Slots Play Casinos is an online site that generally covers online casino gaming. While we do recognize that land-based casinos still hold some attraction for casino players, we feel strongly that online casino play is the now and the future of all casino gaming.
To that end, a lot of gamers are looking for advice about how to handle gaming at an online casino. No single article could fully explain every nuance of casino gaming online. It is, however, possible to divide the discussion into two parts: playing games of chance and playing games of skill.
Video Poker and Blackjack are the Main Casino Games of Skill
Before we get into the area indicated by the title of this article, we should point out a few salient facts about blackjack and video poker played online or on land.
- The return to player rate in both games is about 99.5% if you play every hand correctly.
- In order to reduce the return to player rate, many land-based casinos pay less for good hands in both games.
- Video poker is a video game both online and at land-based casinos.
- Blackjack is a live game at land-based casinos, which means that a player might have a conflict with other players.
- Unlike in slots, there is no volatility in either blackjack or video poker, whether you play at an online or a land-based casino.
Personality Has Very Little to Do with Distinguishing between Blackjack and Video Poker
Some people have said that there is a personality factor in which of these two games different players prefer. We will contend that there is no personality factor involved in discussing which game is better.
There is, however, a big personality factor involved in distinguishing between games of chance and games of skill. Gamers who prefer games of chance want to be able to pay without thinking too deeply about their next move. In slots, there is virtually no thinking.
Sometimes the free spins bonus round will offer more free spins with a lower multiplier or fewer free spins with a higher multiplier.
But functionally, gamers can play slots as a perfect source of unwinding and relaxation. This comes with a very big proviso: that you set very strict time and money budgets for playing games of chance. Without such set limits, a gamer could easily run through a lot more money than they wanted to allocate for casino gaming. A gamer might fall into a loop and play when they should be attending to other responsibilities.
Games of Skill Are Less Likely to Relax Gamers
This means that during the actual gaming, players will feel the pressure of making the correct decision or decisions on every hand. Gamers who love blackjack and video poker thrive on this kind of pressure.
Keep in mind that the pressure a gamer might feel while playing video poker and blackjack is mitigated by the super high return to player rate. There is pressure, however.
So, we might divide players of games of chance and players of games of skill as people who like to act under pressure and people who do not like to act under pressure.
Learning the Best Strategy in Blackjack and Video Poker Might Seem Daunting
This attitude is usually expressed by players who like the games of chance over the games of skill. In reality, a player who thrives on acting under pressure will also thrive on the challenge of learning the best strategy for the games of skill.
There are many games that people play against a single opponent or in a group. Some require close attention, and some don’t. It would seem that people who like the games that require close attention also like blackjack and video poker, and people who like games that require a bare minimum of attention prefer games of chance.
Learning the best strategy for every contingency in the games of skill takes time and effort, and the type of gamer who enjoys investing the time and effort gets great satisfaction from doing so.
How Does Best Strategy Differ between Video Poker and Blackjack?
In video poker, you play against the pay table. You will lose as many hands as you win, roughly speaking, so a major part of video poker strategy is to try to increase your chances of getting a higher-paying hand.
In other words, the high return to player rate in video poker is a function of a gamer’s ability to eke out a better paying hand from what started out as a minimally winning hand or a losing hand.
In blackjack, you play against the dealer, who represents the house. The dealer cannot choose to make any strategic decisions: his or her decisions are defined by the rules of the game.
In blackjack, every decision you make has to be made while you consider the dealer’s up card. You might hit with your first decision and then stand with the second. The dealer’s up card is no less important in blackjack than your own point count.
You Need a Certain Amount of Courage to Play Blackjack at an Online Casino
This is a reference to what we mentioned above, that playing blackjack at a land-based casino might put you in conflict with other players. The most common conflict is when you hit with 12 or more points.
There are many cases when that is the correct decision. But, at almost every land-based blackjack table, there will be a player who never hits with 12 or more points, and they will blame you for their losses if you do correctly hit sometimes with 12 or more points.
So, to finally answer the original question, for this reason alone, at a land-based casino, video poker is superior to blackjack.
However, a Lot of Land-based Casinos Underpay for High Hands in Video Poker
We mentioned this above as well. A lot of land-based casinos pay out only 8-5 or 7-5 for a full house and a flush in video poker. The online casinos we recommend here at Slots Play Casinos pay 9-6 for these hands.
So, while blackjack at a land-based casino might not be recommended, because of possible conflicts with other players, in many cases, neither is video poker recommended at a land-based casino.
Thus, we arrive at the conclusion that at an online casino, such as the ones we recommend, video poker and blackjack have little to distinguish them from each other. They both have a 99.5% return to player rate with correct play on every hand.
The only parameter to consider is which game you like more. This is highly subjective, of course. Here at Slots Play Casinos, we say that both games are challenging enough and satisfying enough to make them each worthy of your gaming time and study.
Slots Play Casinos Sees Online Gaming as the True Future of Casino Play
We cover mainly online casinos because we see the future in this kind of casino. Many old brick-and-mortar casinos will likely close going forward. SPC will be there for you when you want more information about online casino gaming.
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