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The History of BlackjackThe popular and classic game of blackjack has been a source of exciting entertainment for many people for hundreds of years. When one glances at the game's history, Blackjack's precise date and place of birth remains rather a mystery.
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It is believed that casino games similar to the game of blackjack were played in France in the eighteenth century. The game of blackjack appears to have evolved from one original game in particular. This French game was called Vingt et Un, which means "twenty one" in English. The whole aim of the game of Vingt et Un - and Blackjack - is to obtain a hand of cards which reaches a total of twenty one - or to come as close as possible to the number twenty one, without going over the top. Anyone who exceeds the total of twenty one goes "bust".
How Blackjack Got Its NameIt is quite apparent how the name Vingt et Un came about - but the name Black Jack (or Blackjack) evolved in a different way. In the 1930's gambling was made legal in Nevada. The game of blackjack was featured at some casinos with the attraction of special odds. The blackjack player was presented with the opportunity to make higher earnings when a Black Jack card (Jack of spades or Jack of clubs) was used to create the winning "21" combination. Furthermore, when a black Jack card appeared together with the Ace of spades in a winning hand, special preferred odds were offered. This feature was introduced in order to attract more players to the blackjack table. In time, together with the increasing success of the blackjack game, the special payouts for a black Jack were stopped - but the name stuck.
Modern Casino BlackjackOver the decades, blackjack has proven to be an extremely popular and exciting game. Today, blackjack appears in many different forms in casinos all over the world. At the best online casinos, blackjack is considered to be the most popular game out of all the exhilarating attractions available. Who would have believed that this apparently simple game would evolve in such a way, to become such a great attraction? All those players of the early Vingt et Un game could not possibly have imagined the limelight which would shine on blackjack in later years. http://www.costaricanbrokers.com The seeds of the blackjack game were planted long before the creation of the computer and the Internet and those first players all those years ago would probably have been totally dumbstruck by the notion of playing blackjack at an online casino. This is a game with a long history and, nowadays, one can download blackjack games from an online casino or enjoy playing flash blackjack online.
Online Casino BlackjackA visitor to one of today's best online casino sites may be totally unaware of the origins and history of blackjack and yet may indulge in the delights of this thrilling game. These days, blackjack appears in several different and attractive forms online. One may almost lose oneself in an array of single hand, multi-hand and progressive blackjack games. As a visitor, you may look around the best online casino sites, check out the details, use the handy tips, then take your pick and try your hand at the choice of blackjack amusement available. Although there are various exciting types of blackjack entertainment that are featured online - like Vegas Strip Blackjack or Multi-Hand Blackjack - these versions are all based on the original game of Blackjack.

In the mid-1980s, the New South Wales Rugby League decided to expand the Sydney competition outside of its traditional areas. This began in 1982 with the introduction of the Canberra Raiders and the Illawarra Steelers, and continued with the entrance of the Broncos, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast - Tweed Giants in 1988. After tough competition between the various syndicates for the Brisbane license, the Queensland Rugby League chose the bid that belonged to former BRL players Barry Maranta and Paul "Porky" Morgan. After deliberating over such names as Bulls, Bombers and Kookaburras, the club eventually decided on the name Broncos. Queensland State of Origin legend Wally Lewis was the first player to sign on with the fledgling club, and was the inaugural Broncos captain. Wayne Bennett was the inaugural coach for the Broncos, and is today still the team's coach.
On March 6, 1988, Brisbane defeated the 1987 Winfield Cup Premiers Manly-Warringah 44-10 in their first premiership game. Although the Broncos won their first six games in their inaugural season, they failed to make the finals. The following year they won the midweek knockout Panasonic Cup competition, but again failed to make the finals. In order to increase the Broncos' success in the Winfield Cup, Wayne Bennet controversially sacked Wally Lewis as club captain and gave the role to centre Gene Miles. Miles had retired from representative football, and Bennett hoped he could remove the teams reliance on Lewis. In another blow for the man known as the King, Lewis was moved to lock to make way for Ipswich product Kevin Walters, who later became the club captain in 1999. It largely worked, as Brisbane finished in third place, even though Lewis was out unavailable for much of the season due to injuries and representative duties. Controversy reared in the semi-final victory over Manly-Warringah when Bennett left Lewis on the bench, even though Lewis was desperate to prove his fitness before the upcoming Kangaroo Tour, which he was eventually ruled out of, thus bringing his Australian career to a sad close. Lewis later joined the (soon to be defunct) Gold Coast Seagulls for the next season.
After the retirement of Gene Miles, the captaincy role fell onto half-back Allan Langer, in 1992, the Winfield Cup was transported to Queensland for the first time, when the Broncos comprehensively defeated the St. George Dragons 28-8 at the Sydney Football Stadium in their first premiership victory. A month later they won the World Club Challenge, defeating Wigan 22-8. After years of dispute with the Lang Park Trust over brewery advertising Fourex had pouring rights for Lang Park, while Powers Brewing was major sponsor of the Broncos), the Broncos moved to the Council-owned ANZ Stadium, in suburban Nathan. That year they won their second consecutive premiership, again defeating the Dragons, this time 14-6. This victory was significant because it was the only time a team which had finished 5th in the minor premiership had gone on to win the premiership. In 1994 they again played Wigan in the World Club Challenge, this time losing 20-14 at ANZ Stadium.
The years 1994-1996 were characterised by on-field disappointments for the Broncos. In 1994, after a mediocre result in the minor premiership which saw then barely qualify for the finals series, the Broncos won their opening match of the finals against Manly 16-4. The following match saw them eliminated by North Sydney, after trailing 14-4 and staging a comeback to level at 14-14. In the end, a Jason Taylor field goal to win the game for North Sydney 15-14 shortly before fulltime. The following season saw the Broncos perform strongly in the minor premiership and enter the finals with good form. However the Broncos suffered close defeats at the hands of defending Premiers Canberra and eventual 1995 winners the Canterbury Bulldogs. An injury to Allan resulted in crucial missed tackles in both matches by the Brisbane skipper, and played a contributing factor in the Broncos failure to win. In 1996 the Broncos again performed well in the minor premiership, only to play disapointingly in the finals, losing against both North Sydney and the Cronulla Sharks. At the end of the 1996 season players Kerro Walters Alan Cann, Willie Carne and Michael Hancock were asked to leave the club, as they could no longer be guaranteed regular places in the Broncos first grade team.