By Sally Giles.
Blackjack is one of the oldest surviving card games in existence today, having roots that date back to the early 17th Century. Although blackjack itself is a variant of Spanish 21, most people actually mistake Spanish 21 to be a variant of blackjack due to the latter game’s immense popularity. In fact, blackjack is the world’s most played casino card game today and it has been so for several decades.1)EDITOR NOTE: Actually, Spanish 21 is a modern game, introduced in 1995, and is played with a short pack. What the author here is probably referring to is the historical origins of blackjack. Arnold Snyder concluded that the original French game of vingt-un (21), which first appeared in the mid-1700s, was simply a variation of the Spanish game called trente-un (31).
By Sally GilesNow, the online medium, aka internet casinos, can no longer be considered brand new introductions themselves, having been there for close to almost three decades at this point. Nevertheless, blackjack, poker and most classic card games predate online casinos by hundreds of years. Has that fact affected the digitization of blackjack in its multiple variants? Which variants of blackjack are available in online casinos to begin with? Let’s find out.
Online Casinos and the Game of Blackjack
Thanks to the rapid advent of digital gaming technology, online casinos have managed to digitize nearly all classic gambling games with varying degrees of success. Blackjack was one of the first classic card games to be incorporated into the online format and as proven by online blackjack’s popularity today, it also turned out to be one of the most successful analogue to digital game conversions ever. In fact, blackjack’s leading global popularity at this point is largely owed to the digital format.
Blackjack Variants: Online Compatibility
While several card games have also flourished on internet casinos, blackjack’s core structure and the rules that govern the game are simply ideal for the online format. Consequently, there are no versions of blackjack that are incompatible with the digital format. In other words, you can play anything from Spanish 21 and Pontoon to Vegas Strip and Switch Blackjack online nowadays.
However, that does not mean all online casinos will have every version of the game that there is. Although blackjack is one of those rare card games with nearly universal digital compatibility for all its multiple variants, it’s up to the casino to decide which variants will be offered at their establishment. This is a list of the top best online casino sites in 2023, that host a wide range of ready to play online and live blackjack games. You should find several online establishments on that list that host your favorite versions of blackjack.
Popularity is the Deciding Factor
Just like land casinos, online casinos also tend to host games that are played the most. After all, it’s a business and there would be little point in wasting resources to develop or host a version of blackjack that no one has shown much interest in for a decade. However, online casinos have an advantage here that land casinos do not.
It is significantly more expensive to host gambling tables in a real life casino than it is to do so via the digital format. Even live casino blackjack tables are nowhere near as costly to host for casino sites, which actually allows them to occasionally host even the lesser known versions of blackjack on special occasions. Just make sure that the concerned casino is properly licensed to operate in the UK before signing up. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sally Giles ran her own successful importing business for many years. She’s now living the dream as a freelance writer, walking her dogs through the forest most days. IMAGE CREDIT: StockVault.net Footnotes↑1 EDITOR NOTE: Actually, Spanish 21 is a modern game, introduced in 1995, and is played with a short pack. What the author here is probably referring to is the historical origins of blackjack. Arnold Snyder concluded that the original French game of vingt-un (21), which first appeared in the mid-1700s, was simply a variation of the Spanish game called trente-un (31).