game comes from, of all places, the novel Rinconete y Cortadillo by Miguel de Cervantes, the famous Spanish author. Despite the Spanish connection, the game was actually developed in France. Blackjack’s original name was ‘vingt-et-un,’ which anyone who remembers their French lessons will know translates as ‘21.’
The game has developed a lot since the early days. For one thing, we changed the name — it became ‘blackjack’ sometime in the late 1800s. The game’s evolution has spread to the modern age, too, where online platforms offer a number of different versions of the game. With that said, today’s game isn’t radically different to the one that Cervantes wrote about. So the next time you play modern blackjack, remember that you’re carrying on a tradition that dates back some 400 years.
Some Famous Faces Love Playing
We said earlier that blackjack was popular and that includes with the rich and famous! Many household names have expressed their love of the game, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, 50 Cent and Tiger Woods.
A Bad Player Won’t Influence Your Own Game
Worried about how the erratic play of the person next to you at the blackjack table is influencing your game? Don’t be! People tend to assume that a player who makes a wildly incorrect call will mess up the game for others, but that’s a fallacy. In actual fact, the decisions of the other players won’t impact your own odds of success. They might, however, ruin the vibe, so if someone’s really starting to get on your nerves and it’s beginning to influence your own decision-making process, then you’ll probably be happier moving to a different table.
IMAGE >>>>> https://images.pexels.com/photos/7329531/pexels-photo-7329531.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1260&h=750&dpr=1 >>>>> Photo
The Worst Starting Hand? 16
There’s no way that you can lose from your starting hand. With that said, some hands do decrease your chances of success.
The worst of the bunch is 16. That’s because you’ll have a good chance of going bust if you hit, but equally, standing on a 16 isn’t a very strong hand. If it makes you feel any better, though, keep in mind that blackjack games are over quickly, so you won’t need to wait long for another — hopefully better — hand to be put in front of you.
…and The Best Starting Hand is Called Blackjack
OK, maybe this one isn’t so much a ‘fun fact’ as it is stating the obvious, but blackjack — an ace and ten card (10, J, Q, K) — is the best hand you can get. Why? Because that means an immediate victory; there’s nothing the dealer can do to defend themselves against that pair of cards and you’ll be paid out the top amount for hitting it.
