Roulette vs Blackjack: Which Online Casino Game is Better?

Although online slots dominate today, if you like card and table casino games, it won't be a revelation to you that roulette and blackjack are the most popular. Whether you prefer to play at land-based or online casinos, live roulette and blackjack regularly make it to the top of the most played gambling options. Though they vary greatly, newcomers to online casinos often ask whether blackjack or roulette is the best game. The answer may be obvious to some gamblers, but the truth is not as simple as it appears at first glance. There are several aspects including the odds, the role of the element of luck and the potential payouts that are worth considering before making a final choice. We're here to explain the ins and outs of both blackjack and roulette, so you can make an informed decision.

Online Roulette

With a history dating back centuries, roulette is a popular casino game with French roots. It's a game that uses a wheel divided into 37 (or 38, depending on the version) sectors, with each sector having a unique number. Additionally, one-half of the sectors are black, while the other half is red, which gives you a lot more options when it comes to placing bets. The main aim of roulette is to guess which sector the ball will end up in after the roulette wheel has stopped. So, here are a few features of Roulette every beginner should know about:

Roulette uses a betting table with a betting layout that looks rather complicated at first sight. In fact, this layout was designed so that you can easily find your way around the betting options available to you.
You can choose between Inside Bets, Outside Bets and Racetrack, with the latter being a little tricky for beginners, so we'll omit it.
The Outside Bets are a group of bets covering a lot of numbers on the wheel. There are High/Low, Odd/Even and Red/Black bets with names that speak for themselves. Beginners are advised to start with these bets as they cover half of the numbers, meaning they offer equal odds. Also, this group includes Dozens and Columns covering 12 numbers respectively.
Inside Bets. This group includes both a single bet (Straight), which is the riskiest bet and several other bets that cover up to 6 numbers on the roulette wheel. Being risky, these bets can bring quite big payouts.
European Roulette is the most common version. It comes with a 2.70% house advantage, which corresponds to an online slot with an RTP of 97.30%. Then there's American Roulette with a 5.25% house advantage and higher payouts on some bets. Notably, French Roulette with its La Partage and En Prison rules is the rarest, as it has a house advantage of just over 1%.

Although Online Roulette offers a wide range of betting options, it is purely a game of chance. Once the roulette wheel is spinning, you have no control over the gameplay or the outcome of the spin. However, roulette is a popular game for those who prefer to use a Martingale or Reverse Martingale betting system. Since there are three even odds bets (High/Low, Odd/Even and Red/Black), it makes sense to try your luck with the Martingale system. However, if you're a beginner, it's best to start with a below-average bet and not change it drastically.

Online Blackjack

As for online blackjack, it's another classic casino game that has become even more popular thanks to the move to an online environment. Like roulette, blackjack was for a long time considered a game for the small or elite. Today, however, by joining a good Arabic online casino, you'll be able to enjoy various versions of blackjack with practically no restrictions. To begin with, blackjack is a casino card game played with one or more packs of cards. Before the game round starts, you have to place your bet. Your goal in the game is to accumulate a hand higher in value than that of the dealer. However, the value of your hand must not exceed 21 points otherwise you will lose. So, let's take a look at some other important features of this popular card game:

Each card in the game has a specific value. So, there are numerical cards from 2 to 10 that are worth their face value. There are also Jacks, Queens and Kings which are worth 10 points. As for the Ace, it can be worth either 1 or 11 points, depending on the total value of the cards in your hand.
Once the bets are placed, the dealer deals two cards to each player and himself. Notably, the cards dealt to the players are closed, i.e., face down on the table - physical or virtual. One dealer's card remains open (face up) so that you have some idea of the total value of his hand.
After assessing your starting hand, you can Stand (take no action), Hit (take one or more extra cards to improve your starting hand), Split (if you have a pair, you can split it into two hands by making another bet), Double Down (double your bet and get another card). You can also Surrender, meaning you can refuse to play the round by getting half of your original bet back.
Notably, there are blackjack rules for the dealer which he has to follow strictly. For instance, the dealer must draw another card if his initial hand is 16 or less.
If you manage to score more points than the dealer, you get a 1:1 payout. If you score 21 points, it's Blackjack, and you get a payout of 3:2 (or 6:5 in some less lucrative versions of Blackjack). If the dealer has more points, your bet goes to the casino. Notably, there is a Tie option in blackjack (you get your bet back).

So, given the number of moves you can use, blackjack is a strategic game. However, the element of chance is still present as well. Thus, it's possible that the dealer's starting hand is 21 points, which automatically makes him the winner overall. Although blackjack rules are straightforward, blackjack can be considered to be one of the easiest games to learn, but difficult to master. However, the house advantage in blackjack is only around 1% (assuming you know the basic strategy perfectly). In addition, there is a card-counting technique with which you can greatly improve your winning chances.

Blackjack vs Roulette: Comparing Face to Face

So, blackjack and roulette are two completely different games with their own unique game rules and moves. This makes them options that are hard to compare to each other. However, there are a few key things to consider when searching for a casino game that's exactly right for you. Below we've listed a few key features and used them as criteria for comparing blackjack against roulette:

Winning odds. When it comes to roulette, you can find a number of equal-odds bets that can result in a fairly frequent payout. Obviously, we're talking about High/Low, Odd/Even and Red/Black bets that pay out 1:1. However, since these bets cover 18 out of 37 numbers (less than half), the house advantage is 2.7% (in European Roulette, which is the most popular). As for blackjack, assuming you know the basic strategy inside out, the house advantage is around 1%. And that means that if you don't want to rely solely on luck, then blackjack can provide your best winning chances.
Payouts. The maximum payout in blackjack is just 3:2. As for roulette, the maximum payout is 35 to 1 (but on an extremely risky single bet).
Skills. Theoretically, you don't need to know the rules of roulette to play it with varying degrees of success. Just familiarize yourself with the basic betting options and get immersed in the game. Blackjack, however, is another matter entirely. You need to understand how the cards are valued, as well as what a particular move in the game entails. This means that you'll have to spend more time mastering blackjack. Furthermore, if you want to win something significant, you'll also need to learn basic blackjack strategy, which prescribes the best moves for different game situations.
Strategies. As mentioned above, there's a basic blackjack strategy that turns it into a skill-focused game. In addition, there's a card-counting technique with which you can even gain some advantage over the house. As for roulette, there is no strategy that allows you to turn the odds in your favour. However, you can try the Martingale or Paroli systems, which provide an even more exciting gambling experience (however, there is a risk of bigger losses).

In terms of game formats, both live blackjack and online roulette are available at Arabic online casinos in two versions - RNG-based and live dealer. As for the RNG-based games, they allow you to enjoy blackjack and roulette at your own pace. In addition, you can try these games in free demo mode. So, by choosing VipArabClub, a reliable Arabic online casino operating under Curacao eGaming license, you can try your hand at RNG-based roulette and blackjack without risking your hard-earned cash. VipArabClub's gaming library also features live versions of blackjack and roulette, providing a more realistic gaming experience. Finally, although blackjack is a little more difficult to learn, you shouldn't neglect it, as it can make you a more profitable player in the long run.