There are few card games out there that have proven themselves as timeless as Blackjack. This staple of the casino tables remains a popular choice among players, both in land-based venues and online.
In fact, there’s even a format that combines elements of the two – live Blackjack.
But how far does the live dealer format differ from other online Blackjack games? Read on to find out as we explore the key differences between the two.
Gameplay experience
The most obvious difference between live Blackjack and other online Blackjack games is in their gameplay experience.
Standard online games feature a digital dealer, with the computer determining the outcome of each card draw through the use of a random number generator (RNG). This replicates the randomness involved with the shuffling and dealing of physical playing cards, with the RNG making the results of every card draw impossible to predict.
In effect, the deck is essentially reshuffled after each card is drawn so that there is no way to predict which card will come out of the deck next.
Live Blackjack utilises a live dealer rather than a computer, with all the cards being physically handled and shuffled in the studio. This means that players can watch the shuffle in real-time, and the deck is only reshuffled at set instances.
User interface and technology
Naturally, the presence of the live dealer in games of live Blackjack adds an extra layer of technology to proceedings. Not only are there high-definition cameras that capture multiple angles of the physical game table and dealer, there needs to be solid digital infrastructure in place for the live-streaming of all that footage.
This information – and the data of each card that’s drawn – needs to be incorporated seamlessly into the user interface and game system. This is where optical character recognition (OCR) comes into play, with this tech allowing the computer to convert images of the physical cards into readable digital data.
The user interface in a game of live Blackjack must account for the video feed and physical game elements, where a more standard game of online Blackjack doesn’t.
Pacing
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between online and live Blackjack is the relative pacing of the game, as live dealer games run to a set pace.
In the same way that playing a game of Blackjack in a land-based casino would proceed according to a specific pace, so too does live Blackjack. The dealer must shuffle and deal the cards manually, with pauses for players to make decisions within set time limits.
This makes for a slightly slower overall pace compared to a game of online, digital Blackjack where there are not other players to account for. In games with a computer dealer players can set their own pace of gameplay, taking as much time to consider their hand and decisions as they want.
As you can see, there are some definite differences when it comes to live Blackjack vs other forms of online Blackjack. Which of the two forms a player prefers is entirely down to what they’re looking for in a game, whether that’s a live dealer or purely digital gameplay.
