Differences Between Online Casino Video Poker and Blackjack Games
Aside from slots, video poker and blackjack are the next most popular choice for online casino players and in this article, we are going to explore the main differences between these two games. If you are new to online gambling, it won’t take you long to realize that it’s not like traditional gaming as we know it but it’s certainly more stimulating when there is a little wager at stake. That being said, it is important to know the rules of a casino game before placing your first bet.
Video Poker vs Blackjack – Introduction
Video poker is a mix of slot machines and traditional poker. It requires some skill and some luck and players get to use strategies and make decisions on how to improve their chances of winning. There are huge jackpots up for grabs as well.
Blackjack is a card game usually found in the table games section of online casinos. There is some skill required to win and players also have to make decisions about their cards in order to win. There are lots of variations and some progressive jackpot titles with huge prizes too.
Blackjack is a relatively simple game to play but it is important to remember that different online casinos offer different odds so be sure to check these first. This site has reviewed more than 100 websites for Canadians and lists the best table games bonuses so you can try the games risk-free. Getting a blackjack will usually get you a payout ratio of 3 to 2. A win without a blackjack is 1 to 1. The house edge in blackjack can be lowered by using a strategy and this turns the odds in your favor.
Video Poker vs Blackjack – How To Play
There are lots of video poker titles to choose from, but they all work the same way. You choose your coin value and how many coins you want to bet. You press the deal button and receive five cards. You must select the cards you want to hold in a bid to create the best poker hand possible. Press draw and you will be given new cards for the ones you discarded. Get a qualifying hand and win the corresponding amount on the pay table.
In blackjack, there are three ways to win; if you hit a blackjack, your first two cards total 21, and the dealers don’t; you score higher than the dealer without going over 21; if the dealer busts. The point of the game is to get a higher total than the dealer without going over 21. The game of blackjack begins with the dealer giving you two cards both face-up and two cards to the dealer one face up and one face down.
You choose whether to stand, take more cards, or split a pair if you have two of the same ranking cards. When you’ve made your decision, the dealer turns over their face-down card and either hits or stands. If you win you get a payout.
Video Poker vs Blackjack – Winning Hands
Video poker uses traditional poker hands to determine how much a player will win. These are a royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, and two pair. All the games use the same poker hands but the payouts can vary depending on which title you’re playing. Wild card games make it easier to make big hands and the minimum winning hand is always bigger for these video poker games too.
In blackjack, there are three main categories of cards. These are Aces, faces, and number cards. Aces can count as either a 1 or 11. You also need an ace to make a blackjack. Face cards are Kings, Queens, and Jacks. These are worth 10 points. All remaining cards are worth their numerical value. There are soft and hard hands. A soft hand is where an ace is being counted as 11. Hard hands don’t include an ace.
Video Poker vs Blackjack – Odds, Payouts, and House Edge
The odds, payouts and house edge for video poker is excellent and this is why the game is so popular. Choosing the right video poker game is essential and the payout differs greatly.
For example, the full house payout on Deuces Wild is very small compared with Jacks or Better that will see you win three times as much. Jacks or Better has a bigger payout for smaller hands. Double Bonus Poker pays out more for big hands, and Deuces Wild pay out more for the big hands too. Choosing the right game is important.
Video Poker vs Blackjack – Using Strategies
Video poker and blackjack are similar when it comes to strategies and the difference it can make to how much you win or lose. Learning the basic strategy and using strategy charts in both of these online casino games can help you win more. For video poker memorizing the correct decisions for every different kind of hand you can be dealt will help you win more. Strategy charts and tables show players what to do and they also lower the house edge when used correctly.
Blackjack doesn’t have a fixed house edge and using a basic strategy can help you lower it to your advantage. The best way to do this is by using charts that show all the hands along with the dealer’s faceup card and tell you what decision to make. There are lots of different strategies but for beginners, we recommend starting with the basic strategy and learning it before moving on to anything else. The basic strategy will tell you every move to make.
One big difference between video poker and online blackjack is the availability of live dealer games. You can play live video poker, but you can sit at real live dealer tables if the online gambling site you’re playing it offers them.
Here you get to watch the dealers deal the cards. You get to interact with the dealer and the players, and you can do all this from the comfort of your own home. Check out our article on live dealer games for more information on how live casinos are bringing table games to direct to your PC or mobile device.