Blackjack vs Poker Professionals!

5 years ago
Blackjack vs Poker Professionals!
08:13
08 Jun

Poker and real money blackjack have many similarities. They are both card games you will find at all major online and offline casinos, they both have professional circuits and pro players, and you can win at both of them by learning some basic strategy.

But which game is better, where are the best places to play, and which offers you the best chance of success?


Poker vs Real Money Blackjack: The Odds

Both poker and blackjack have a lot of variants, but while these variants offer the same chance of success in poker (providing you are playing against other players and not against the casino or a video poker machine) the odds in blackjack can differ greatly.

That's because blackjack is played against the house, not against other players. This means that the house always has an edge over you and will look to increase this edge anyway they can. The most obvious way to do this is to create new variations of the game, offering side bets and bonuses to distract you from the fact that they have lowered your chances of winning.

Just take a look at these popular actual money forms of online blackjack to see how the odds can differ:

  • Switch Blackjack (Online): 0.17%
  • Single Deck (Online & Offline): 0.31%
  • Vegas Strip Blackjack (Offline): 0.43%
  • Double Exposure Blackjack (Online): 0.69%
  • Atlantic City Blackjack (Offline): 1.5% +



Poker vs Real Money Blackjack: The Pro Circuit

The pro circuit for poker is huge. Offline there is the World Series of Poker, the European Poker Tour, the Aussie Millions, the World Poker Tour, and more, and then you have online events like the Spring Series of Online Poker and the World Championship of Online Poker

And these are just the major events, because throughout the year there are many smaller tournaments at all levels, from the UK Poker Tour all of the way to the Caribbean Poker Adventure.

In blackjack, there is very little. There used to be an Ultimate Blackjack Tour and this received some television coverage, but it wasn’t popular enough to stick.

As a pro poker player you have options for sponsorship, TV coverage and more, and you can be playing every week of every year if you wish. In blackjack, most of your time will be spent in local casinos plying single games, as well as local blackjack tournaments.

In other words, the poker circuit is much bigger, much better, and much more profitable for the players on it.



Poker vs Real Money Blackjack: Online or Offline?

You have a great chance of winning at poker whether you play online or offline. The only benefit with regards to offline play is that you can see the players’ faces, which means you have a better chance of judging whether they are bluffing you or not.

However, real money poker involves a lot of folding and a lot of waiting, and when you’re playing offline this means you could spend 30 to 40 minutes at a time doing nothing but waiting. Online it moves much quicker, and you can play multiple games at once, so you are always doing something and you are always entertained, making online play preferable.

With blackjack, however, you may be better off offline, but only if you can count cards. Contrary to popular belief, this is not illegal, but they can remove you from the casino (except for in Atlantic City) if they suspect you of it. 

You can not count cards playing online because the cards are automatically shuffled after every hand.

So, a general rule of thumb is: play poker online and blackjack offline.



Poker vs Real Money Blackjack: Which is Best?

It is hard to pick a winner here. Both games have their pros and their cons, both can win you a lot of money and both can be found at all casinos and card-rooms.

However, professional gamblers will tell you that poker has the edge. There is a greater skill element, and the best players tend to win the most money. There is still luck involved, but the same can be said for all games that require skill and knowledge, and as far as gambling goes poker is the game where these two things matter the most and will lead to the most wins.

Because of that, we have to give this one to poker.


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Writer and semi-retired poker pro from Edinburgh (UK).Read more

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