Blackjack (also known as "21") is one of the most popular casino card games in the world. Much of Blackjack's popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill, its excellent player returns, and the mystique surrounding card counting (keeping track of which cards have been played since the last shuffle). Blackjack is the descendant of a game called "twenty-one" in French, which originated in French casinos around 1700 and was then brought to the United States, where it gained enourmous popularity, now also evident in online, or internet casinos.