Blackjack Counter Games
by Bill Petrochuk
Blackjack or "21" is one of the most popular table card
games in American casinos. In Blackjack, you win if you get
a higher hand than the dealer without going over 21. Should
you go over 21 (Bust) you lose. Face cards count 10, Aces
are either 1 or 11 and all other cards are face value.
In 1934 Richard Groetchen devised the first machine that
could play Blackjack, at that time a game that was played
among friends at home or in a saloon. Poker counter games
had been popular since the late l 800's and this was a wel-
come addition. The push button activated reel shutters were
what made the game. This gave the customer the option of
making a decision to "Hit" or "Stand".
The 21 VENDER is a large trade stimulator. The wood
cabinet is painted black with an art deco aluminum front
casting and marquee.
Groetchen filed for a patent in April of 1934 and received
approval on October 23, 1934 for his new "Vending Ma-
chine". Unfortunately gambling devices were unpatentable
and infringement by others would be hard to prove. Beyond
the shutters, this patent covered all other aspects of the game
like the pivoting flap and ramp gumball delivery system.
This device would not allow coin entry when empty.
Two industry giants introduced Blackjack games in 1935.
0. D. Jennings and Co. produced an all quarter sawn oak
wooden cabinet game called "2 1 or Black Jack". The mech-
anism was adapted from The Puritan Girl fruit reel trade
stimulator that Jennings had been making since 1928. This
machine also had 5 reels depicting cards with a step shutter
covering the last three. Each push of the lever resulted in
another card for viewing. Perhaps the NRA also deemed it
a copy as this may be the hardest Blackjack machine to find
today.
Pierce Tool and Mfg. Corp. made a copy cat machine
called "Hit Me" in 1934. This all aluminum stimulator em-
ployed the same basic 5 reels depicting cards with shutters
covering the last three
Groetchen filed a complaint with the National Recovery
Administration. This was one of the New Deal programs
of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. The NRA set
up competition codes that were designed to reduce "destruc-
tive competition". As first chronicled by coin op historian
Bill Whelan in the March 1982 issue of "The Coin Slot",
Groetchen was awarded exclusive priority rights for manu-
facture and distribution on June 13, 1934. This decision led
to a short run of the "Hit Me" and is reflected by the small
number of examples available today.
In 1935 Mills Novelty Co. also introduced one of the most
complex trade stimulators ever produced with the simple
name of "Black Jack". The cabinet is cast from one piece
of aluminum. A sanitary gum vender stuck out of the front
like a jackpot on a slot machine. Tum the knob and get a
gumball with every play. This beauty has two sets of reel
bundles with 5 reels each. The top set was for the dealer
and the bottom row for the player. There are 5 coin slots,
each one ready to take your penny. Put 1 ¢ in the top slot
and pull the handle. This spins all ten reels and covers all of
the windows except the first one in each row. Take a ' Hit"
by putting pennies in each slot below the bottom row. Mills
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