Blackjack is one of the best and most addictive card games out there. Primarily a game of skill and luck, Blackjack is an excellent game to play wherever you are in the world. As a result of this, players in online and offline casinos continue to enjoy the game more every day.
The casino banked game means all players compete to win against the house rather than each other. However, this does not mean that a game of Blackjack lacks competition! In fact, gaining a competitive edge is one of the many reasons why people are drawn to the game.
A lot of Blackjack’s recent rise to success stems from its inclusion in popular Hollywood media, yet it has a general widespread appeal that keeps players constantly coming back for more. This is more prominent than ever before thanks to the inclusion of Blackjack in online casinos like Fanduel.com.
Here are some key differences between online and land-based Blackjack for you to take a look at.
Game Speed
If you know how to play blackjack you’ll likely be quick thinking and very confident in your actions. Having this type of confidence in your approach to playing could be an easy way to make the game pass quickly, yet other factors must also be considered.
That being said, maybe the most noticeable difference between online and land-based blackjack is the speed of gameplay. In land-based casinos, this depends a lot on the number of players at a single table, their actions, and the card shuffles and speed of the deals.
If you were to play slowly at a land-based casino or your dealer is inexperienced then there would be a domino effect that could negatively impact the gaming experience of other players at the table. In this situation, online blackjack may be the better option!
The speed of playing online blackjack, however, may be impacted by the power of your device and your connection to the internet rather than other virtual players. Though this can be a great thing, having a strong internet connection may result in easier gaming access and force you to spend your bankroll quicker than you’d planned. Here, you must pace yourself!
Low House Advantage
The key to winning in any casino environment is to attempt to trim the house advantage to as small a number as possible.
Blackjack is a casino game with a relatively low house edge and one of the lowest profit margins in any casino game. Provided a player follows a seemingly perfect gaming strategy, the house edge is usually around 0.5%. It could even be as low as 0.28% in some liberal casinos!
Blackjack is a relatively easy game to learn with a variety of different playing strategies that could increase your chances of winning. Notably, to gain more of an edge, players must count cards in the deck and subsequently change the bet amount regularly.
This type of strategy is far easier to carry out in a game of land-based Blackjack than it is in its online equivalent as your movements are not automated by the digital software of an online casino.
Dealer Errors
It’s pretty easy to forget that live dealers are human, too! Especially when they’ve got the skills to shuffle and deal cards to everyone at the table like nobody’s business. But they are, and that’s an important factor that every land-based Blackjack player must remember.
Though these dealers will know how to do their job properly, there will undoubtedly be situations where they make mistakes (minor or game-changing) during a game of blackjack when reading cards, shuffling them and then making any payouts. Unfortunately, this can be quite frustrating and disruptive to your time in a land-based casino.
That’s not to say that online blackjack is error-free — because it isn’t! The main difference is that this dealer is not human and is susceptible to digital bugs implanted into the gaming software. However, unlike at a land-based casino, these problems are easily and quickly fixed and don’t usually impact the player’s gameplay or money.
Minimum Bets
In a game of land-based Blackjack, the minimum bet differs from table to table. A regular Blackjack table may have a minimum bet range anywhere between $5 and $10 but a high-roller table may be a lot more.
Online Blackjack tables have much lower minimum bets, usually around $2. With such low stakes, playing online Blackjack with even the smallest bankroll suggests that you’ll have lots more time to enjoy playing the game.
Seat Availability
In a land-based casino, you may find that some or all of the seats at a table are filled. You’ll then need to either wait until one of these becomes available or spot an empty seat elsewhere in the casino.
Online blackjack players do not encounter this issue which means gameplay is relatively unaffected. A lot of these digital tables are designed to fit multiple players at a given time without issues arising.
Though playing online blackjack is far more convenient, you will need to wait until a new show is dealt and shuffled before the game can begin at a table. This is a rule that stands at all land-based casinos.
Receiving Bonuses
Land-based casinos provide blackjack bonuses when you deposit your money. You might also receive rewards via membership with the casino or a particular VIP program yet this depends on the casino you are playing in and the types of rewards that they can offer you.
From welcome bonuses to no deposit bonuses, online casinos offer a variety of impressive incentives for new and returning players alike. Unfortunately, many of these bonuses do not tend to apply to the classic game of Blackjack.
Remember to read all of the fine print so you don’t get yourself tangled up in a complicated situation. Bonuses can be attractive but you don’t want to end up in debt at any point.
Summary
We hope this article helped you to understand the differences between online and land-based blackjack. There appear to be more rewards and less risk of error in an online casino but that doesn’t mean you have to play online, especially if you prefer a more traditional gaming approach.
Wherever you’re playing blackjack, remember to gamble responsibly!
