Black Jack – also known as ‘Chemin de Fer’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a game that nowadays is often seen in a betting house with players trying their fortune on achieving the elusive ‘twenty-one’. It is widely believed that the game came into existence in France during the 1600’s. However, as with many other gambling games the precise development of the game remains a mystery.
Black jack was brought to the States following the French Revolution, but the game did not become popular in the gambling dens until the house provided payouts as a bonus. This was the only way that appeared to get people gambling on blackjack. One variant on the reward pay out was for a gambler to acquire ‘21′ with the black jack card (worth 10 points) and an ace (valued at eleven points). With the growing appeal of the game the pay outs were phased out but the name ‘pontoon’ remained.
Chemin de fer is not just about acquiring an outright ‘twenty-one’, but the main adventure is to defeat the croupier without going ‘bust’. The betting house clearly has an advantage over the gambling players over the long run, but with twenty-one the gambler retains a bit of choice.
Since 1931 when America initial legitimized gambling, twenty-one has grown into a classic betting house card game. Furthermore, it’s the combination of both ability and math utilized in blackjack that has made the game hugely popular. Blackjack provides an appealing adventure to any scientist, math guy or wagering player wanting to analyze the tactic of the game.
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