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The precursor to Blackjack was a French game known as Vingt-Et-Un ('Twenty One'), which first appeared in French casinos at the beginning of the 18th century.
When 21 reached America, it was not a very popular game, so casino's added some bonus payouts to the game to entice players to try it out. One of these bonuses was a 10 to 1 payout on a hand consisting of the Ace of Spades and one of the two black Jacks. It was this bonus which led to the game being referred to as 'BlackJack'. The bonus was quickly removed, but the name was retained.
The rules of Blackjack are quite simple. Each player is playing against the dealer, and the highest value hand wins, as long as it does not exceed 21. A hand that forms a higher total than 21 is called 'bust', and is an automatic loss.
The game starts by the player placing their initial bet, and then the dealer deals two cards to each player, including himself. One of the dealers cards is placed face up, and the other face down.
In American blackjack, if the dealer has an ace or a ten-value card face up, he will offer all the players insurance, then check his hole card, and if his hand is a blackjack, then all players lose their bets, unless they also have a blackjack – in which case they 'push' and get their initial bet back.
If the dealer does not have an ace or ten-value card showing, then each player can choose to hit, stand, double down, or split. Some casinos also offer the option to surrender – in which case the player gets back half their initial bet and gives up the hand. This is not a common option in modern poker games, however.
If the player chooses to 'hit' then they are dealt another card. To 'stand' means to take no more cards, while the 'double down' option means that the player will double their wager, take one more card, and then stand.
The option to split is only available if the player has two cards that are equal in value. In this case the player will double their wager, and have each card be the first card in a new hand.
Once all the players have made their decisions, the dealer will reveal his hidden card, and play his hand. The dealer must hit until they have at least a 17, no matter what cards the players have.
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