Battle of the Titans – Roulette vs. Blackjack

Posted by Harry Kane on Thursday, May 28, 2020

In many ways, table games aren’t the force in iGaming that they once were in brick-and-mortar casino locations. This is definitely borne out by the numbers, with the iGaming market dominated by slots and online sports betting.

If we drill deeper into the total online casino GGY, we see that slots actually account for nearly two-thirds (64.5%) of the overall yield. Conversely, table games claimed just 15.8% of this marketplace, while poker trailed well behind with a paltry 5.9% share.

Still, blackjack and roulette remain key drivers of the live casino experience, while they also remain popular amongst players who are transitioning from land-based casinos to online alternatives.

But which of these games is right for you? We’ll address this in the post below, as we compare both games and determine the key considerations when making your selection.

Blackjack and Roulette – The Basics Explained

The contrast between blackjack and roulette can be both stark and minimal, depending on which aspect of the games that you’re focusing on.

For example, both are largely games of chance that enable players to apply strategy as a way of optimising their returns, but each have variable rule sets and features that impact directly on their prevailing house edge.

So, let’s get started by exploring the fundamentals of each game and identifying the key similarities and differences that exist.

An Introduction to Blackjack

We’ll start with blackjack, and for the purposes of the article we’ll review the standard (or classic) iteration of the game.

This card game pits you in direct competition with an interactive dealer, and the objective is to beat them by getting as close to 21 as possible with your hand without exceeding this total.

With this in mind, the highest ranking hand is the so-called ‘blackjack’, which consists of an ace (which can be worth one or 11 depending on the nature of your hand) and a 10-point card (including Jacks, Queens or Kings).

This hand pays out at 3/2, so if you bet two chips at an individual betting unit of £5, you’ll stake £10 in total and earn a £15 profit. All other winning blackjack hands payout at 1/1, but we’ll have a little more on these odds and how they compare with roulette a later on in the piece.

As for the gameplay, each player must place a minimum starting bet before being dealt two cards. The dealer will also have a two-card hand, one of which is displayed face-up for you to see.

You’ll have a number of betting options at this time, including the following:

• Stand: Keep your hand as it is (for high-value hands or ‘blackjacks’)
• Hit: Ask for another card (for low value hands)
• Double: Double your bet but only receive one more card for the rest of the round (to be used when you have a mid-value hand, particularly one including an Ace)
• Split: If you’re drawn a pair at the start of the game, you can split this and effectively play two hands at once
• Surrender: This option enables you to withdraw at the beginning of the hand and retain half of your stake (this is ideal if you have a particularly poor or low hand).
• Insurance: Players have the option to take this whenever the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace. This minimises the risk facing you as a player, as if the dealer does have blackjack this will pay out at 2/1

An Introduction to Roulette

At its core, roulette is a completely different type of game, and one that features a spinning wheel and a wide range of betting options on the table.

The essential set-up is simple; with a European-style roulette wheel featuring numbers one to 36 and a single zero pocket. Whilst collecting bets, the croupier then drops a ball into the spinning wheel and waits for it to come to rest, by which time the ball will have landed in one of the 37 available pockets.

Of course, you may also come across an American Roulette wheel, which is becoming increasingly commonplace in Europe. This wheel features an almost identical layout, apart from the inclusion of an additional zero pocket.

This has a dramatic impact on the prevailing house edge, which is estimated at 5.26% for the American version of the game. Conversely, the European house edge is far lower at just 2.70%, and it’s easy to see why this iteration is the most popular amongst players.

Through the number ranges one to 10 and 19 to 28, the odd digits are red and the even ones are black. For ranges 11 to 28 and 29 to 36, odds numbers are black and even digits are red, while the zero pockets are usually green (this is the same across both roulette wheels).

The game starts when players are invited to place bets for the new game, and during this process the croupier will throw the ball into the spinning roulette wheel.

Players can continue to place wagers at this stage, until the interactive croupier announces ‘no more bets’. Then you must wait for the ball to land on a specific number, at which point the result of your wager is revealed and any requisite payouts made.

The betting options available through this game are truly impressive, as there are viable choices for both high-rollers and risk-averse players. These options are typically categorised as either inside or outside bets, each of which have variable odds and probabilities of winning.

These terms refer to the place on the roulette table where the actual bet is laid down, with inside wagers going directly on the numbered spaces located within the inner betting area.

These bets deliver the highest risk but the biggest possible returns, and we’ve broken these down in greater detail below:

• Single Number Bet: Pays out at 35/1 on a single digit
• Split Number Bet: Pays out at 17/1 on two adjoining numbers
• Street Bet: Pays out at 11/1 on a three-number wager that covers the same horizontal line on the roulette table
• Corner Bet: Pays out at 8/1 on a four-number wager
• Double Street Bet: Pays out at 5/1 on a simultaneous six-number wager

With outside bets, you’re able to achieve far greater betting coverage, but these wagers will only payout at either 2/1 or even money (depending on your precise choice and wagering strategy).

In this respect, outside bets are ideal for low-rollers who want to pursue incremental returns, and they include the following:

• One to 18 (Manque) or 19 to 36 (Passe) Bets: These refer to bets on low and high groupings on the roulette table respectively, and pay out at competitive odds of 2/1
• Dozen Bets: This type of wager lets you stake on either the first 12, second 12 or third 12 numbers, and also pays out at odds of 2/1 on average
• Red or Black Bet: Perhaps the most popular roulette bet (particularly amongst novices), this is an even-money wager that lets you stake on whether a red or black number will come up
• Even or Odd: This similar wager lets you bet on whether or not the winning number will be even or odd, and this also pays out at even money
• Column Bets: Available on most online roulette iterations, this covers all 12 numbers on any three of the vertical betting lines, and typically pays out at odds of 2/1 when it comes in

Of course, some iterations of roulette feature additional bets and rules, but these guidelines help to shape standard gameplay and provide an insight into what you can expect when wagering online.

