There are many gambling games that punters are quite fond of. And their number is always on the rise, as new and fun gambling games are being released every so often. There are roulette games, slot games, baccarat games – you name it. But if we could single out a gambling game that consistently attracts attention and admiration ever since the day it was originally conceived – it would have to be blackjack.
And there are several different versions of blackjack that you can choose from and play. There are games such as:
- European Blackjack,
- Face Up 21,
- Perfect Pairs Blackjack,
- Classic Blackjack,
- Spanish 21,
- And many others.
But the main two blackjack modalities are the online and offline versions. Are there any major differences between the two? If so, then what are they? How does the experience of playing blackjack differ depending on whether you’re playing it offline or online? If you want to learn the answers to these questions and many more, then feel free to read our review below.
Similarities Between Online and Offline Blackjack
Since this is about the main two modalities of playing blackjack, we believe it would be appropriate if we started things out by analyzing the similarities between the two first. As it turns out, both of these variants are for blackjack. So, you really can’t expect that there will be a significant difference in the main rules of the game.
You will still get to play against the dealer and compete to reach 21 or as close to it as possible with your cards without going bust. To do this, you will be dealt two hole cards, and then you can decide whether to hit or stand depending on your best judgment. After you’ve finished, it’s the dealer’s turn to try to beat the player using a set of rules. Rinse and repeat.
The basic rules are in place regardless of whether you play blackjack for free and have fun online or offline. And, in essence, there are a lot more similarities than there are differences between the two. However, there are some significant distinctions that we’d like to discuss in the following parts.
The Different Experience
There are several important ways in which online and offline blackjack differ from one another, especially in how the player will experience the game. Below you will find the most important differences between the two main variants.
Speed of Playing
This is a potentially huge difference that can have a profound influence on how the player experiences the gameplay. Offline blackjack tends to have a lot faster pace than online blackjack. And the reason is simple. In offline blackjack, the real dealer will stand in front of you on the table. And they will push you to make quicker decisions and not slack off. Even if the dealer doesn’t push the action, the player will still feel obligated not to make slow decisions and hurry things up.
This gets exacerbated if there are other players at the table. Even though there’s no competition between players, the other players will still be somewhat invested in every other player in terms of the speed of making decisions so as to advance the game faster.
But online blackjack, on the other hand, can be as slow as the player wants. After all, the dealer, this time around, is a piece of software – with all the patience in the world. This means that the player can take all the time in the world to make a decision when playing a blackjack hand. And this is great, too, as it gives you a lot more room to think about how you’d like to play the next hand without the dealer and the other players pushing you to make faster decisions.
Of course, you can play the live dealer version of blackjack online. This will mean that there is a live dealer, so you won’t have as much time to think things through as you may want to have. This will be based on your decision whether to pick the regular online version or the live dealer version of online blackjack.
So, all in all, as you can see, the pace of play is significantly influenced by the way in which you will opt to play blackjack – whether it will be the online or offline version. It’s important to consider this before making your final decision as the time that you will have to make decisions is an important factor in how you will play the game and whether you will be making profits in the end or not.
Playing with Other Players
Some players enjoy the social aspect of blackjack most. And it’s easy to see why. If you’re playing with other people, you will be able to make small talk, laugh, and generally have a good time. Well, if you want to enjoy this side of the game, then your best bet is to play the offline version of blackjack. Of course, it may happen that you find yourself in a land-based casino where there are no other players on the blackjack table besides yourself. So, it doesn’t necessarily follow that if you’re playing offline blackjack, you will play with other players simultaneously – though, given the game’s popularity, this is a highly likely scenario.
If you were playing online blackjack, then it’s much more likely that you will be playing alone. And this is not a bad thing per se. On the contrary – there are many players all around the world who would much rather prefer to play blackjack alone. Well, for these people, the online version of the game is the perfect choice as no one will interfere with their play. After all, social pressure can force you into making decisions that may not be in your best interest. And if your main goal when playing blackjack is to make money – then being swayed by the opinion of other players is something that you simply cannot allow.
