In the 1600s in France, French royalty started playing a game which they called “vingt-et-un” (twenty and one). It was popular in French palaces and from there trickled down throughout the upper class. Soon, it had become one of the most popular “parlor” games on the European continent. When foreign dignitaries would visit French royalty, they often would learn the game while waiting and bring it back to their own countries when their visit ended.

Around the same time, a similar game called “Ochko” (“the hole”) was being played in Russia. Soon, the number of players of this early form of blackjack numbered in the hundreds of thousands. However, it was not until the French Revolution when the old class system was overthrown that the masses embraced blackjack. From the chateaus and palaces of Burgundy, the game spread throughout the cities and villages. Of course, with a wave of European immigration, the game spread to the United States.

Blackjack became one of the most popular casino games in America. At the time, there was absolutely no government regulation of the game and professional gamblers realized that it was possible to manipulate the odds and bets. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the government of United States started to crack down on organized crime and manipulated blackjack games. For awhile, all casino games were banned. The unintended result was that casino games went underground and the corruption increased.

Finally, the government realized that banning gambling would not work and unfairly penalized the honest gamers with the crooks. They created laws that protect the players and inserted overseeing bodies in the government. This was when Las Vegas was reborn. However, other states kept their gambling prohibitions around, so Vegas became the gambling centre of the whole nation. The great game of blackjack could not be kept down, however, and its popularity spread to Monte Carlo and other sites around the world.

With the birth of the Internet, there was great demand for blackjack games that could be played online. Once again, it was the game’s popularity that led to the development of online casinos. Now, there are hundreds of places where once can play a realistic game of online blackjack, complete with real wagering.

The latest development has been the creation of multi-hand blackjack games. A few years ago, some forward looking casinos decided to offer blackjack players the ability to play up to five hands at once. Since multi-hand blackjack allows the player to diversify his or her strategies, there are more chances to win and to maximize winnings. Before too long, many other casinos picked up on the trend, and now multi-hand is one of the most popular blackjack versions on the web.