Blackjack vs Poker Who Wins ?
There are many different card games that have emerged over the years. These card games can be played at home, but they can also be played in casinos. As a matter of fact, thanks to the Internet you can now play them in casinos while you are at sitting at home ( online casinos ).
According to many surveys, blackjack and poker are by far the most popular card games in modern casinos, be it online or land-based casinos.
What is blackjack?
Blackjack is a card game which is also known as twenty one. The origin of its name is simple – the main goal of this game is to bring the total hand value to 21 or as close as possible to this number. Exceeding this number triggers an automatic loss. Every player gets two cards in the beginning. If the first two cards are lower than 21, players can take an additional card or stay. Blackjack is played with one deck that consists of all fifty two cards or a few decks.
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What is poker?
Poker is another popular card game played in almost every online and a land-based casino. There are many different variants of poker out there, so it is difficult to provide a universal definition of this game. Generally speaking, this is a game that involves a combination of skill, strategy, and gambling. Some of the most popular variants of poker include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Draw Poker, Seven-card stud, and Straight poker.
Now that we have shared some useful information about both card games, it’s time to check the differences between these games.
Differences Between Poker and Blackjack
House edge
Blackjack is played against the House (casino) while poker is played against other poker players. In other words, you can’t talk about house edge in poker games. But, it is worth mentioning that there are many cases when the casinos are taking rakes or a relatively small fee based on the pot. This is quite logical because after all, the casino is making this game possible. So, when it comes to poker, players should create an edge that is bigger than the rake. As previously mentioned, the situation is different with blackjack where players are playing against the House. By using a good strategy and having some basic skills, you should be able to lower the house edge to no more than 2%. Remember that the blackjack probability is quite unpredictable.
Celebrity status
Are you interested in playing poker or blackjack? What’s your motivation to do this? In case you are looking for a special status and fame, then you should definitely choose poker over blackjack. Do you know the most famous blackjack players? Well, almost no one knows them and there is a good reason for this. Namely, blackjack pros must stay under the radar and anonymous because online casinos tend to exclude successful players from their blackjack games. The worst part is that they are not providing any explanation for that – they simply notify the players that they cannot access their blackjack games. The situation is completely different when we talk about poker. Players are glad to play against well-known players and the best poker players have celebrity status in many countries.
Becoming a professional
Let’s be honest – becoming a professional blackjack player is not a smooth sail. The reason is that this is more a game of luck unless you are counting the cards. In other words, if you want to become a professional blackjack player, you must learn how to count cards or maybe find another similar way to track specific cards. In order to master this counting activity, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort. Keep in mind that there are blackjack games that include six decks or even more decks. You will probably get better if you read some blackjack quick guide, but you should not expect miracles. Of course, becoming a professional poker player is difficult too, but much easier compared to blackjack.
Similarities Blackjack and Poker
Making decisions
Unlike many other games, poker and blackjack let players make decisions once they’ve placed the bet. With this decisions, you can alter the winning odds and they can also affect the final outcome of your activity (will you make a profit or not). For instance, when it comes to roulette, all you have to do is to place a bet and wait for the final outcome, the odds remain the same. However, in blackjack, you can ask for another card or split the cards or stay and every situation affects the odds. The same goes for poker where you will have many chances to raise, stay or fold.
Playing for free
If you decide to play online, you will get a chance to play these games for free. The vast majority of online casinos today are offering blackjack free for fun as well as free poker tables. In fact, this is the favorite pastime of many people. However, professional players know that this opportunity should be used for other things not just for having fun. This is how you can practice your new strategies and approaches. Playing these card games for free is especially important for beginner players.
Skills
Every casino game involves the factor of luck. If it was different then casinos would not exist because people could master these games and be winners all the time. However, casino players can always increase their winning odds, by developing skills. Both poker and blackjack require certain skills. It is worth saying that poker requires more skills compared to blackjack.
Conclusion
Blackjack and poker have been played for hundreds of years and according to the interest today, they will be played for many years to come. With the help of the Internet, it is now easier to play these games for real money. Both poker and blackjack have certain advantages and disadvantages as well as some differences and similarities between them. It is difficult to say which game is better, so trying both games will probably give you an answer to this question.
