In Contrast: Blackjack vs. Baccarat

Posted by DG, Date posted at February 25, 2023

Blackjack and Baccarat rank among the top casino games enthusiasts goes after in both land-based casinos and online gaming sites. For the newbie, the two games can be quite similar and quite confusing.

They do use the same deck of cards as do other table games, too. The emergence of online casinos makes jumping into the games a daunting task if this is your first time into games. We’ve gathered the details and information that will have you readily tell the difference between blackjack and baccarat. You’d be surprised that you might be leaning more towards one than the other when it comes to the pace and strategies you need.

Why it’s important to distinctly know blackjack and baccarat?

To be able to fully enjoy the game one chooses — and play for the first time — you really need to know the details that make each game stand out from the rest.

Baccarat and blackjack indeed are top of the ranks when it comes to popularity in casino games and this has been for a long time. Both are simple to play and at quite a fast pace. It’s best to make sure one knows the difference between the two and what strategies can work.

Here are further details to help you see which will fit your preferences perfectly. Make sure to take notes to quickly make decisions later on.

Blackjack backgrounder

This is a two-player game where you or the dealer must make a total of “21” points from your hands or as close to this as possible. You’ll first receive two cards as your hand and the choice if you’re going to hit or stand.

Hitting means you’ll be adding another card to the total while standing means keeping your hand as it is. Once you decide to stand, the game goes back to the dealer.

When the dealer goes beyond “21”, they’re “bust” — the same applies to your hand if this happens. Dealers also need to comply with rules like having a “stand” on a total of 17. There are also various different side bets but let’s have this in another article for it can get confusing. Let’s stick to the basics for now.

You might also want to read: Blackjack Basic & Advanced Strategy Guide

Baccarat backgrounder

This is also a two-hand game. The dealer’s or banker’s and yours. The objective of the game is to score a total that’s as close to nine as possible. You’ll be placing bets on which hand you feel is closest to this before the reveal.

Much like blackjack, things can get a little more complex. There are certain rules that are observed in baccarat like when it comes to allowing a third card to add to either hand. Be assured though that for many players, it’s one of the easiest casino games to dive into.

You might want to read: Tips to Win Baccarat

Strategy differences

The very sharp difference is seen in the strategy you’ll take when it comes to baccarat or blackjack.

For blackjack, this is more complex. You need to decide to either hit or stand from play to play. Truly a lot of guesswork, weighing in on the odds, and the like.

With baccarat, this is simpler. All one needs to do is guess which hand (yours or the dealer’s) will be closest to nine. It’s more of luck and gut feeling going on.

Another area is the time placed on making decisions. In blackjack, it is faster and more thrilling albeit frantic. For baccarat, you can have more time choosing which hand will be the winner.

Risk differences

The house edge is larger when it comes to baccarat. This shows that the probability of winning is better if you play the game of blackjack.

But in this larger house edge comes a bigger potential for bigger prizes. Players tend to choose the prize factor most of the time. They go for the possibility of winning impressive prizes more than the ease of playing the game.

Do note that there are different twists to the games of baccarat and blackjack. Just look into our pages here to take a deep dive on this, too.

Availability compared

Going through all these details, we can sum up that blackjack has the overall edge over baccarat. Most casinos, both land-based and online sites always have blackjack in their roster as well as a high number of varieties of the game.

Baccarat is considered more of a niche game where there is a specific set of players who look for baccarat. This means that the smaller casinos might not have this available. It’s best to stick to the top ranks of online casino sites to get a good roster of games on baccarat. You can also look up Evolution Gaming — they are among the creators of online baccarat games. They’ll be able to point you to the casino operators who carry their line.

Wrapping things up

It’s safe to say that blackjack and baccarat have differing merits, risks, and potential. It’s easy to see why some may get the two games confused! However, dig deeper into the mechanics of these games, and you’ll find two very different casino experiences.