Should I Ditch My Cards In Favour of a Mouse?
You’re sat in your regular home game with your Ellusionist vintage Bicycle Cards fanned out in front of you, when the question hits you: is this the best place for me to play? Anyone that’s been around the casino world for any length of time will know that playing live can be vastly different than online gaming.
From poker and baccarat to blackjack, most would say there are some subtle nuances that exist in a real setting that just aren’t there online. Indeed, as you gently riffle the cards in front of you and feel the rub of the plastic coating, you start to run through some of the difference between live and online betting in your favourite game, blackjack.
• Online blackjack is quicker, but live blackjack gives you more time to think.
• Live blackjack contains distinct sights and sounds, but online blackjack is all business.
• Online blackjack’s deals all happen behind the scenes, while live blackjack’s dynamics are there for all to see.
The Differences are Subtle but Significant
In some ways, the choice between live and online blackjack is a coin flip. Naturally, as a seasoned casino bettor, you know that coin flips are as good as hot favourites, which means there’s no easy way to turn. Fortunately, you don’t have to make a difficult choice anymore. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, casino players contemplating a new way to play can now have the best of both worlds.
When you head online and scour through lobbies of the top online casinos, live dealer table games are now the hottest ticket in town. Essentially fusing the best elements of live and online blackjack and stuffing them into a single game, live dealer tables mean you now don’t have to make a tough choice.
If you take a look at Betway Casino’s live dealer blackjack table, you’ll find European tables with betting limits ranging from £5 to £1,000 as well as side bets with a £1,000 limit. On top of that, you’ll also find at least eight decks in play, the dealer hitting on 16 or below and options to split and double at will.
Technology Brings Reality to the Virtual World
OK, so what’s different about the live blackjack table compared to one of the other offerings at Betway such as Atlantic City Blackjack Gold Series? Well, instead of a virtual table and a random number generator, this game is an all-live affair. OK, so it’s not 100% live because you’re not there. But, in terms of the action in front of you, everything is happening just as it would in a live casino.
As you’d expect, the most intriguing aspect of these games for us here at Giftsforcardplayers.com is the cards. Thanks to tiny RFID transmitters inside each card and a sensor on the table, each deal is tracked by the system and then relayed to Betway. In turn, each bet a player makes (by pointing and clicking their mouse) is shown to the dealer.
Once you’ve pieced these elements together and broadcast the scenes through HD webcams, you’ve basically got a game where you get all the thrills of live blackjack with all the efficiency of the online game. Although you may not be able to sit and ponder your decisions for quite as long at a live dealer online table as you would in a real casino, the game does have a more relaxed pace. Not only that, but because you can see the dealer’s shoe, watch them shuffle and spot each card as it’s dealt, you get a much better feel for the action.
Straddle the Divide for Maximum Entertainment
Bricks and mortar stalwarts will appreciate this ability to take in the subtleties you’d see in a real game, but what’s more impressive is that they don’t need to leave their house to get it. For card players, this ability to merge two worlds in an exciting new dynamic is a huge plus.
Indeed, instead of sitting there in your home game with a deck of cards wondering if the virtual arena holds more promise, you can now straddle the two. In fact, if the virtual reality market becomes the $162 billion/£133 billion force IDC has predicted, then we could see these games become even more immersive in the coming years.
Combining this technology with Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear would make you feel as though you were really sat at the table. If that day does come, then your decision to go online becomes an easier one to make. Does all this mean you’re bankroll will grow? Well, as we all know that all depends on you, the cards and the moves you make.
