Blackjack may seem to be less popular than poker as far as public perception goes, but in reality it is played much more than poker in casinos. It also has a very rich history and a bunch of interesting facts. You'll learn more about those in our article. Join us on a journey to discover the secrets of blackjack. Have a look at the most interesting facts and myths about blackjack.
- The first written records of blackjack date back to a famous author. Blackjack is mentioned (naturally, under a different name) by the author of Don Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
- The most famous French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, was a blackjack enthusiast - it was his favorite past time during his exile on the island of Elba.
- Blackjack is the game that features the smallest house edge. In fact, it only amounts to 0.24%. For online slot machines the house edge is 4 - 7% and for roulette it's about 5.26%.
- Counting cards in blackjack really works. Furthermore, it's not as difficult as most people think, and in fact it's not even illegal. But for instance in Great Britain they might politely ask you to leave the table.
- If you decide to count cards, then you'll get the greatest advantage if you're the third at the table.
- It is said that the dealer going last is a slight advantage. Based on calculations made by casinos, the dealer wins in 48% of the cases and players win in 44% of the cases.
- Long-term analyses have also shown that the dealer has an average value of 18 in hand.
- The best combination is to have cards adding up to 21 in hand, followed by 20... but if you think that the third best case is to have 19, then you're wrong. It's 11. That's because this gives you the opportunity to draw another card with minimum risk and thus get a strong result.
- Blackjack was forbidden in various historical periods. In France, it was for instance forbidden during the French revolution. In the U.S. it was illegal to play blackjack for most of the 19th century. It was only legalized in 1930.
- If you're playing blackjack with a single pack of cards, the change to get a blackjack immediately at the start is exactly 4.8%.
- Blackjack has its own hall of fame in the Barona Casino, San Diego. The legendary players listed here get free rooms, food and drinks. However, they are not allowed to play in the casino.
- Blackjack is called "Vingt-et-un“ in France, "Ventiuna“ in Spain, "Oko berie“ in Slovakia and "Dvidešimt vienas“ (21) in Lithuania.
- Mixing the cards once is not sufficient to ensure a random distribution of cards. That's because cards with a value of 10 are often together after the previous game. In order to get a random distribution, it is necessary to mix the pack at least twice.
- Casinos do their best to increase the house edge. For instance, they offer games with several card packs; this allows them to increase the house edge up to 1.6%.
- Many newcomers lose because they focus too much on getting 21 in hand. Remember that your goal is merely to beat the dealer.