Thought to derive from another popular card game called Chemin de Fer, also originating in French casinos, Blackjack was first known as Vingt-et-Un, which simply translates to Twenty-One.
There are a number of different variants of the game but the main two versions that players need to know about are American blackjack and European blackjack. The two games are actually very similar, the aim of both is to get closer to 21 with your cars than either the dealer or the other players at the table.