Historians and casino experts agree that the modern game of blackjack was invented in the late 1800s by a man named Edward Thorp. At the time, blackjack was a popular gambling game enjoyed by high-stakes players all over the world.
Thorp’s original version of the game consisted of two basic rules: (1) players could only draw cards until they had five cards of the same rank, and (2) if a player’s hand consisted of aces (high card), two twos, and a three or less, then that player was automatically given a “free hit” and could draw another card.
Thorp’s original strategy for playing blackjack was to try to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. Over time, other blackjack players developed their own strategies based on Thorp’s original rules.
Today, there are many different variations of blackjack, including Spanish 21, Double Exposure, and Multi-Hand Blackjack. But no matter how the game is played, the fundamental strategy remains the same – to try to stay as close to 21 as possible without going over.
