Play Blackjack.

Earlier the game was called 'twenty one' and was initially perceived as slightly difficult to understand and execute. Among the first references to the game are found in a book by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, the author of the famous book, 'Don Quixote'. The card game of blackjack owes its name to a 'natural hand winner' session when a player was dealt a Jack and an Ace of Spades at the first go. It so happened, that he was immediately declared a winner and earned a bonus.

As mentioned above, blackjack was initially considered difficult due to its seemingly complex counting strategies. This changed over a period of time when papers were released explaining how to simulate the situation mathematically. In a paper published in 1956, Roger Baldwin outlined the methods to reduce house edge. Since his theory was built around probability and statistics, it did not find too many takers, especially outside the mathematical community.

Then in 1962, Dr. Edward Thorp refined the concept, using an IBM 704 computers, and came out with what could be considered as some of the first card counting techniques. Additionally, he penned a book by the name "Beat the Dealer," which dealt in-depth with ways to reduce house advantage, and listed a number of card counting techniques therein. Needless to say, this increased the population of blackjack among players, who used the methods outlined in the book to deal with house advantage. In addition, this forewarned the casinos to be prepared for an unprecedented increase in the number of players, resulting in an astonishing upswing in their earnings as well.

Let us take a brief look at the card game of blackjack. Players start off by making a wager. The dealer then deals two cards face up to the players. The dealer receives one card face up, and the other face down. Players pick up more cards with the hope to get the closest or equal to 21. If they overshoot 21, they lose the bet. Getting a 21 is called the "Blackjack."

This entitles the winner to receive one and half times his stake. However, if the house also coincidentally gets a Blackjack, it becomes a tie, and the bet is returned to the player. Players with higher cards than the house, earn an amount equal to their initial bets. Others lose their bets.

In 1910, the state of Nevada in the United States of America prohibited gambling, thus relegating gamblers to the status of criminals. It stayed that way for many years until 1931, when it was revoked, owing to huge public outcry against the government. This brought back casinos into the mainstream, and blackjack came back with a bang. Players again started picking up on the game, due to its challenging calculations and strategies. It soon turned out to be a major favorite among the gambling fraternity, and the game went beyond boundaries across the whole world.

Development in technology and the spread of the Internet, in particular, has today brought all games, including blackjack into peoples' homes. Hundreds of websites have set up shops online to cater to the swelling horde of blackjack enthusiasts. Many of these are very authentic and secure, making gambling online a pleasurable experience.

The card game of blackjack itself is a very exciting game, and the websites, using exceptional gaming software, loaded with amazing quality of graphics and with superior video and audio, come up with remarkably interesting themes that mimic the environment in a real casino. Apart from this, the educational resources provided by such sites are immense, and players can also get the opportunity use chat rooms to interact with more experienced players around the world, and benefit from their invaluable tips and inputs. This way, their learning curve will be steep, and they will soon be on their way to a successful stint at professional gambling online, experiencing the frustrations, the excitement and finally, the sweet joy of winning.