The game of 21 increased in popularity during the 17th and 18th centuries as merchants, soldiers and dignitaries travelled far and wide. Speculation suggests that the game of 31 was probably combined with the French games that were popular at the time such as “chemin de fer” (which developed along a separate path into baccarat) and morphed gradually into 21. The more likely precursor to 21 was a Spanish game called “Trente-Un” (meaning “31”), which was referenced by a priest way back in 1440, and was played broadly along the principles of blackjack, that is that players attempt to get close to a given value (in this case, 31) based on the combined value of their cards without going beyond the desired total.
There have been suggestions that the Romans – who famously indulged in gambling activities regularly between battles – invented the game that came to be 21 (and hence, eventually, blackjack) by using wooden blocks with numerical values on, but the evidence for this is patchy to say the least. The great Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes referenced the game in a short story in 1601 or 1602 in which he described a card game that involved players trying to reach a total of 21 without going over that total and in which aces were counted as either one or 11. One thing about blackjack that is certain is that it evolved directly from the game of “21” which was popular in France (where it was called “vingt-et-un”) and Spain (“ventiuna”) from the early 18th century onwards. Early History of Blackjack’s Precursor, “21” As with many casino games, the true history of the game we now know as blackjack is murky, surrounded by myth and – ultimately – speculative to a large degree, but here we will piece together the strands to bring a brief history of this beguiling card game. Blackjack has developed from its origins that date back at least as far as the early 17th century into one of the most popular casino games – both online and in bricks and mortar establishments – of them all.
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