Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
vingt-et-un

vingt-et-un

9.9
A card game where players try to have cards that add up to 21 or less and beat the dealer
  • noun
  • /væ̃ˈteɪˌʌn/
translation icon : veintiuno
  • The rules of vingt-et-un were the precursor to the modern game of blackjack.

Examples

  • Many 18th-century gamblers played vingt-et-un at private parties in Paris.

  • In some old novels, characters are often depicted playing vingt-et-un in smoky clubs.

  • We played vingt-et-un all night long.

  • Have you ever tried vingt-et-un?

  • In the dim light of the casino, players gathered around the table, eager to try their luck at vingt-et-un.

  • At the lavish gathering, guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres while engaging in a spirited game of vingt-et-un.

  • The café was filled with laughter as friends took turns dealing cards in a game of vingt-et-un.

Synonyms

blackjack
vsvingt-et-un
44 4.4

A card game where players try to get a hand value close to 21 without going over

is an earlier form that predates modern close to 21 rules
twenty-one
vsvingt-et-un
2 3.5

A card game where players try to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over

is an older historical form of the game rather than the modern version

Surface Forms

vingt-et-un singular
vingt-et-uns plural

Etymology

Vingt-et-un is French and breaks into vingt 'twenty', et 'and', and un 'one', so it literally means 'twenty and one'. It was the name of an old card game where players tried to reach a total of 21 without going over, which is why it became the early form of modern blackjack.