Blackjack is the most popular card game in casinos, and it has held this accolade for many decades. This is because blackjack is very easy to learn, and if you go the extra mile, mastering the strategies and the intricacies of the game, then you can consistently beat the house. At least that’s the theory, but in practice that’s not always the case. Whether you can gain an edge over the house depends entirely on which house you’re betting against, on whether you are playing online or offline, and on a number of other factors.
Offline Casinos Versus Online Casinos
You don’t need to count cards in order to beat the house at blackjack, but it certainly helps. In online casinos though, this is simply not possible. Whilst similar decks of cards are used as in offline casinos, the decks are shuffled after every hand, so no matter how advanced or complicated the card counting strategy is, it simply won’t work. This makes sense, because anyone can count cards from the comfort of their own homes, with calculators, notepads and all of the time in the world.
Still, you can use Basic Blackjack Strategy to full effect in online casinos just as much as you can in offline casinos, and it is much easier to find a game with a low house edge online than it is to find a game with a low house edge offline. Away from your computer you’re at the mercy of the casino, you’re forced to go with whatever casino is nearby and to play whatever games they offer, but when you’re at your computer you can choose any game you want. The online casinos know this and because of that the competition is high, with all of them trying to create the games that offer the lowest house edges.
On Royal Vegas Casino, for instance, you can find a game called Double Exposure Blackjack, which comes with one of the lowest house edges you will find. The game itself requires you to make a few tweaks to Basic Blackjack Strategy, but these are easy to implement. In this game you can see the dealer’s cards, and as any professional player will tell you, blackjack is more about the dealer’s cards than it is about yours, so this slight change makes a monumental difference.
Double Exposure Blackjack was first developed by Microgaming, the software used on sites like Royal Vegas Casino, but it has since been adopted by many offline casinos. Still, very few of these offer the same low house edge that you will find online.
Bonuses and Perks
Of all the casual gamblers reading this article, how many of you have been comped rooms, rebates and other free perks at a casino? Probably very few, if any. Simply put, unless you’re a high roller, unless you’re going to be giving the casino a lot of cash, they simply don’t care and the most you will get out of them is a free drink or two. Even then, this is only to lower your inhibitions, decrease your focus and therefore increase your losses and their turnover.
In an online casino, however, everyone is treated equally. Everyone is entitled to join loyalty schemes and to take advantage of new member bonuses. To blackjack players loyalty schemes can be huge, because the margins are so fine and it’s very common to be running at neither a loss or a gain at the end of the day. If you are level at the end of the day then a new member bonus will put you in a nice profit whilst a loyalty bonus will ensure you unlock some extra cash or credit on top of that.
Summary
Whilst it can be argued that offline casinos are significantly better for card counters than online casinos, players looking to play fairly and to use nothing but Basic Blackjack Strategy will benefit from playing online much more than playing offline. Not only is it easier, not only will they get more bonuses, but the benefit of playing in your own house, in the comfort of your front room, with your family, your friends or even your cat, can not be underestimated.
So, for us, and for many blackjack players like us, online casinos are far better than offline casinos. Still, you have to make sure you choose wisely, you have to ensure you find a game that suits you and a casino that works for you. If you’re based in Australia and are looking to get the most for your money, whilst also looking for a game with a very low house edge, then we would recommend Royal Vegas Casino and Double Exposure Blackjack. This is not the only blackjack variant they have, but it is definitely the best and the one that will return the highest advantage.
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