Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. Many persons have contributed to the evolution of blackjack in different ways. In 2002 it was decided to recognize the contributions of the more eminent blackjack experts by enshrining them in the blackjack hall of fame. The hall of fame is located at the Barona Casino in San Diego, California. Each inductee has been honored with a plaque bearing his photo and his contributions to the game of blackjack. The hall of fame also houses a museum of blackjack paraphernalia.

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The selection of the first entrants to the blackjack hall of fame began in 2002. Twenty-one blackjack experts, including authors and professional players, were short-listed. For a month these names were posted on the Internet and blackjack aficionados voted for their favorites. The final selection was done by a panel of blackjack professionals in January 2003 at the Blackjack Ball, which was hosted by Max Rubin, a famous blackjack author.
There were several reasons for restricting the final selection panel to a body of professionals. First of all it entailed recognition by ones peers. Also the achievements of many of the short-listed candidates were of a sensitive nature and had to be shielded from public domain. Seven members were then inducted to the blackjack hall of fame. Two members were added in each of the years 2004 and 2005. From 2006 it was decided to add only one member every year.

The inaugural inductees were blackjack legends. Al Francesco was the founder of the blackjack team format of the game. Peter Griffin was a mathematician who researched the theory of blackjack. Arnold Snyder was the editor of the Blackjack Forum, a popular professional trade journal. Edward Thorp had proved in the 1960s that the house could be beaten by employing a blackjack counting strategy. Ken Uston was one of the best team players in blackjack. Stanford Wong conceived the strategy known as "Wonging", which became very popular with blackjack players. Tommy Hyland was the manager of one of the longest-running blackjack teams.

The inductees to the blackjack hall of fame in 2004 were Max Rubin and Keith Taft. Rubin was a famous reporter of blackjack events. Taft was the inventor of the hidden computer with which he had milked several blackjack casinos. In 2005 Julian Braun and Lawrence Revere were inducted to the blackjack hall of fame. Braun was a pioneer in the computer analysis of blackjack statistics. Revere was the author of Playing Blackjack as a Business. The latest inductee to the blackjack hall of fame was James Grosjean in 2006. Apart from being an analyst and player, Grosjean’s contribution to blackjack has been the legal actions he initiated against casinos for distributing pictures of counters.