You might think you know a lot about the blackjack game by watching a few movies and reading about some famous players like Ben Mezrich and John Chang but what do you really know? Don’t worry because we’re here to explain the game to you!

We’ll explain the rules later.

First, let’s start off with the history of the game of blackjack.

Blackjack is also called twenty one. The first mention of it is found in a novel by Spanish writer Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes between 1601 and 1602, where it was referred to as ventiuna. The writer was a gambler himself and wrote that citizens of Castilia, a region in north Spain, played this game since the start of the 17th century.

Overtime the popularity of the game spread throughout Europe, leaving its mark on the histories of France and Spain.

When this blackjack game came to America, it was referred to as twenty one. To make the new game more appealing, casinos offered bonuses for some special combinations. And you guessed it: the combination of a jack with an ace of spades was the most special of them all. It was called blackjack and the name got stuck to the game then.

Today blackjack is one of the highly played games internationally with it being played in casinos from one end of the globe to the other.

The game is pretty much as it was 400 years ago with only slight changes in rules. It’s an easy game of math and pure luck, so go ahead and put your luck to the test and apply basic strategy blackjack !