Clearly both games have elements of chance of opportunism, but roulette offers far more variables in terms of the betting options on offer. Conversely, blackjack also introduces the element of competing directly against a dealer, which makes skill and a basic level of numeracy important from the perspective of players.

The Basic Odds – Which Game Offers the Best Return?

There’s no doubt that these games vary significantly in terms of the available odds and payouts, and this should make it easier to choose which one is right for you!

In simple terms, roulette relies on fixed odds depending on your wager and the final outcome. This is due to the random chance that the ball will land on a number, with a straight-up bet on a single digit always offering a 2.63% chance of winning when playing European roulette (this increases to 5.26% for the American iteration).

However, the variable betting options in both versions of roulette provide a huge array of odds that are suitable for every single player. A single number bet can pay out at 35/1 for a high-roller, for example, whereas less experienced players or those who are managing smaller bankrolls are able to cover more of the board and leverage outside wagers as a way of earning incremental returns.

Make no mistake; all outside bets have at least a 32.40% chance of coming in, whereas even-money wagers of red, black, odds or even offer an enticing winning probability of 48.60%.

This type of choice is extremely enticing for players, while it also explains roulette’s widespread popularity across gamblers of all shapes and sizes.

In blackjack, the odds and prevailing house edge varies depending on the number of decks used. Some online iterations draw cards from a shoe which shuffles up to eight decks simultaneously, with games that utilise four to eight decks typically giving a competitive house edge of 0.5%.

This is far lower than the corresponding number for each roulette iteration, and in this respect, you can often enjoy more frequent wins during a session of blackjack.

In fact, the lowest house edge available for roulette comes with the iconic French version of the game, but at 1.35% this is still far higher than the average 0.5% for blackjack.

Interestingly, the odds of receiving certain cards also changes as cards are dealt during games. This is why players with a basic understanding of the game and numerical ability tend to favour blackjack, as it enables them to leverage these skills in real-time and optimise their chances of winning any given hand.

This creates a clear challenge for players, as the variable odds associated with both roulette and blackjack boast obvious pros and cons that must be given careful consideration.

For example, roulette offers more opportunity to tailor your betting and manage your bankroll during the course of a game, whereas blackjack is proven to drive more frequent returns over time.

However, the odds of winning during any given game of blackjack can vary wildly depending on the hands that are drawn, and this creates a challenge for players who are new to the game and still getting to grips with the rules. With these points in mind, roulette may be a slightly better choice for those who are relatively new to the world of iGaming.

Strategy vs. Chance – Optimising Your Chances of Winning

While you can deploy strategic thinking to improve your chances of winning in both roulette and blackjack, there’s far more scope for this when playing the latter.

For example, you can use both negative and progressive betting strategies to help manage your bankroll across both of these games. However, roulette has a far greater element of chance when it comes to gameplay, whereas the odds of blackjack can be affected directly by strategic players and the number of decks used at the table.

In terms of betting strategies, these require you to set an initial single betting unit, which should be based on your bankroll and relatively conservative in its nature. With progressive betting strategies, you increase your stake by a fixed number of betting units with every successive win, with this favoured by low rollers who are managing a modest bankroll.

Conversely, a negative progression strategy requires you to increase your stake with every loss, which requires a large initial bankroll but arguably optimises the value of each individual win. This is particularly viable in online roulette, especially amongst high-rollers with an appetite for sizable wins.

In both instances, these strategies don’t impact the course of the game or the eventual outcome, but they help you to manage your money more effectively and avoid incurring significant losses.

In the case of blackjack, however, there’s far more scope to manipulate the odds in your favour if you have experience of the game. For example, choosing a game with a fixed number of decks lets you estimate the probability of which cards are most likely to be drawn in any given scenario (based on what has already been dealt).

Once again, this isn’t a fool-proof guarantee of success, but showcasing this type of numerical ability in real-time can incrementally improve your chances of success.

Of course, the fixed odds of roulette outcomes can offer solace for players who lack numerical ability or blackjack experience, but it’s important to note that getting the most from each individual session relies heavily on luck, your betting strategy and how much of the betting table you’re able to cover consistently.

Ultimately, players with experience of blackjack and a sharp, numerical mind can definitely leverage these skills to operate successfully online,

However, for those who are new to gambling and want to rely on fixed-odds and a variety of betting options, there’s little doubt that roulette represents a far more sensible choice.

So Which Game Is Better?

While both of these casino classics are fundamentally games of chance, each of them has alternative rules and a number of variations that should impact on your choice.

These translate into clear pros and cons for players, depending on their betting outlook, risk profile and level of experience that they have of gambling (either on or offline).

As a general rule, however, roulette is a game that’s far easier to learn in a short space of time, while it also provides a diverse range of betting options that enable you to tailor your board coverage, manage risk and look after your bankroll more effectively. This makes it more suited to beginners, even though it can take a while to master.

In contrast, blackjack provides a far greater opportunity to manipulate odds and outcomes, simply by using numerical skill and applying a basic understanding of strategy. In this respect, the game is hard and time-consuming to learn in detail, and if you’re not prepared to do this and practice specific iterations of blackjack then you’re unlikely to achieve the desired returns.

Ultimately, it’s easy to see why both games are popular, but there are variable aspects on which you can make a decision about which one is right for you. This is a deeply personal decision, but hopefully this guide will help you understand the fundamentals of each game and make an informed selection going forward!