The cards were often not even used for recreation, and instead held an educational or religious purpose. Prior to its introduction, playing cards was limited to the nobility and upper-class of Europe, and the cards were hand painted by renowned artists and calligraphers. The first traces of the game of 21 are mid-way through the 15th Century, during the dawn of the Western printing press from German printer Johannes Gutenberg in 1450. One thing’s for certain though: what we do know is vastly interesting. To this day, debates still persist as to which country should be credited for the game’s creation, or what other card games shaped the modern-day blackjack we know and love today. Many modern texts, gambling scholars and other historians surmise its beginnings as ‘uncertain.’ Pinpointing the exact origins of 21 has proven to be an arduous task, and there have been many arguments over when and where the game truly began. Despite blackjack being the most popular casino card game in the world, you’d be hard-pressed to provide a 100% accurate summary of where the game originated from.