Even in online blackjack games, you can find that there are virtual tables with other players. In some instances, it may even be the case that the players can decide to turn their cameras on and play this way. As a result, you’ll have the impression that you’re in a genuine casino, and you may still be sociable as you would in one.
So, in the end, it’s up to you. If you’re having fun when other people are around, and this enhances your blackjack experience, then we would suggest that you play the offline version of the game. And vice-versa, if you value your alone time and make better decisions when other people aren’t around, then you should play the online version of the game.
The Number of Blackjack Decks
As you may very well be already aware, blackjack is played with several decks of cards. The novice players may not even notice this, and they may be clueless as to how this affects their game. But the fact is that the number of decks used can have a profound influence on the outcome of your blackjack experience and whether you’re profitable or not – especially if you’re using card counting strategies.
So, this is another major difference between online and offline blackjack and one that can have a big influence on how the player plays the game. Long story short, if you want to use card counting strategies, then the only way to go would be to play offline blackjack.
The reason for this is simple – the land-based casino dealer can only use a fixed number of decks. And in some casinos, the number can go as low as 2 or 3 decks, while in others, it can climb all the way up to 8. The reason why you should prefer the offline versions of blackjack where the dealers are known to use smaller numbers of decks is that it would make it a lot easier to track the cards. And as you may know, using the card counting strategy can give you guaranteed profits.
However, there are some limitations here, since land-based casino owners are aware of this approach and will do all possible to prevent the player from employing it. There are known instances when the casino managers have sent a seemingly random person to spill a drink over the player that counts cards so as to discombobulate them. But this is a subject for another time.
Online versions of blackjack operate on an automatic level – except in the instance when you’re playing a live dealer game. If you’re playing a live dealer game, then it’s pretty much the same case when it comes to the number of decks that the dealer uses as it is in an offline blackjack game. But if you’re playing a classic online blackjack game, then it means that the shuffling process will be automatic. The dealer software will reshuffle the cards after every round. And this makes it next to impossible to use card counting strategies for your benefit.
So, if you want to use card counting strategies to play blackjack, then go for the offline version of the game in a real casino. But if you don’t care about using this strategy and wish to only have fun, then the number of decks that the dealer uses should be of no concern to you. This implies that depending on your needs or preferences, you may play blackjack online or offline.
Advantages of Playing Online Blackjack
By now, the chances are that things are becoming clearer to you when it comes to some of the differences between online and offline blackjack games. What remains for us to do now is to look at things in terms of whether they are advantageous to players or not. So, we’ll start with online blackjack first.
The Essence of the Blackjack Gameplay Experience
If you just want to play blackjack, then arguably the better choice would be to play the game online. The reason for this is simple. First, you won’t have to worry about other players being around and potentially giving you a hard time. There are some people that are socially conscious, and they would prefer to play the game alone. Playing online blackjack is the perfect option for you.
You won’t even need to learn any advanced blackjack lingo or hand gestures to signal the dealer what your next move is. In online blackjack, all you will need to do is use your mouse and click on the options that you have available so as to advance the game.
Moreover, as mentioned before, you will have a lot more time to think things through when making a decision than you would have had if you had been playing the game offline.
There Are No Distractions
This ties in many ways with the previous point. If you visit an offline casino to play blackjack, then the entire atmosphere may be overwhelming – especially for novice players. There may be other players who will smoke, there may be some music on, and other people will generally like to talk and socialize. It can be hard to focus on the task at hand, and some people are indeed overwhelmed like this.
Well, in online blackjack, you can go as quickly or as slowly as you want. And the best part is that you can play the game from anywhere provided you have access to the Internet and a device with which you can access the Internet. So, you can choose to play online blackjack from the comfort of your own home, where you will feel safest and at your peak. You will be able to put a lot more focus on how you play the game, and this will show how much money you will start pulling in when playing blackjack.
