Blackjack is known by other names: Twenty-one in some countries and Pontoon in Britain. It is one of the most popular casino card games in the world. It first appeared in French casinos in about 1700, and was called ‘vingt-et-un’, or ‘twenty-one’ in French.

It did not offer the present 3:2 bonus for a two-card 21. Blackjack's popularity is due to the combination of chance with some elements of decision making and skill. There is also a great deal of hype attached to “card counting”, a skill by which players can turn the odds of the game in their favor by making betting decisions based on the values of the cards known to be remaining in the deck.