The closure of casinos around the country to help slow the spread of coronavirus is giving gamblers some time to think about the future of time spent on their favorite hobby. Where will you gamble? How will you gamble? The answer will be different for everyone.
A few weeks ago we looked at social distancing at blackjack tables. According to Bloomberg, it appears as though that might be how blackjack games will be set up with fewer seats when casinos across the country open again. The article goes on to say that casino employees will wear masks and gloves as well to help protect themselves and guests.
I’m not sure when I’ll return to casinos to gamble. It could be straight away or it could be weeks or months after properties re-open. Chances are good that I’ll visit a casino just to have a good meal before I decide to touch cards on a table or buttons on a machine.
Not much will change on how I choose a casino to visit for gambling. I will continue to gamble at the casinos that offer the best combination of overall experience and gaming rules. Of course, Like most of you, I’d prefer I’d much rather play a 3:2 blackjack game than a 6:5 blackjack game. Unfortunately, the experiences I seek in Las Vegas don’t always lend themselves to casinos with good blackjack rules.
If friends want to grab drinks or dinner at a property with poor gaming rules there’s a good chance we’ll just play whatever the casino offers. I’ll play lower limits but I’m not going to let rules get in the way of spending time with friends.
There are multiple options to play blackjack in a casino. Which will you choose? Table games or machines?
Live Dealer Blackjack Games
There are three types of traditional live dealer blackjack games in casinos. In these blackjack games, players will use physical chips and cards while sitting a few feet from the dealer and other players. Will you sit down at one of the following table games?
Shoe Blackjack – Most blackjack tables in casinos use a six or eight deck shoe. This is the type of live blackjack game that will be familiar with most people. The cards are shuffled by hand or machine then placed in a shoe that holds the cards until the dealer sends the cards to the players.
Continuous Shuffle Machines – As the name states, the cards are constantly being shuffled by a machine. The dealer will send the cards to players similarly to dealing from a shoe, they’ll just be dealt from the machine.
Pitch Blackjack – These are typically single or double deck blackjack games. The dealer holds the deck or decks and sends the cards face down to each player.
Read more about live dealer blackjack games.
Blackjack Machine Games
There are a few different types of machines in casinos that offer blackjack. The pros here are that you won’t touch money or cards that other players touch. Instead, cards are dealt and all plays are made on a machine. Will you play one of these blackjack machine games?
Electronic Blackjack Table – These are the electronic blackjack games you’ll see most often in a casino. They have five or six seats and usually have a dealer who will send different cards to each player.
Stadium Blackjack – This is the large gaming installation that can have as many as 100 seats. There’s typically a dealer in the front of the unit. All players will use the same cards dealt by the human to play their individual hands on the machine they choose.
Video Blackjack – This is the most common blackjack game in casinos. Blackjack is often one option between video poker and keno. These machines are found throughout the casino floor and at casino bars.
