Poker and blackjack are two of the most popular card games of all time. However, they’re completely different from one another. For beginners, this often creates a dilemma: which should I try first?
Before you play any casino game, it’s firstly important to educate yourself on the rules, stipulations, and everything else in-between. Otherwise, you won’t have a fun time. This is especially true when it comes to poker and blackjack.
So, if you want to know which out of the two card games you should try first, read the following advice:
Blackjack is More Beginner Friendly
Firstly, it’s important to address that blackjack is much simpler than poker, which makes it more beginner-friendly.
In a game of blackjack, players compete against the dealer (often referred to as ‘the house’) rather than each other. The aim is simple: get a hand that totals as close to 21 as possible without going over this number.
At the beginning of the game, you will be dealt two cards. From there, you must decide whether to ‘stick’ with your hand or take a new card (‘hit’). For example, if you’re dealt an ace and any 10-point card right at the beginning, you already have the perfect hand (as it totals 21), meaning you will want to ‘stick’ with what you have.
If you want to try blackjack today, take a look at the best online gambling sites.
Poker is Strategy-Based
If you’re an individual who likes strategy-based games, then poker might appeal more to you than blackjack.
Some – but not all – of blackjack is based on luck. However, when it comes to poker, the game is largely down to a player’s skill, psychology, and deception levels. Essentially, you can’t expect luck to be on your side in poker, as it very rarely works that way. With this in mind, if you want to test a range of your critical thinking abilities, then you should give poker a try.
In a standard game of poker, players are seated around a table with a dealer in the middle. Typically, there will be 2-10 players.
From there, each player will compete to gain the best hand possible. Alternatively, if a player doesn’t have a good hand, they can attempt to ‘bluff’ their way to victory by trying to convince other players that they have a better hand than them. Usually, this will involve a player ‘raising’ the pot (adding more money to it) in an attempt to make the other players panic and ‘fold’ (quit) the round.
What’s the Best Hand in Poker?
In terms of hands, the royal flush is the best poker hand that you can get. It features five consecutive cards from the same suit that follow each other in direct order from 10 to ace. For example:
10 of Hearts – Jack of Hearts – Queen of Hearts – King of Hearts – Ace of Hearts
However, you must be an excellent player (or extremely lucky) to finish a round with a royal flush hand!
Start with Blackjack and Then Progress into Poker
If you aren’t sure where to begin, go with blackjack – it’s simple, easy, and doesn’t take long to learn.
Then, after a few weeks (or months) of playing blackjack, you can then switch to poker. This will involve lots of practice as well as learning the different hands that you can use.
To practice poker, it’s always best to do it online first. This is because there are plenty of free online poker games that you can use.
After, when you’re ready, you can join in real poker tournaments in your town or other locations.
