BLACKJACK: REAL LIFE VS. ONLINE
Although the rules to the game of blackjack are the same, the experience is vastly different playing online versus playing in a live situation. In the end, it comes down to a personal preference because both have equal advantages and disadvantages.
LIVE BLACKJACK: FRIENDS AND CAMARADERIE
Playing live blackjack in a casino or brick-and-mortar room is tough to replicate online. You can try to mimic the camaraderie you experience with your friends in Las Vegas or at your local casino, but it’s not easy. The gambling experience is optimal when you’re having fun with friends, which is probably why some online casinos make it possible to play blackjack and roulette with your pals. However, in live casinos, you never know which famous people or celebrities might be gambling nearby.

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LIVE CASINOS PAY OUT NOW
If you play blackjack at your favorite casino, you will get paid out at the end of your session. You immediately reap the benefits of your good run. However, cashing out of your online casino often takes a couple of days.
HANDS DEALT: HUMANS VS. ROBOTS
According to Stanford Wong’s book “Professional Blackjack,” a blackjack dealer in Atlantic City, New Jersey can deal 64 hands per hour at a full six-handed table. The number of dealt hands increased with fewer players. A single player heads-up against a dealer will average 248 hands of blackjack per hour. Two players can expect 158 hands per hour. Three players can expect 166 hands per hour. With four players, the number decreases to 91 hands per hour. At five players, you only get 76 hands per hour.
The actual number of hands in a live setting fluctuates with the skill level of the other players. Advanced players tend to make instant decisions, whereas new players slow down the action because they have to think on whether to hit or stand.
When playing online, you will never have to wait for a table and you will never have to worry about other players slowing down the action.
MORE PRIVACY AND NO CROWDS ONLINE
Online blackjack is perfect if you do not like crowds. Live casinos are festive environments, so it is nearly impossible to avoid groups of gamblers partying, smoking, and drinking. Online blackjack experience allows you to play in the safety and confines of your own home. No weirdos sitting in the hot seat. No drunks using the table as open mic night to perform their amateur stand-up comedy routine. Online blackjack can feel like you are playing in your own private room in a casino, yet without having to leave the relaxing comforts of home.
NO COOLERS
There’s a myth in Las Vegas that a pit boss will bring in a “cooler” or specific dealer to cool down a hot table. Hollywood even made a movie about the concept titled “The Cooler,” starring William H. Macy. Whether or not you believe in the urban myth of coolers, you definitely have to handle the quirks and idiosyncrasies of different dealers. After all, no two dealers are alike. With online blackjack, the dealer is always the same and consistent. You do not have to worry about a dealer dealing too slowly, or worry about any potential dealer errors. After all, humans do make mistakes. Also, the computer does not waste any lag time setting up new decks and won’t bore you with corny jokes.
STAKES
I lived in Las Vegas for many years and I can tell you that the casinos on the Strip will raise the limits of blackjack tables specifically to take advantage of the weekend crowd. The same table that was $10 stakes on Tuesday is all of a sudden a $25 table on Friday night. Playing blackjack online allows you to select the stakes. In addition, many online rooms offer smaller stakes, which better accommodates players of all bankroll levels. Good luck finding $1 blackjack at the Luxor in Las Vegas or any major casino these days!
24/7
Searching out an empty seat at a blackjack table during a busy night can be an unpleasant and time-consuming experience. Weekends are tough because all the low-limit tables will be taken up. Unless you want to play way above your bankroll, then you might have to wait a while until a seat opens up. With the ease of online blackjack, you can play whenever you want. You never have to wait or be forced to play at a table you don’t want to be seated at. That’s the beauty of online blackjack, because you pick when and where and how high you want to play.
NO EMBARRASSING MOMENTS
Sometimes gambling in a live setting can be embarrassing or stressful. You never want to make a mistake, but it happens all the time to new players! Although dealers are generally cordial to beginners and will help you out, sometimes your fellow gamblers will not be as patient. That’s why online blackjack is great for beginners so they can learn the game and practice strategy in a relaxed environment without the stress of upsetting anyone.
MORE VARIATIONS ONLINE
You can also find multiple variations of blackjack online, like Double-Deck Atlantic City Blackjack and Premium European Blackjack. Land-based casinos might offer a variety of stakes, but it is rare that they will spread multiple forms of blackjack aside from single-deck blackjack versus the typical 6-deck or 8-deck blackjack.
Online blackjack allows you to play multiple games based on rules at different casinos all over the world. You can play Atlantic City Blackjack if you prefer (in which you play with eight decks), which has a slight variation to European Blackjack (which is played with only six decks).
BONUSES AND FREE MONEY
Although land-based casinos have their own player reward systems in place, online casinos often offer bonus promotions for either signing up a new account, or a reload bonus. In any case, you have more chances to take advantage of free money bonuses online versus grinding out a free buffet at your local casino.
SWITCH GAMES ANY TIME
At a casino, you would have to color up and cash out of your table and then find a new open seat at a different table if you want to play different stakes. It will also be difficult to find different rules at a regional casino. For example, if you are bored playing blackjack in Atlantic City abiding by standard rules, you can’t just all of a sudden play using European rules using six decks instead of eight. You’d have to go through the arduous process of going to the airport and flying to a different country. In the online realm, a different table with different rules is only a click away.

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ONLINE OR LIVE … HOW ABOUT BOTH!
To reiterate, playing blackjack is fun both online and in a live setting. Each experience is different and it all comes down to personal preference and convenience. Not everyone has the benefit of living in Las Vegas or near a local casino. For the folks who have to travel long distances to play blackjack, the online version is a suitable alternative. Then again, nothing can beat the sensation of cashing out racks of chips at the end of a winning night.