No one really know where the game of blackjack originally began.Most people believe it started in France as a revolution of the French game ‘vint-et-un’ while others believe it to be an Italian game, the Thirty One traced back in the 13th century. Despite this, no one actually knows when the first game was played or begun it is possible that it came from another game, but it’s also considered that blackjack began independently.

Italian Origin

The game 31 could be the predecessor of blackjack.The main difference between the two the number you have to reach and the amount of cards you are initially dealt, in 31 you have to reach 31 and are dealt 3 cards, in blackjack the goal is to reach 21 with 2 cards. Apart from this the games are pretty much the same.

There is evidence of a relationship between the two games in the writings of Miguel de Cerrvantes in 1613.This came 150 years after the mention of the Thirty One by an Italian Monk, St. Bernardine of Siena whose sermon led to the burning of dice, cards and backgammon boards from the public.

The Seven and a Half was an Italian game of the 17th century that resembled the current day blackjack. This game shares similar rules to blackjack although in this game the dealer has more freedom.

The current day blackjack is quite different from the French Vignt-et-un.However, it has some similarity like cards were dealt in rounds and players around to bet for each.Though the goal of this game was to get the 21, the game differed in that only the dealer of the game could double.

The game has spread through out the world from its origin in Europe. During the French revolution it is believed the game reached America were it became extremely popular. The game took off greatly in America and is still popular there today after the French revolution. Despite this no one can agree on the origins of the game.

Blackjack used to be called twenty one and this original names links the game closely with the French Vignt-en-un. Conversely some believe the name 21 came from the New Orleans. It was initially a game of entertainment before the professional gamblers of the United States tried to twist it as a way of making money by manipulating the odds of the game.

In 1931, the game was legalized for gambling by the Nevada Gambling Act.

The Blackjack game has remained virtually unaltered over decades but with the internet arrival, the game has seen a dramatic rise in popularity. Blackjack is no longer confined to casinos; it’s now readily available to anyone in the world at any time. This popularity has given Blackjack a new twist to enter into online tournaments.

The blackjack tournament started in the Atlantic City in the 1980s and has since evolved to become a televised event with huge grand prizes all over the world. In the United Kingdom, weekly Inter Casino tournaments are now getting popular with the diversity of the internet. Inter Casino is without doubt the best UK online Casino; it has been rewarded as the top online casino of 2001 to 2006 by the Gambling Online Magazine readers.

One of the attractions to this game is that it’s a skill game and in the tournament, one plays against other players at the same table where all players deal with the same number of hands usually 20 to 30. The internet tournament differs from the land-based counterpart most in that one plays against a single opponent and both players receive the exact same sequence of cards. The winner is usually the one who plays his cards best.

In these tournaments, the hosting Casino sets a certain amount of registration fee which is accumulated to form the jackpot. The tournament day is then set and all the participants assemble in the host casino or log in through the internet and the tournament is monitored from a central place to ensure fare play.

To make the tournament even more fare, there has been agencies which specialize in the monitoring of the games; may it be in a Casino or over the internet. These agencies determine the registration fee and the amount of cash prize to be won. The agencies also offer support services as well as advice the players on the best way to get the best out of the tournament. These agencies are also responsible of setting the rules to be followed as well as the limits of the participating players.

Participating in the Blackjack casino tournaments is a great way to improving your skills as well as make money in the process. The tournament rewards ranges from a couple of dollars/ Euro to over a million. And as the Blackjack experts says, ‘Luck has no real impact, only the best wins’.

Card counting is not illegal in casinos in the United Kingdom but if a card counter is detected by the casino staff, the staff is entitled to request the card counter to leave the premises immediately. This is because the casino games are designed in a way that no matter what step the players takes, the casino will certainly win in the long run. This is achieved by not giving the true odds to the player.

The fundamental principle behind card counting is that high cards especially the Aces and tens are the strengths for the player while the low cards that are 4s, 5s and 6s are the dealer’s work tools. Accumulation of Aces and tens raises the winning chances of the Blackjack to a ratio of 3 to 2 unless of course the dealer has the same cards. The tens raise the chances of doubling. So that to win the game, the card counter makes sure that he has the winning cards at hand. He should as well know what the dealer has.

Now, following the invention of the Blackjack Anti-card counting device developed at Dundee University, card counting will now be condemned to history. This new device can detect the card counting activity in real time and sends a message to the Casino staff who takes the appropriate measure.

The Blackjack Anti-card counting device is equipped with a camera that records the table activities. The live video feed is analyzed by a computer which counts the cards. The computer is programmed to detect when the deck is hot.

The workability of this device is that it has a camera connected to a programmed computer which determines the size of the bet by analyzing chips and has the ability to detect changes in the betting patterns.

In the detecting software, the programmer assigns a positive, negative or a zero value to each card value available. When the card of a certain value is dealt, the count is adjusted appropriately by the card’s counting value. Eliminated low cards increase the percentage of high cards on the remaining side and vice versa to the elimination of high cards. With this device, it takes only twenty hands to detect whether card counting is taking place.

With the introduction of this Blackjack Anti-card counting device, there will be no more assumptions of one card counting or too much time spent trying to get the card counter.