Baccarat Vs Blackjack – Which Is the Better Game?
Take a walk around the gaming floor of any modern casino and you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in on the action. There are slot machines, jackpot poker, sports betting, bingo, and Keno. You’ll also find every type of table game including baccarat, poker, roulette, and crap. There’s an almost endless list of ways you can have an exciting time at the brick-and-mortar casino. And the same goes for online casinos as well.
Here at Blackjackchamp.com, we’re bound to be a little biased. And that’s why, even though new games can be a lot of fun, we prefer the classics. It’s worthwhile considering why every casino, online or offline, continues to offer games like baccarat, roulette, craps, and blackjack. These are games that have been played for many years. And yet remain the most popular games at all casinos. Today we thought we’d take some time to compare a couple of real money classic games. Let’s see how blackjack and baccarat stack up against each other. You can look up this as the casino game’s heavyweight fight to see who wins the best classic casino game.
What Is Blackjack?
The card game with blackjack involves players competing against the dealer. Everyone is trying to get as close to 21 but without going over. All blackjack games begin with the player receiving two face-up cards.
But on the other hand, the dealer receives two cards, one will be face up and the other face down. As a player, you have the option of whether to stand, or hit, based on the strength of your two cards.
Blackjack Game Play
Now if you happen to go over 21, then you will close automatically. If you decide to stand then the dealer will play his hand according to a predetermined set of rules. By going bust the dealer automatically loses. But if the dealer gets a 17 or higher, they will stand and draw no more additional cards. Then it’s the case of showing your hands and seeing who’s hand is closer to 21.
Blackjack Odds
At this point, the player would automatically win that bet. But even better, they will get paid out in odds rather than even money. Depending on the casino you’re playing in, whether online or offline, you’ll be offered either 3-2 or 6-5 on blackjack. What all players love about blackjack is that the decisions you make will have a meaningful impact on the outcome. In other words, if you’re able to play perfect blackjack strategy, then you’re going to win more often than lose.
What Is Baccarat?
To the untrained eye, the casino game of baccarat looks very similar to blackjack. When it comes to betting, baccarat players have three options. They can wager on the banker, the player, or a tie. Once the bets are made, then the dealer will deal two cards to both players and the house or banker. Once again, there’s a set of predetermined rules deciding whether the player or the banker draws an additional card. Unlike blackjack, there are no decisions to be made for the player. Only on who they place their bets.
As previously mentioned, the winning blackjack hand is the one closest to 21, but without going over. Or as they say, going “bust.” In baccarat, there’s no such thing as going over and the winner will be the hand that gets closer to 9.
Scoring In Baccarat
To calculate the score of a baccarat hand, you simply add up both cards. Keep in mind that the Aces through nines will count as their face value. The tens and face cards are counted as zero. In other words, if you have a nine and a seven then this will add up to 16, But the one drops off and so the hand is counted as a 6. Yes, we can all agree that this is going to be pretty confusing for any novice player or a beginner. But it only takes a couple of hands to get the hang of how the scoring works. An important point to remember is that you can’t go over 9 in any baccarat hand.
Baccarat Payouts
Now once the baccarat hands have been dealt, and all the draws have been taken by the player’s hand and the banker’s hand, then the person closest to 9 will win. If both hands are tied, then all bets on the player and the banker push and are refunded. Any bets on the tie are going to be paid out in odds of 8-1.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that, as a player, you should be reaching for the player’s hand. Likewise, it’s a mistake to think that the house is always rooting for the banker’s hand. Though this may be the case on many occasions, it’s not always so. That’s because the player can bet on either hand.
Remember You Pay A commission On The Banker’s Hand
We must confess that in the game of baccarat, the common saying that “the house always wins” is certainly true. Consider for a moment that you can bet on the banker’s hand. And if it goes on to win, then you also win too. You’ll find several different variations of baccarat available. But if you’re playing the traditional version on the baccarat table, then the player’s bet will pay out even money. But the bet on the banker’s hand, though it pays even money, also takes a 5% commission for the house. Unfortunately, this slight difference in payouts tends to favor the banker’s hand. But then again, this is a casino game. And this is a way they build the house edge into the game’s structure.
