How did we get to the modern-day game of blackjack?

If you take a look back to the 1970s, you’ll find that blackjack was quite a different game. Of course, the aim was still the same, but the game had a charming simplicity to it. At this point, the game had hardly undergone any changes since the time that, what we now call, the Las Vegas Strip, was referred to as “Old L.A Highway”. Read more about the differences between blackjack in the past and modern day blackjack. 

Playing back then would see but a single deck, the cards would be shuffled by hand, and players got the sought after 3:2 bonus on a two-card blackjack. The game in this form was played at speed and was as simple as it gets. You may even go as far as saying it was verging on the side of boring. Changes came about to add a touch of excitement, but also to protect casinos that had always been a little vulnerable to this classic. 

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The ‘80s and ‘90s brought about real change 

The 1980s. The decade that brought in the biggest changes that blackjack players had ever witnessed. It was during this time that many casinos began to increase the number of decks that were being used for a game. There was also a shift across to using a dealing shoe – something previously reserved for baccarat. The additional decks were brought in to make it that bit harder for the card counters. A byproduct of this was an increase in the house edge.

The ‘90s were less revolutionary. Rather than significant changes being introduced, what was seen was that those brought in during the previous decade continued to spread. It soon became the norm to play with multiple decks and a dealing shoe.

A new millennium and payoffs have changed 

One of the big attractions of playing blackjack in a land-based casino was knowing what winning actually meant. It was well known that having 21 with two cards was known as a ‘blackjack’ and if you were lucky enough to be holding this you were paid a premium of one and a half. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case anymore. Those who missed this change sneaking in had a bit of a shock when they saw their $20 only returning $24 rather than the usual $30

This change, of course, was introduced to benefit the casinos and not the player. Doing this led to the house edge increasing significantly. Initially, this rule change was only applied to single and double-deck variants. However, there are now casinos that have extended this to six and eight-deck games too.

The art of shuffling has died in modern day blackjack

You may have heard this story elsewhere, but it’s one that’s worth sharing again. Not so long ago, a casino reported that its shuffling machine had broken. Of course, the solution here is simple: it just needs the dealer to shuffle by hand. The problem? The dealer stated that they had never done this and had no idea how to.

This was certainly not down to the dealer. The reality is that all card games, not just blackjack, rely on shuffling machines. In some states, it is a compulsory requirement. That being the case, you can understand why modern-day dealers are left with no idea as to how to shuffle a deck of cards

The meaning of dealer 22 has changed 

It was once the case that the dealer hitting 22 saw them going bust. This would have always meant that any players left in the game would’ve received payment. That all changed with the introduction of ‘no bust 22’. This variation of the traditional blackjack game became very popular and players soon realised that there were advantages for them.

Traditionally, when a dealer’s hand hits exactly 22 this is a busting hand. In this version though, the dealer has to push all remaining bets onto the table. The exception here is a player who is holding a two-card blackjack. Amazingly, the simple change of blackjack rules brought a massive mathematical advantage to the game – almost 7%. It’s rare for such changes to favour players so ‘no bust 22’ has certainly been a welcome addition. 

Longer shifts for dealers

While blackjack dealers may have lost the art of shuffling, that doesn’t mean that they’re not expected to be working hard. In fact, these dealers are now working longer than they ever have done before. If we look back to the ‘70s again, no blackjack dealer would be expected to work more than 40 minutes before taking a 20-minute break.

Fast forward to today and it’s common for them to be doing minimum stints of an hour. Why? Well, it’s all about the casinos saving money. With fewer breaks to cover, they don’t need quite as many staff. Great business sense, but there is a need to ensure that casinos are taking care of their staff and acting to reduce and aches and pains that are caused by these longer shifts – 60 minutes of dealing in a casino are probably more physically demanding than you think.

The addition of side bets to modern day blackjack

If you want to play blackjack in its purest form then you’re not going to be interested in side bets. However, we still think that there’s a good reason to give them a chance. On a basic level, these side bets provide another opportunity for players to win, but they also just bring added value to the game.

The only slight issue here is that side bets have slowed the pace of the game. Blackjack is a game played at speed and when this slows it can get a little frustrating.

Modern day blackjack and The future of blackjack 

You only have to take a look at an online casino to see just how much this classic casino game has developed. There are so many variants to choose from that it can sometimes be hard to find the traditional game.

Of course, it is more than just a little probable that the game will carry on evolving. While we can hope that some of these changes bring benefits to players, we have to accept that some will also benefit the house. 

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