When you walk through any prestigious casino, you’ll find two table games that never seem to run out of players: blackjack and baccarat.
Although the two classic card games have a lot in common – two two-card starting hands, extra cards drawn at random and even cash payouts on the base bet – many blackjack players can’t stand baccarat, and vice versa. Below, you’ll find some of the advantages blackjack has over baccarat. At the end, visit Maxbet and put all your new found knowledge into practice.
1. Skill and strategy always beat blind luck
The main difference between blackjack and baccarat couldn’t be more obvious. In the former, skill and strategy characterise the game of blackjack, while in the latter, random chance and blind luck dominate.
While the starting hand of two cards is dealt randomly in blackjack, players are given the opportunity to actually decide what to do with those cards. The ability to bet on strong hands, hit on weaker totals, split paired cards to form two separate hands, and double down in favorable positions is what makes real-money blackjack such a special game.
Most of the time, experienced players prefer to have some form of control over the final outcome of their bets. If they wanted random chance to decide things, they would simply play slots or roulette.
2. Learning the basic strategy is the best option
Decisions, decisions, decisions… blackjack is all about the player’s decision-making ability. And this can very well be called basic strategy. The whole concept boils down to assessing the potential strength of the dealer’s hand based on his single exposed “high card”, then comparing it to what you have through the two cards.
For each conceivable scenario of top card vs. starting hand, the basic strategy charts show you the most mathematically profitable decision from a probability perspective.
If you’ve never studied basic blackjack strategy guides, do yourself a favor and check one out right now. Then, search for a free online blackjack variant and put that knowledge into practice.
In time, you’ll find that you’ll no longer rely on luck or intuition to make your moves, but on the skills you’ve learned through practice.
3. House edge is cut in half
One of the advantages of knowing a basic strategy is that playing perfectly reduces the inherent house advantage to about 0.50%.
For perspective, poor blackjack players who play blindly face a much steeper statistical climb than a 1.50% house advantage (or even higher, depending on how poor the player really is). Essentially, knowing the basic strategy well makes blackjack three times easier to beat in the long run.
As for baccarat, the house edge is 1.06% for the banker’s bet and 1.24% for the player’s bet. So, right off the bat, blackjack is the better game from the player’s perspective.
More importantly, while blackjack players can get better and reduce the house edge to that 0.50% rate, baccarat players are stuck with what they get.
4. An individual yet team game
One of the common casino experiences goes something like this. The table is full of players and everyone gets their cards. Some players have great hands, others haven’t necessarily had good card luck, but the dealer shows a card from 6 up. Everyone acts on their own hand, no one gives up because the dealer is very poor, and the drama escalates.
Then there it is – BOOM! The dealer throws a card face up, and the whole table celebrates the collective victory together while cashing in their winnings.
Admittedly, this feeling of camaraderie can’t compare to that at a crowded craps table when the shooter gets hot. However, a table-wide blackjack win provides a sense of togetherness that simply doesn’t exist when playing baccarat.
5. Getting the premium payout for natural blackjack
When you catch a 100 Ron win at baccarat, the most you can win on the player’s bet is 100 Ron.
Even more, due to the small inherent advantage of the banker’s hand over the player’s hand, winning banker bets only bring back $95 after paying the 5% “commission” fee.
Blackjack, on the other hand, involves no commission. In fact, when you catch a blackjack (any ace + any 10 value) on the split, you can turn that $100 into $150, thanks to the 3:2 premium payout odds. And even if you’re stuck at a 6:5 paytable, hitting blackjack brings you a profit of 120 Ron on a 100 Ron bet.
Conclusion
Blackjack and baccarat are so popular because they appeal to different types of players. Players who prefer baccarat over blackjack go to the casino for pure, unadulterated fun with a game of chance.
Conversely, blackjack aficionados tend to be more conservative, wanting an element of control over the proceedings. Whichever game you choose of the two, remember to bet cautiously, without risking your hard-earned cash. Good luck!
