The Differences in Land Based and Online Blackjack

You’ll hear so many blackjack players say that playing online blackjack is so different from playing in a traditional land-based casino, that the house edge is more favorable offline and that there are fewer ‘bad beats’ in a brick-and-mortar operation...and this is totally untrue. The house edge is exactly the same in a land-based casino as in an online casino. The big difference is that there are so many more variations available to play online. Yes, if you pick a variation in an online casino that has a few small rules in favor of the house, then the house edge will be higher, but you do not have to play that version.

This is just one of the things you should be looking for when playing online blackjack: you need to make sure that the dealer stands on soft 17, and that blackjack pays at 3:2 and no lower. Almost all online casinos offer standard blackjack rules variations, and it really is just a case of choosing that version.

What About Those Bad Beats?

Blackjack players will often speak of so many bad beats when playing online—that so many times the dealer seems to pull cards from nowhere, creating a winning hand. Sure, this does happen, and it also happens in land-based casinos, too. The huge difference is that when playing online, you play so many more hands; it is simply so much faster playing online blackjack than at the casino table in a regular casino. The other fact is that those bad beats tend to stick in your mind a whole lot longer than when you win a few simple and straightforward hands.

The Social Side of Blackjack

Many players enjoy the social side of the game of blackjack—the fact that in a land-based casino, you get to sit and talk with other players and enjoy the whole social experience of the game. While this is true, and no one can dispute the fact that playing in a land-based casino is a lot more sociable than playing from your home computer, it really is down to personal taste. There are many blackjack players who go to a land-based casino simply to play blackjack, and their social interaction is merely an intrusion. Many players prefer to play silently and concentrate on winning while staying extremely focused on the game rather than the conversation at the table. As mentioned, it is personal choice.

Many casinos now add a little of the social element to the game by offering multi-player blackjack variations. Although for those who enjoy the social element it is not the same thing, it does add a little interaction to the game. Many online casinos now even offer live dealer options where there is even more interaction. These games are played with real casino equipment, the cards are dealt by real live dealers, and the whole thing is streamed directly to your home computer while you make your bets online.

Top Online Casinos to Play Blackjack