Blackjack – also referred to as ‘Chemin de Fer’ and ‘pontoon’ – is a card game that is generally found 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 around the 17th century. However, as with most other betting games the precise evolution of the game is a mystery.
Blackjack was introduced to the U.S. following the French Revolution, but the game did not become popular in the casinos until the casino provided payouts as a bonus. This was the only way that appeared to get people wagering on blackjack. One variant on the reward pay out was for a gambler to make ‘21′ with the black jack card (given a value of 10 points) and an ace (worth eleven points). With the expanding appeal of the game the payouts were phased out but the name of the game ‘chemin de fer’ remained.
Chemin de fer is not just about achieving an outright ‘21′, but the primary challenge is to defeat the croupier without going ‘bust’. The betting house clearly has an edge over the blackjack players over the long term, but with black jack the gambler retains an element of choice.
Since 1931 when America initial legitimized betting, chemin de fer has grown into a classic betting house game. Furthermore, it’s the combination of both ability and math employed in blackjack that has caused the game to be massively liked. Blackjack provides an appealing adventure to any scientist, math guy or wagering player wanting to research the scheme of the game.
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