Comparing Blackjack and Roulette: Which One Deserves Your Time?

When newcomers are first introduced to the world of gambling, blackjack and roulette tend to be some of the first casino games that come on their radar. To answer the question posed in the title of this article, you should probably try both; after all, it’s about broadening your horizons as your gambling journey takes you through understanding the odds and other intricacies of different game formats.

But let’s look even deeper than that. Although any of these games can be a legitimate choice, it’s crucial that you understand the key differences between them so you will be able to choose the one that’s best suited towards your unique tastes and preferences. At the same time, you should also know what both of them have in common. Let’s start with that.

Both blackjack and roulette come in different variants

Have you ever heard the terms “European roulette” or “American roulette”? It’s a term that refers not only to their place of origin, but how the games are structured. In this particular example, one variant of the game has one more zero on the board than the other. If you’ve guessed this has a direct effect on the probability of the spin ending in your favor, you’ve guessed correctly. Due to eliminating one zero from the equation, European roulette comes with a house edge of 2.7%.

Blackjack has even more variants than that, with the house edge lingering anywhere in the 2% to 4% territory depending on the variant played (single deck blackjack yields a house edge of 1.5%). That is assuming you’re following the perfect strategy to begin with and are thus being able to respond to any situation in a manner that is mathematically correct.

If there’s a takeaway here, you could say that playing blackjack requires you to make not only more decisions overall, but more complex ones as well. On the flipside, playing blackjack optimally means lowering the house advantage much more than what is achievable on roulette, even if you’re a seasoned pro.

The amount of games played per hour

Once you feel like you’ve mastered any one of these game types, you’re going to want to increase the number of games you can play per hour. Typically, this can only be done in an online casino setting. Note that you should be perfectly proficient in playing the game before you attempt to do that, because playing more tables requires much more concentration on your end to execute properly.

That taken into the equation, the pros estimate that you can play about twice as much blackjack games per hour compared to what is the case for roulette, partially due to not having that spinning element influencing the duration of a single round. Again, this also depends on whether you’re playing at a brick & mortar casino or online – the latter may allow you to skip or fast-forward the spin to see the result.

On the flipside, blackjack can be demanding enough to play properly as is, and adding more tables than one magnifies that complexity. Ultimately, it comes to the environment you choose and your skills as a player.

What drives you more: the mastery of the game or socializing with others?

Whether it be roulette or blackjack, having a solid understanding of the game you’re playing is important, but it’s not everything. If you’re a quiet student who appreciates having some personal space to study the intricacies of the game, you’re likely to see the social aspect of it with a lesser degree of importance. And, vice-versa, if you’re a social butterfly, you’re going to place it high on your list of priorities.

The next time you visit a casino, take a look at the scenery in the blackjack section of the establishment and compare it to the one you can observe at the roulette tables. Chances are that the latter will attract a larger crowd of people who share their joys and sorrows, depending on the outcome of a spin. It’s also much easier to socialize in a setting like this because roulette, as stated earlier, doesn’t require you to focus as much to play optimally.

So the ultimate question becomes: what drives you more as a player, mastery of the game or its social aspects? Only you know the answer to that one. And if you’d like to experience what it’s like to be in the midst of that energy but there simply isn’t a casino in your local area, playing live casino games can be a good alternative