Seven and a Half is a well-known Italian card game which is also believed to be the predecessor of modern blackjack, as well as French Vingt Et Un and Italian Thirty-One; it was popular in the 17th century but still it would be possible to find and learn its main aspects to follow and try playing this interesting game.
The objective
Though Seven and a Half is believed to be the father of blackjack (according to black jack history), the objectives of these two games are a little bit different: because of card values, the goal of a player is to get 7,5 points instead of 21 as it is at traditional blackjack. When you exceed 7,5 points it is called to be BUST and considered to be the automatic loss.
But as well as at blackjack card game, all gamblers play against a dealer.
Card Values
Seven and a Half is played with a deck of 40 cards where 8's, 9's and 10's are absent.
- Aces = 1
- Face cards = 0,5
- 2's - 7's = according to their values
All cards were divided into 4 suits: oros, copas, espadas, bastos:
- Oros = golden coins
- Copas = glasses
- Espadas = swords
- Bastos = sticks
Main aspects
- Every player has a right to play the role of a dealer.
- All bets are made before a card was dealt.
- One card is dealt faced down to every player and a dealer, and players one by one decide whether they want to take more cards or not.
- A gambler who plays the role of a dealer should gamble after the others: s/he has a right to hit or stand whenever wants.
- If all gamblers lose, a dealer has a right not to play at all. Moreover, a dealer has a right not to bet.
- The King of Diamonds was considered to be a wild card in Seven and a Half.
- The minimum and maximum bets are determined before the game.
