Blackjack vs. Baccarat – Which Game is Right for You?

🃏 What is Blackjack?

Blackjack is a casino card game where the player plays against the dealer. The aim is to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 as possible without going over. Each card’s value matches its number; e.g., a 2 is worth 2 points, a 5 is worth 5 points, etc. Aces are worth either 1 or 11, and all picture cards are worth 10.

You must place your bet before the round begins. Players are dealt two cards face-up, while the dealer has only one card face-up. During your turn, you can decide to take additional cards to increase your total, or stay on the total you have. Once your turn has ended, the dealer plays their hand according to the game’s rules. When both hands have been played, the totals are compared; if your hand is closest to 21 without going over, your bet is doubled, but if the dealer’s hand is closest to 21, you lose your bet.

🎴 What is Baccarat?

Baccarat is a card game where players bet on the hand that they think is most likely to win. The aim of the game is to get as close to 9 as possible without going over. Each numbered card is counted at face value (with the exception of 10, which is worth 0), aces are worth 1, and all picture cards are worth 0. Each hand is dealt two initial cards and can receive an additional card based on a set of rules. The values of the cards are added together to determine the total, but only the right-most digit is counted; e.g. a 9 and a 7 would give a total of 6 rather than 16.

In baccarat, both hands (called Player and Banker) are controlled by the dealer. There are three betting options available before each round; Player, Banker, and Tie. The Player and Banker betting options have small payouts of 1:1 and 0.95:1 respectively, whereas the Tie bet offers returns of 8:1.

📊 House Edge

Both blackjack and baccarat have a low house edge, but blackjack just edges the contest with an RTP rate of 99.5%. This puts the house edge at just 0.5%. However, to achieve such a low house edge, players must play perfect basic strategy – any deviation will see the house edge increase beyond 0.5%.

The house edge of baccarat varies depending on which betting option you choose. The Banker bet has the lowest house edge of 1.06%, the Player bet isn’t far behind at 1.24%, while the Tie bet is a staggering 14.36%. Due to the significant house edge, we recommend that you avoid the Tie bet when playing baccarat.

🎲 Odds

In baccarat, you have no way to influence the outcome, so the odds are always 45.86% of the time for the Banker bet, 44.62% of the time for the Player bet, and 9.52% of the time for the Tie bet.

In contrast, the odds of winning a single blackjack hand depend heavily on the starting hand and the actions you take. For example, when you’re dealt a 20 against a dealer’s 8, you’ll win more than 70% of the time, but 16 against a dealer’s ace has far lower odds of winning. Furthermore, knowing how to play the hand affects the odds of winning – hitting with 20 against an 8 will almost certainly result in a loss, whereas knowing to hit 16 against the dealer’s ace will increase your chances of winning.

🧠 Strategy

One of the key areas where blackjack and baccarat differ is in the strategy. Baccarat has no strategy at all; the dealer plays both hands according to a predetermined set of rules with no input from the player. This makes the game easy to pick up for beginners and casual players.

Blackjack, on the other hand, has a high degree of player agency. Each hand, you are required to make decisions that affect the outcome of the hand. Adhering to this strategy reduces the house edge, making it one of the best-value games available. However, deviating from this strategy will result in a significant EV loss. We recommend using a basic strategy chart while you play to make sure that you play correctly.

⚡ Speed

The pace of play is an important aspect to consider when choosing an online casino game, and both baccarat and blackjack perform well in this regard. Baccarat is the fastest game of the two, as all actions are predetermined, whereas players must take the time to make decisions while playing blackjack. When playing single-player versions of these games, both blackjack and baccarat keep up a strong pace.

However, when playing live dealer games, the pace of baccarat is far better than blackjack. As baccarat is fully controlled by the dealer, the hands are immediately played once the round begins, which keeps the pace at a steady rate. When playing blackjack, each player at the table must make a decision, which drastically slows the rate of play.

💰 Betting Limits

As casino table games, blackjack and baccarat have similar betting limits. Most casual games start at $1 per hand with a max limit of $500 per hand. Some casinos will run VIP tables that increase both the minimum and maximum betting limits, allowing high rollers to enjoy the game.

🔀 Game Variants

Another key difference between blackjack and baccarat is the number of variants available at online casino sites. As arguably the most popular table game, blackjack has received hundreds of different variants, many of which can be accessed at our recommended casinos. These variants offer interesting new game mechanics, such as Blackjack Switch, different payouts based on hand composition, such as Sweet 16 Blackjack, and different visual styles, such as 3D Blackjack.

In comparison, baccarat has a relatively small number of variants available, such as No Commission Baccarat, Punto Banco, and Baccarat Squeeze. While these offer small changes to the established gameplay, they don’t offer the same variety as blackjack.

📚 Complexity

Part of the reason for the popularity of both blackjack and baccarat is the fact that they’re easy to learn. Each game has a small number of rules to remember, making it easy for you to follow the action as a beginner.

That being said, it’s clear that baccarat is the simpler game of the two. Baccarat requires no player input, and, once you’ve learned how the point system works, is easy to follow. Blackjack, on the other hand, requires you to make decisions based on the information presented to you, which can be overwhelming for beginners.

📋 Side-by-Side Feature Summary

✅ Benefits of Playing Blackjack

• Low House Edge – One of the most appealing aspects of blackjack is the 0.5% house edge that’s possible when playing basic strategy.
• Accessible Betting – Most blackjack games have accessible betting limits, letting you play from as little as $1 per hand.
• Engaging Gameplay – Blackjack is a unique casino game in that you can make decisions which affect the outcome of the hand.
• Multiple Variants – There are dozens, if not hundreds of different blackjack variants available.

✅ Benefits of Playing Baccarat

• Easy To Play – All you have to do to play baccarat is bet on the outcome that you think will happen.
• Good House Edge – The Banker and Player bets offer a good house edge at 1.06% and 1.24% respectively.
• Fast Action – Baccarat is a fast-paced game that keeps your attention while you play.
• Beginner-Friendly – Thanks to its low minimum betting limits, baccarat is highly accessible.

🎯 Expert Summary

While blackjack and baccarat may seem like similar games, there are a number of key differences between them. The biggest difference is in the gameplay; blackjack requires players to make decisions that affect the outcome of the hand, whereas baccarat is entirely controlled by the dealer and requires zero player involvement. Blackjack also has a lower house edge than baccarat, although baccarat is a more fast-paced game – particularly when playing live dealer games.

👉 Check out our list of recommended casinos to find the best places to play your favourite blackjack and baccarat games.