The most popular table game in most casinos is blackjack. This is true whether you’re playing in live casinos or at real money online casinos. Blackjack is one of the simplest games to learn.

However, there are a few differences between playing blackjack online as opposed to playing it live. Today, we will look at the differences between live and online blackjack.

Online Plays Faster

The first thing you will notice about online blackjack is that it plays much faster than the live version. That’s because the game takes out the human element. It is just you against the computer dealer. All wins are paid out immediately and much faster than any human could do so.

Also, unless you’re playing Live Dealer blackjack, you will not play against other players. This speeds up the game as well.

More Variants Available

If you play blackjack in live casinos, you may only find a couple of different versions. Larger casinos may offer other forms of blackjack, but those games will generally only run during peak traffic times.

When you play at online casinos, you will generally find multiple versions of the game available. Unlike live casinos, if the game is offered, you can play it. You don’t have to worry about the casino having enough staff to run the game or waiting for peak hours to play.

Lower Minimum Bets

If you’ve played blackjack in live casinos, you’ve probably been forced to pay at least $5 per hand. That’s usually the minimum stakes at most live casinos. If you blackjack at the best online casinos, you will generally find games at much lower stakes.

On average, the lowest stakes for blackjack is $1 per bet. On occasion, you will find casinos that offer stakes as low as .10. Of course, you will also find higher limit blackjack tables with some games going up to $5,000 per hand.

No Card Counter Advantage

Some players are good at tracking the number of face cards and aces in a deck. Others are outright card counters and had a significant advantage in some live blackjack games. This edge is completely eliminated in online blackjack.

Live Blackjack. For starters, you will never have a game with fewer than six decks of cards. Even if there is such a game online, the game shuffles the decks after each hand. There’s simply no way to count cards in online blackjack. This is good for the casinos but bad for advantage players.

Comps Are Worse Online

If you play blackjack in live casinos, you have a good chance of building up some comps. The more you play, the more you will earn. You don’t have to be a high roller as many casual players can earn some decent comps and rewards playing blackjack.

However, playing online blackjack does not reward you the same way as online slots do. In fact, most online casinos only credit blackjack bets 10% towards any wagering requirement. For example, you will have to wager $10 to get a $1 credit towards any wagering requirement. Only those who put in serious volume have any chance of clearing online casino bonuses with blackjack.

So Which is Better?

If you’re trying to decide whether online blackjack or live blackjack is better, it all depends on your preferences and tendencies. For players that like to earn generous comps or are advantage players, then live blackjack is what you should stick to.

For those that are looking to play lower stakes or like to dabble in different games regularly, online blackjack is going to be your best option. Regardless of which you pick, you’ll find plenty of casinos with games to meet your needs.