There is no clear consensus as to where the blackjack game started. Researchers believe that blackjack possibly dates back to the time of the ancient Egyptians and has developed and evolved over the years into the game we recognize now. It probably evolved from the 18th-century French game Vingt-et-un, which translated means twenty-one. However, a Spanish tale called Rinconete y Cortadillo, in the 17th century has reference to a game similar to blackjack.
Blackjack is known to spread across North America with French colonists in the early 1900s. The game was still called 21 when it gained popularity in Nevada, following the state legalization of gambling in 1931. Though the rules were slightly different from present-day blackjack, the game is pretty similar. For instance, the player with cards closest to 21 than the dealer wins but there were more betting rounds throughout each hand and only the blackjack dealer was allowed to double.
In the 1950s, the first blackjack card counters appeared and became more popular after some people discovered the strategies to remove house edge.