Blackjack is considered the world’s most popular card game. It has evolved from a physical deck at the casino to online Blackjack complete with a dealer streamed live. The oldest know version was traced to France during the 1700’s. The game was called Vingt-et-Un and the translation is 21. The popularity spread through Europe and variations appeared in Portugal, Spain and many European nations. Once Blackjack came to America it became a staple in the Las Vegas gambling industry. Blackjack did not become instantly popular in the casinos. Evolutions including new payouts and bonuses were establish before the popularity skyrocketed. The name Blackjack came from the combination of the Ace of Spades and a suited black jack required for the 10 to 1 odds.
There are no mathematical advantages for the house when a single deck is used for Blackjack. This is when players discovered card counting and the casinos knew evolvement was necessary for the game to survive. The measures used to prevent card counting included CCTV cameras, automatic shufflers and multiple decks. The measures were scaled back when the casino’s realized they were a little extreme. The casinos are still vigilant for any inefficiencies the players can exploit.
When the internet boomed in 1996 online casinos became plentiful. People started playing Blackjack at online casinos across the globe. The technology was limited and most casinos only offered classic Blackjack. Eventually different variants became common and they are numerous. A fun research survey was conducted by many casino brands including Paddy Power and Casumo. They were seeking the five luckiest names in Ireland to use for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
Once internet speeds significantly increased worldwide online casinos offered an experience extremely close to a real casino. Blackjack games were streamed with dedicated rooms of specialized tables. Players logged on and their bets were placed through live dealers. Communication between the dealer and the players was effectively established. It took time to perfect the experience. The earlier attempts had problems including poor lighting, buffering issues and the pace of the game was slow. As time passed the kinks were resolved and live dealer games are sought by players more than any other feature. Game guides are widely used to show the different variations of Blackjack currently available.
Blackjack is still incredibly popular throughout the world despite the variety of new games available. This is not expected to change due to the growth rate of AR and VR. An additional layer of authenticity will most likely be added to the online version of the game before much more time has passed. A VR listed Blackjack game has already been created by Steam. The game is Blackjack Bailey but there are no interactions with the dealer or other players yet and the functionality is very simple. The idea is to eventually develop a game played with a VR headset on a mobile device capable of transporting the player to a casino. There would be a live dealer and many additional players. This is already beginning and as time passes the experience will get better and better.
