Can You Use Traditional Gambling Tactics Online?

Posted by Harry Kane on Wednesday, January 4, 2017

We will soon be poised for a generational shift in the world of gambling, where mobile and online platforms will become the universally dominant platforms. At present, however, there are still some players who have honed their skills and strategies offline, while even those who operate predominantly online may have based their approach on traditional gameplay.

Either way, there is a need to transition between these two platforms and adapt to the demands of online gambling. The question that remains is whether traditional gambling strategies can be transferred online, or whether new tactics must be deployed to achieve sustained success and growth as a player?

Can Traditional Strategies be Transferred online?

To understand this further, we decided to look at three individual games and the online strategies required for success. These include:

1. Poker

Perhaps the single most complex and skilled table game, offline poker players often rely on psychology and body language to optimise their hands (and in some instances win with a relatively modest draw). This is not possible when playing online or video poker, however, as you cannot study your opponents, identify physical tells or react to individuals.

This type of studious and analytical mind-set can be transferred online, however, as you have the opportunity to review numerical data and the playing statistics of your rivals. This can be extremely insightful in terms of judging your opponents’ appetite for risk and playing style, while it can also inform in-game decisions when opposing them directly during a hand.

2. Blackjack

Whenever you play blackjack, basic numeracy and mathematical skills are important regardless of the platform. Online players must also deal with a slightly quicker and more frenetic pace, however, meaning that these skills must be honed and used to inform rapid, in-game decision making.

The basic strategies used to succeed at blackjack remain largely unchanged in the virtual realm, however, thanks primarily to the simplistic nature of the game and the fact that your forced to play against the dealer rather than opposing players (in most instances, at least). The key is to choose the right variation and understand changeable rules before starting (such as whether or not the dealer stands on a soft 17).

This will help you to thrive when playing blackjack online or through your smartphone!

3. Roulette

While it is something of a gambler’s fallacy to pre-empt specific number sequences in roulette, offline players have attempted this for generations. The use of a random number generator (RNG) makes this even more of a futile strategy online, however, although there are traditional strategies than can be applied to the virtual medium.

The online iterations of roulette are increasingly authentic too, with live dealer interaction and realistic pacing of two wheel spins per minute making it easier to transfer tried and tested strategies.  Due to the immersive nature of online gaming, however, it may be better to avoid existing systems such as the Martingale and the Fibonacci, as these require you to essentially multiply and double-up on losses with subsequent bets. Instead, focus on optimising your odds of success by choosing single zero, European roulette and spreading your bets evenly and consistently over the course of a session.