The Similarities Between The Two
If you were to stand at either a baccarat or blackjack table, from a visual outlook the games are going to appear to be very similar. After all, both the player and the deal each receive two cards to start. And then draw additional cards to help improve their hands. But that’s about it as far as the similarities go between blackjack and baccarat. In the same way, you could say that the cards are dealt by a dealer and there are chips and a gaming table. But then again, this will be true in every other table game in the casino.
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The Differences Between The Two
Once you understand the gameplay and rules, then you’ll realize that there are a whole host of differences between baccarat and blackjack. Probably the biggest one is that in baccarat, the player has no decision on the outcome of the game. As a player, you can only decide if you want to wager on the bank or the player’s hand or a tie. From that point onwards, you can only watch helplessly as the game unfolds in front of you. Whereas in blackjack, you can choose to stand or hit, or maybe even surrender. Everything revolves around your hand, the dealer’s hand, and the other cards that are lying on the table in front of you.
Active Gaming Vs Passive Gaming
In blackjack, decisions like doubling down, splitting pairs, or surrendering can drastically change the outcome of the game. The fact that the player can alter the outcome in blackjack means these games are almost the opposite. In one game you have no choice but to simply watch. But in the other game, by using strategies, you’re able to better control the destiny of your hand. you can find out more about this when you play online. You can play the best online blackjack games at 22Bet Casino. After just a few rounds, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to play blackjack, as well as the rules.
Understanding The Rules Matters
One downside when playing blackjack is that, if you don’t fully understand the basic blackjack rules or make use of basic strategy, then this can work against you. For example, you’ve probably seen a player that splits tens against an Ace on the blackjack table. Or hits a 14 when the dealer is showing a bust card like a 6. Without a basic understanding of the significance of both of these game plays, will only serve to increase the house edge like against you.
By choosing your destiny, you may well feel that you have a bigger edge. But like many novice players without both the experience and the knowledge, then you are going to hurt yourself in the long run.
Baccarat vs Blackjack – So, Which Game Is Better?
As we are massive blackjack fans, we would naturally point to blackjack as being the better game. But in truth, the result falls somewhere between both of them. After all, both games are a good gamble as they both have small house advantages. But you have to remember that there’s a huge space between the theoretical holds and the actual hold. And in blackjack so much depends on the skill of the player. Keep in mind that not all blackjack games are equal. Some pay out 3-2, whereas others may pay out 6-5. Likewise, some tables will only allow you to double down on two cards. You may well find casinos also allow you to split Aces up to four times.
Baccarat Is Better!
For the counterargument, many will argue that baccarat is better. They will claim that because there’s nothing to do but watch the game play out, then it’s impossible to mess things up. The decision-making is simply out of your hands. And there are no winning strategies to think about. Of course, all players sitting at the blackjack table are trying hard not to mess things up. But sometimes, with all the stress of the game, this is impossible to maintain. Just because blackjack is the best game doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be more fun.
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Playing Baccarat Poorly Makes No Difference
The thing about baccarat is that the house essentially protects you from you doing anything foolish. The gameplay doesn’t allow you to make sudden drastic decisions that change the house’s advantage. In other words, playing poorly has little effect on the eventual outcome of the game. Because there’s no such thing as playing baccarat “better” or “worse”, it means that the actual casino hold is very close to the theoretical hold on a baccarat table.
You’ll find a standard baccarat game will hold less than 2%. Now, when you compare this to a blackjack game, you’ll find that on the whole, the hold is normally double digits. So when it comes to having a chance to win real money baccarat games are the clear winner.
Conclusion: Baccarat Vs Blackjack
Though it pains us to say it, we have to confess that baccarat is a better game. It gives all players a much better bang for their buck when it comes to both the hold and the house advantage. If you don’t believe us, simply go online 22Bet Casino where you can play both games as “free play.” This allows you free blackjack practice. It gives you a chance to understand the strategies, gameplay, and rules. As you can’t lose any real money, then you can build up confidence as you begin to understand how each game functions. At Blackjackchamp.com we think that gambling should not just be about winning. But about having a good time. And with baccarat having such easy gameplay, then in truth, it’s a much more enjoyable experience.