Finding Assistance
Novice players may feel at a loss when it comes to playing blackjack successfully. And playing in offline establishments can exacerbate this feeling. But if you were to play online blackjack, then you will be able to benefit from reading strategy guides for blackjack. There’s nothing to prevent you from opening another window on your web browser and finding blackjack strategy sheets that you can use when you’re about to make a move.
With the aid of our blackjack strategy sheets, even complete beginners may start making sensible judgments when playing the game based on mathematical calculations that have already been completed. The chances are that you won’t be allowed to use strategy sheets when playing blackjack in a land-based casino.
Playing Blackjack for Free
If you’re a complete beginner of blackjack and have no idea of what the basic rules of the game are, then you can visit almost any online casino and play blackjack for free. The reason why this is possible is that online casinos are known to offer demo versions of their games to players.
If you play a demo version, then it means that you will have access to the complete blackjack experience – with the added benefit of not having to spend real money of your own. What you’ll be given is “play money” that you can spend however you like while at the table. Of course, you won’t be able to win money either. But playing a demo version of blackjack is the perfect choice if you want to see what the game is like without the risk of losing real money.
Advantages of Playing Offline Blackjack
But playing offline blackjack is not without its fair share of advantages, too. There is a number of positives of deciding to play offline blackjack, and here you’ll get to learn about some of them.
Offline Casino Rewards and Perks
We’re quite used to getting pampered with online casino bonuses and promotions. This is one of the strongest benefits of gambling online as opposed to offline gambling. Or is it? People tend to forget that there are a lot of perks that you can enjoy when playing blackjack in an offline casino, too.
For example, if you find yourself at the blackjack table in an offline casino, then you may be pleasantly surprised to find out that you’re eligible to get free drinks and even food on the house. And that’s just for starters. As you play, then you may even get some free chips to play with, courtesy of the house. The chances are that the rewards will grow even bigger if the casino management sees that you’re a loyal and regular customer.
The Unique Casino Experience
There’s a huge difference in the atmosphere and the overall gameplay experience that you would get in an online and an offline casino blackjack table – any way you put it. And for the most part, offline casinos have a huge advantage here. Some players may wish to play alone and in silence – and they can do so when playing online blackjack.
But if you really want to feel what playing blackjack is about and breathe in all the glory of the casino gambling atmosphere, then you owe it to yourself to play blackjack in a land-based casino. You may be giddy and even nervous when visiting first, but there are big chances that you will end up falling in love with the land-based casino experience and will prefer this experience to that of online blackjack play.
Counting Cards
We’ve already mentioned this in one of the previous sections – but for the sake of reference, we’ll mention it here once more. If you want to count cards when playing blackjack, then the only way in which you can go about it is by playing blackjack in an offline casino.
The automated reshuffling mechanism used in online casino blackjack games involves so many decks that it’s hard to keep track of them as you play. But if you find a blackjack table in a casino where the dealer uses a small number of decks, then it means that you have the green light to count cards.
Remember, the smaller the number of decks that the dealer uses, the easier and more effective it is to count cards. And since this is not possible when playing online blackjack, it means that the usability of the counting cards blackjack strategy is one of the biggest benefits of playing blackjack offline.
In Conclusion
So, now you know all the main and major differences between online and offline blackjack. You have also learned about how these differences can translate into advantages or disadvantages when playing blackjack. And you also know that the advantages and disadvantages aren’t absolute – but that they depend on the player’s unique set of needs and preferences when playing blackjack.
Regardless of the side of the spectrum of online and offline blackjack you’re sitting on – there’s nothing to prevent you from playing both versions of the game. In this way, you can make use of the best sides of both worlds while keeping the disadvantages to a minimum. While most players will develop a preference in terms of online or offline blackjack play, there is still a case to be made that you can play either, depending on your current preferences.
Above all else, it’s important to have fun. Don’t take blackjack too seriously – as this can have a detrimental effect on how you play and experience the game. Take things lightheartedly, and you will do well both in the short and especially in the long run. Remember to use the advantages that we’ve talked about depending on the mode of play that you will pick, as this can significantly enhance your blackjack experience. We hope that you’ll have all the luck in the world when playing and win a lot of money doing so.
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