Online casino gamers who read Slots Play Casinos regularly know that we promote online casinos over land-based casinos in general, while we still recognize that some people find land-based casinos attractive and fun.
Here we would like to talk about playing blackjack online “like a pro”.
What Are the Big Differences between Online Blackjack and Land-based Blackjack?
There was a time when blackjack at a land-based casino was played with one deck, and really sharp players could count cards and have a serious advantage over the house. That is now history. Land-based casinos usually use a shoe that holds six or eight decks. That makes card counting virtually impossible.
Many land-based casinos use a constantly shuffling machine. That makes card counting absolutely impossible.
How Many Blackjack Tables Can a Casino Hold?
An online casino can hold an unlimited number of blackjack tables. Thus, an online casino might have more than one hundred people playing blackjack at the same time. The number of players could be in the thousands.
At a land-based casino with two blackjack tables, 14 people can play at the same time! This makes online blackjack a lot more accessible to blackjack players.
How Much Do Casinos Pay for a Blackjack?
Soon, we will talk about the return to player rate in blackjack, and the payout for a blackjack plays a very large role in garnering the high return to player rate. Many land-based casinos now pay only 6-5 for a blackjack, while the better online casinos, including all of our reviewed and recommended online casinos, pay out 3-2 for a blackjack.
How Much Can a Frugal Blackjack Player Bet?
At a land-based casino, there might be just one blackjack table because the casino needs every available square foot for slot terminals. The minimum bet at this table might be $5. This might be too much for a player who doesn’t know the best way to play every hand.
When this happens, a player who wants to play blackjack will be functionally frozen out of playing at that land-based casino. It is easy to find a $2 minimum in blackjack at online casinos.
The Trifecta of Differences between Online and Land-based Casinos
So, we have enumerated three areas where online casinos have a distinct advantage over land-based casinos in blackjack:
- Number of tables
- Payout for a blackjack
- Minimum bet
It certainly is possible to find a land-based casino that is functionally like an online casino in these areas, but you will have to do a good deal of research to find them, and then you’ll have to pay travel costs to get there and stay there for a couple of nights.
We find the great advantage in playing blackjack is at online casinos, and we will now talk about playing blackjack online “like a pro”.
Pro Tip #1: Learn how to play every hand
A lot of players still think that they can play blackjack through hunch and obvious decisions. This leads many players to stand whenever they have 12 or more points. So, a blackjack pro always compares his or her hand with the dealer’s up card and decides on that basis how to proceed.
A lot of players at a table at a land-based casino are shocked and horrified when a player hits with 14 points. They fail to see that the dealer is showing an 8. In this situation, it is better to hit than to stand or surrender.
It often happens that the dealer “would have” busted if the player who hit with 14 points had stood. Instead, the dealer gets a high point count, and a lot of the other players lose. Then they blame the player who played the hand correctly for their loss
Learning how to play every hand is a long-term process. It involves looking at your cards and the dealer’s card. It involves knowing when and how to split and double down. It involves knowing how to play soft hands, hands with an ace.
Pro Tip #2: Play blackjack with very specific rules
In the first tip, we mentioned surrender, doubling down, splitting, and soft hands. We recommend playing in games that allow surrender, allow splitting three times, allow doubling down after splitting, and have the dealer stand with soft 17.
Just having the ability to surrender will save gamers a good deal of money, and having the dealer stand with soft 17 will result in many more winning hands for the gamer!
Pro Tip #3: Manage your money well
It is remarkable how many casino players do not really understand the fundamentals of money management. This often leads a tourist to spend $30 on a t-shirt and also leads to a lot of money lost unnecessarily at blackjack.
Just as learning how best to play each hand takes time, really professional money management takes some time. It saves players a lot of money in the long run.
Pro Tip #4: Overcome all fears about making a mistake
Everyone makes a mistake sometimes. Most people make at least one mistake every day. A mistake might be as benign as picking a nectarine that seems fresh but has a soft spot on the reverse side that you didn’t check. A mistake might be “totally pausing” at a stop sign. That mistake costs a lot more than the nectarine.
Some people are so afraid of making a mistake that they make the mistake of not going outside! In blackjack, as much skill as there is in knowing how to play every hand, there is also a lot of luck. So, get over your fear of mistakes. You will win a lot more often and have a lot of fun doing so.
Pro Tip #5: Never take insurance
Casinos offer insurance. Statistical analysis has shown that taking insurance is a very bad decision. It takes a lot of self-control and intestinal fortitude to resist the strong temptation to take insurance.
That’s why the pros never take insurance (in blackjack) and why it is here as a pro tip.
We put “in blackjack” in parentheses because blackjack pros all take insurance in many other areas, from life, health, disability, fire, theft, and so on. Real-life insurance is a good investment that saves people a lot of money when they need it. It’s just that blackjack insurance is not a good investment.
Blackjack is a Great Online Casino Game
We mentioned at the start that the return to player rate is very high in blackjack when you avoid the no-nos and play correctly. Putting in all the time to learn how to play blackjack at its best produces a return to player rate of about 99.5%.
It is a lot less if you take insurance, always stand with 12 points, blame the good player for your losses, and travel to a casino rather than playing at home!
Slots Play Casinos Offers Great Tutorials
We have many blog articles that explain the best ways to play numerous games. We also talk about how simply playing games can help you in everyday matters. Fun is our bottom line, and fun often comes from the simple act of playing.
INTERESTING? COME BACK TO SLOTS PLAY CASINOS OFTEN!
