Blackjack has a French heritage, (but you cannot hold that against it) its precursor was a game called "ving-et-un" (which is French for "21"), and it was hugely popular in French casinos in the 1700s. It was then introduced to America by French colonists, where it spread quickly and gained massive popularity.

As soon as the world became a little bit smaller with the developments in transport and technology more people were exposed to Blackjack and its popularity flourished wherever people interacted. In the more modern times of online casinos, Blackjack has been one of online gamblers' most popular games.

It is easier to play Blackjack in the UK and Australia compared to those in many other countries, including the USA. Britain is very open to online gambling, and Australia has full access to all forms of online gabling and betting. Instead of having to go searching for a brick-and-mortar casino and spending time and money to simply go to your closest gaming establishment to win some big bucks, Blackjack can now be easily accessed through a big number of internationally based online casinos.

There are numerous versions of Blackjack. Subtle rule variations greatly affect players' chances of winning. And most Casinos in Australia and any Online Casinos that offer Blackjack will have to most popular rules anywhere, both online and offline.  Some of the variations are Pontoon, and “21”.

My personal favourite is the Multi-Hand Blackjack which is available in most Casinos in Australia.  It is played with only four decks of cards, which significantly increases your chances of winning big.  Some casinos also offer a Surrender option, which gives you the chance to 'surrender' your bad hand and obviously this will help to minimize your losses.

The Single Deck Blackjack is available at every Casino and is often one the most popular versions of Blackjack. Because they are dealing from a single deck of 52 cards, your chances of winning are improved considerably.  And that is what it’s all about when you are looking for a long night at the tables with friends.

One of the less commonly offered versions of Blackjack is Double Exposure 21, this quirky version of the game offers you the unusual opportunity to see both of the dealer's cards before playing your hand. This version is very rarely offered because of its high payout, but you should look for it on the online casinos.

Some of the other versions of the Blackjack on offer at the various casinos of the world include, Asian Blackjack, Ties-Win Blackjack, and Spanish Blackjack. 

Blackjack Rules

The rules of Blackjack:

The dealer will deal you (and any other players) two cards, and onec everyone else has heir cards then the dealer, deals two cards to himself (one showing and hidden).

Its easy to think that the only aim of the game is to hit 21, or just to get as near as is possible to it.  But this is really only a part of the game, the real aim of the game is to have a higher set of cards in your hand than the dealer has in theirs.  Although hitting black jack, where you have an ace card and a face card does make this easier.

Once you have received your cards, and you think that you could get closer to 21 without going over then you can ask for extra cards or a “hit”, you can do this as many times as you would like to, but remember not to go over 21.

The rules of Blackjack state that the dealer must continue to “hit” until they reach at least 17, and then they must stop. If there is a tie; then the dealer will win only if they had a real Blackjack (an ace with a 10).

As you can see Blackjack is a fairly simple game, but that is what makes it so addictive.  You can start playing it and become a pro all in one night, and when you are vacation it’s a great game because it doesn’t take too much mental energy to learn the game.  So next time you are taking a casino vacation in Australia remember to give Blackjack a go!