Are Card Games Better in a Real or Online Casino?
Card games remain one of the most popular forms of entertainment even in the 21st century. While most card games now have digital counterparts that are played online worldwide for real money, few things beat pulling out a deck of cards and playing with friends and family.
However, friendly games between peers aren’t where cards have their moment to shine. When it comes to big money, the spotlight falls on the card games played in brick-and-mortar and online casinos. Believe it or not, one lucky winner won a staggering $7.75 million in a single poker hand in February 2022.
While there is no arguing that playing card games are the way to go if you want to win big, many gamblers still wonder if it’s better to play them in a physical or online casino. That’s why, in this article, we’ll be looking at the pros and cons of both types of card games to see where they’re best experienced.
Environment
We would be remiss not to mention one of the most significant differences between playing card games in a brick-and-mortar casino and an online casino—the environment. The environment includes the actual table setup, the location of the table, and even the interaction between other players and the dealer.
Online casino game developers try incredibly hard to emulate the experience of playing in a casino in their games. They do this by using realistic graphics, special visual effects that include matching the lighting to that you expect to see at a table, and even the sounds of a casino floor in the background.
More than this, many online casinos offer live card games that let you play head-to-head against other players. These games also have a live dealer that gives you the personal touch of having a real person leading the game.
Despite all this, nothing can genuinely imitate a physical casino’s look, feel, and even smell. From the flashing lights of slots in the background on the casino floor to the overwhelming sounds from every corner, a physical casino offers something unique.
The most significant difference is being able to physically see and interact with other players and the dealer, and seeing the cards to guess what might be coming next. This is a vital part of playing card games and lets you discover things like if your opponent has a “tell.”
Game Selection
Another thing to consider is the number of different card games available between brick-and-mortar casinos and online options. Simply put, online casinos typically have a wider variety of card games available, giving you more options that you can use to win.
The reason for this is easy to explain: physical casinos just don’t have the space or resources necessary to offer the same number of games. After all, each card game takes up valuable space on the casino floor in real casinos and usually requires a dealer that operates the game.
For online casinos, these problems don’t exist. Instead, as many different card games as the casino would like can be loaded and made available to players. This leads to an infinitely more extensive selection and spoils players for choice.
Convenience
If you are an avid card game player, you may have experienced the itch to play at random times of the day or night. Playing in a physical casino may become very inconvenient if this happens, as it requires you to physically travel to the casino before you can play.
Online casinos, on the other hand, offer access to your favorite card games 24/7, no matter your location. Any time that you feel the urge to try your luck, all you must do is log on. This convenience has helped contribute to the surge in players all over the world.
Another inconvenience that online casinos avoid is the switching of decks that occurs in physical casinos. In Vegas, card decks are swapped out every four to eight hours. During this switch, the game is suspended while the dealer takes possession of the new cards and gives the old ones away.
The card decks in games found on online casinos don’t require any switching out. They are digitally programmed and virtually tamper-proof. This means that you can play consistently without being interrupted by a new deck of cards arriving.
Bonuses
While it is true that many physical casinos offer loyalty programs that reward regular players, the benefits of these programs usually fall far short of those provided by online casinos. In other words, you could be playing your chosen card game for an extended period without any real bonus.
Many players look forward to claiming the bonus that they are offered for signing up with online casinos. These same sites then continue offering great promotions. They also usually have loyalty or VIP programs that further reward players.
Learning to make the most of these promotions and bonuses could mean getting more money or credit to use when playing card games. It also means you stand the chance of winning big without spending too much of your own money.
Conclusion
Playing card games in a real casino and playing them online both have their benefits and shortfalls. However, there seem to be slightly more benefits to playing online than the traditional method of playing in person.
These perks include the incredible convenience of playing online, the additional bonuses and perks offered by casino sites, and the wide selection of games available. However, none of these things may matter to you if you value the experience of playing cards in a casino more than anything else.
Ultimately, there is no honest answer to which is better. It comes down to each individual player’s preference and what they like most. All that matters is that each person playing their preferred card game is comfortable playing where they are and enjoying their chance at trying to win big.
Photo by Marin Tulard on Unsplash