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Today blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the world and one of the top draws in any Internet casino: Even in its origins centuries ago, blackjack was much loved – even if we’re not exactly sure who invented it first.

The first textual reference to any of the games the Spanish, French and Italians all called “twenty-one” in their native languages appears in a short story by Miguel de Cervantes, he of Don Quixote fame, at the turn of the 17th century. In “ventiuna,” Cervantes tells us, the goal of the game was to reach a point total of 21 without going over. The Spanish deck had no 8s, 9s or 10s, however.

In the 16th century, the Italians already had a blackjack variations called “Sette e mezzo” or “seven-and-a-half.” Played with a pinochle-like deck with only cards of 7 or higher value, face cards were worth one point each while 9s and under were worth a half-point. The king of diamonds was wild. It is thought that the expression “to bust” is derived from this game’s vocabulary.

In French casinos at the same time, “vingt et un” was popular. Though similar in appearance to modern blackjack, this version required players to bet after every card and only the deal was allowed to double down.

The various versions of twenty-one came to America with waves of Western European immigration in the late 18th/early 19th century. Naturally, gambling was illegal but the incorporation of legal gambling in Las Vegas in 1931 caused the game to explode in popularity in the U.S. and later abroad. Some claim that the actual name “blackjack” is American in origin, as gaming houses often offered 10-1 odds on a hand of ace of spades plus a black jack. Others say that the “black jack” hand also paid out at higher odds in the French game.

If blackjack’s history is disputed, one thing remains for certain: Its popularity can never be. Study up on some online casino reviews to find a great place to play the much-loved game of blackjack.