Blackjack and poker are two of the most popular casino games available, but we can’t help but favour the game 21 more. We take a look at all the reasons why blackjack is better than poker and why you should opt to play the game online over the tables at live casino venues. Please note these guide is for international readers only, as online gambling is illegal in Australia as of September 2017.
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There’s a basic strategy for every hand
The basic strategy is a chart specifically created to the rules of the blackjack game you are playing to offer the best possible move in accordance to the total value of your hand and the dealer’s up card.
While it doesn’t guarantee you a win, it gives you the best possible chance to win and is only available for blackjack.
To use the basic strategy simply look up the rules of the variant you are playing. Make sure you are familiar with things like whether or not the dealer stands on soft or hard 17s and the number of decks being used, as it can vary greatly between casinos.
Then take the total value of your hand and look this up on the vertical axis and then the dealer’s up card on the horizontal axis and where the two intersect it will detail the best possible move, for example Hit, Stand, etc.
This means for every hand you get regardless if it’s a hard total, a soft total, or even pairs, there is the best move to make already formulated for you.
While poker does have calculated moves, it doesn’t have a move for every hand since most variants relies on both bluffing and how good the other player is.
Versing the dealer
When it comes to poker at land-based casinos and online poker rooms you are versing from two to 10 players at one time in the ring. This means you need at least one other player in the poker room, online or off, to play and if there isn’t anyone you have to wait.
There are online variants where you play the dealer via Random Number Generator software but if you’re going online you’re better off picking blackjack.
Blackjack is set up so you are only versing the dealer meaning no matter whether you play online or offline you can always get playing straight away. Since you’re versing the house it’s also more satisfying when you win since you aren’t putting other players out of pocket.
Quicker to win
Poker hands are generally longer and it ultimately takes longer to win than it can in a round of blackjack. While the profits can be quite large for poker, thanks to the pots and all the players putting in, it can be very difficult to win if other players are better at the game than you.
You can still lose in the game of blackjack, but it’s easier and quicker to win than in poker as it isn’t dependant on how good the other players at the table are.
You don’t need a good poker face
Poker relies on the art of bluffing and if you don’t have a good poker face you are confined to online variants. While this isn’t so bad, many people find the social element of poker appealing.
Blackjack on the other hand doesn’t require a poker face at all, irrespective of whether you play at land-based casinos or online since you are versing the house and both your cards face upwards for both the dealer and other players to see – for most standard variants.
This means you don’t need to learn how to trick people, instead you can focus more attention on your hand and playing the perfect strategy.
Better house edge online
If you choose to play online, and online only with RNG software games – only play at reputable online casinos which are proven to offer fair software by the best providers – blackjack offers the best house edge out of the two games taking into account all the different variants of poker and 21.
The lowest players can get for a poker variant is 1.46% and this house edge is for the variant Pai Gow poker. When it comes to blackjack players can get it as low as 0.13% with Microgaming’s Classic Blackjack provided the perfect basic strategy is in play.
To give yourself the best possible chance against the house when playing RNG software based titles we recommend opting with the title with the lowest house edge possible and this is blackjack.
More blackjack variations available online
While there are online poker rooms, such as Full Tilt’s poker room dedicated to a huge variety of poker titles, when it comes to standard online casinos there is more variety for 21 then there is for poker.
Not only are there varying software providers which offer an array of standard and unique blackjack games but there is also a range of table limits for standard titles to suit players of all bankrolls.
This isn’t available for poker variants meaning you can be quite limited when it comes to titles at an online casino – yet another reason to pick blackjack over poker.
There will always be a debate on which game is better but as you can see, we have summed up exactly why 21 is overall the superior casino card game.
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