Thought to have been created in France in the 18th Century before being popularized across the continent and then North America, blackjack’s ability to remain a popular game is somewhat peculiar. When you think of the most craved forms of entertainment out there, blackjack is so low-tech and simple by comparison that its popularity seems almost unfounded.
Playable with a single deck of cards, you’re not looking to defeat any other fellow player, and you can’t lose immediately from the hand that you’re dealt. From there, it’s your choice if you want to take more cards, split, stand, or double down, putting the outcome almost entirely in your hands. Wonderfully simple, yet the reasons for its prolonged popularity range far beyond a 52-card deck.
Expanding the experience of blackjack
The core game of blackjack must always stay the same, but it’s certainly been built up to suit modern audiences. The online blackjack at Betfair Casino ranges from Buster Blackjack to Vegas Blackjack, Cash Out Blackjack to Blackjack with Side Bets. These all build out the options that players have in the game with additional elements like novel side bets that rely on various hand outcomes and new options that don’t infringe on the base game.
Building the experience further – particularly for those who are online and not nearby a flashy casino venue – are the live blackjack games. Free Bets Blackjack Live and Quantum Blackjack Plus Live highlight the more creative live-streamed blackjack rooms, but in all of them, you’re streamed in real-time to a physical table and professional croupier to take on the house. Perhaps more impressive, though, is the immersive Blackjack First Person game.
A casino game that’s in your hands
The vast majority of casino games, online or otherwise, are entirely luck-based. Roulette, slots, instant-win games, and baccarat are the headline acts and are all down to the luck of spin or deal. In blackjack, there is a degree of luck through the randomization of what cards you, your fellow players, and the dealer get, but much of the outcome comes down to your own decision-making.
Better still, with any given hand, you can use a simple application of probability to work out what action your should take next. This has been known for decades, with basic strategy charts being made both easy to remember and ideal for making the most of each hand. Alternatively, the guidance on Indeed shows you how to calculate probability yourself, but memorizing the few small basic strategy charts is much easier.
Romanticized by Hollywood
If not for the number of options available in the modern game or the chance to enhance your chances of winning by learning simple probability, blackjack can be seen as so endearing because it has been romanticized. Gambling has long been a fixation of Hollywood and is a decent vehicle for showing character traits, but blackjack is special. It’s a game that’s both seen as intellectual and one in which you’re the hero taking on the house.
As an Oscar winner, it’s hard to argue with Rain Man being the best movie that centers on blackjack, or any kind of gambling for that matter. Accompanying it is the comedy that pulled directly from Rain Man, The Hangover, the based-on-a-true-story Vegas romp 21, Swingers, Croupier, and Martin Scorsese’s almighty mafia flick, Casino.
Blackjack is as it originated: a simple card game of player versus the house. Still, with some modern developments, a glance from Hollywood, and an emphasis on decision-making, blackjack remains one of the most popular card games in the world.