Blackjack is a video game programmed by Bob Whitehead and published by Atari, Inc. for its Video Computer System (later known as the Atari 2600). The game was one of the nine launch titles available when the Atari 2600 went on sale in September 1977. The game is a video simulation of blackjack. The objective is identical to the card game: to beat the dealer’s card total, without going over 21, to win a bet. One to three players play the computer dealer.