Can Blackjack Experts Succeed at Poker?

Both games use cards and are popular in casinos and as forms of online gambling. Yet Blackjack and Poker are so different from each other that it is difficult to imagine that a person can be good at both games. Those who speak of gambling in general terms tend to club Blackjack and Poker together, but professionals and enthusiasts know of the many differences between the two games and their basic natures. The skills that matter most in either of these two games are not very useful in the other. It is unusual enough to meet someone, other than an expert or a professional, who can claim to win consistently at Poker, though clear thinkers and the mathematically inclined often enjoy admirable Blackjack sessions. However, it is entirely rare to find a single person who is adept at both of these two very different games.

Blackjack pits you against one dealer, whereas Poker has other players as well. The order of betting rotates in Poker even if there is a dealer for the cards, as in a casino. Hence the odds cannot be calculated in isolation by any one person. You can be sucked in to a situation that is not of your choosing, and have to lose money if you wish to withdraw from the contest. Blackjack keeps you in better control in this respect, and you can take relatively independent decisions throughout the course of the game. Poker leaves you vulnerable to the foibles of others at the table, and your plans can be upset because one or more of your does not care as much as you do about the outcome of a round. Your cash budget for a Poker session can also be upset by the betting habits of others, leaving you stranded early in your outing or forcing you to risk higher losses than you would like or can afford.

Statistics, numerical facility, logical thought, memory and concentration determine your success at Blackjack. These are qualities that anyone can develop. Your Blackjack record depends on hard work and an ability to remain focused on the basic strategy. Poker is not like this at all. Bluffing, deciding with imperfect information and various forms of irrational behavior are behind success at poker. People who are able to exert psychological pressure on other, adopt exaggerated postures and who have relatively unlimited cash resources to put at stake, can enjoy Poker even though they are less well versed with the game than others at the table. Relationships between competitors affect decision-making and those who win on a particular day may be entirely at a disadvantage in a new setting. Outcomes do not obey the laws of probability, and the cards with an eventual winner may not even be known! Others may withdraw from situations of relative strength simply because their nerves give way. Poker is a game of wits in which facial expressions and all other forms of non-verbal communication play decisive roles.

Since Poker enjoys more media support than Blackjack, and because the atmospherics of Poker are more dramatic, some accomplished Blackjack players may be tempted to try their hands at Poker. However, betting behavior is so different in the two games that successful Blackjack players would do better on rehearsing future situations they can encounter, rather than get distracted by the contradictions of Poker.