Can’t Beat the Classics: Why the Original Blackjack Still Dominates

It’s common knowledge that the gaming industry benefits from selling a variation of the same product over and over again. By that, we mean that so many hit games become series, often with annual releases. For instance, think of all the sports titles like NBA 2K or EA Sports FC, which arrive each year and become must-haves despite being an updated version of what came out the previous year with some (often minor) tweaks.

That wasn’t a criticism – far from it – more of a reality. Many games evolve, of course, so playing WWE 2K 25 is going to be a very different experience to playing WWE titles from twenty years ago. The same goes for the Tomb Raider games of the 2020s compared to those from the 1990s. It’s also natural that the same theory would extend to other areas of gaming, such as casino gaming.

Or does it? Well, yes and no. If we look at games like blackjack and roulette, it’s somewhat interesting. Those games have been around such a long time that someone transported from the 1920s would instantly recognize them. Even if you showed them online versions of blackjack, they would still understand the gameplay mechanics. Could you imagine how they would react if you were to show them a game like Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed?

Yet, on the other hand, online casino games have evolved in recent years, and that includes the all-time classic blackjack. There are numerous versions of the game available online, ranging from games with certain tweaks like Blackjack Surrender to branded games like WWE Blackjack. Some try to rewrite the rules entirely, whereas others, such as Gravity Blackjack, which can be played on McLuck’s gaming platform, keep the core principles of classic blackjack with a few additional features.

Yet, while some of the newer versions of blackjack variants have had relative success, card players tend to favor the original format. It still dominates. Why is this the case? It is arguably a combination of a few different things.

Key to blackjack’s popularity both online and offline is the perennial debate as to whether you can beat the house or, more aptly, whether you are favored to beat the house. The distinction is really important. Some believe that house edge can be eliminated by skill, and we know that classic blackjack’s house edge is tiny regardless. That’s the key to understanding its allure. You go somewhere like Las Vegas, and you ask any of the card sharps, and they at least believe they have the edge.

Now, it’s certainly not the case that new blackjack variants all have worse house edges than the original (although many do). Rather, it’s the fact that despite being around for centuries, the classic game retains that sense of mystique, particularly coming from those players who believe the odds are in their favor. What’s interesting, too, is that belief that they can beat the house increases over time as they gain experience.

There is no such thing as a perfect blackjack strategy. It is a game of probabilities where each decision can shift the odds slightly in or out of your favor. Yet, this pursuit of optimal strategy is what keeps players engaged. Yes, there are certain situations where recommended strategies should be played, but there is a kind of endless pursuit of perfection. In short, how we play the game constantly evolves over time despite the fact that the game itself has remained broadly constant.

And that, as such, is perhaps why blackjack should be put in the same category as other ‘timeless’ games like Scrabble or Tetris; it cannot be completed or mastered (fully). That’s precisely why players continue to come back to this simple but complex card game that thrives even when faced with numerous modern alternatives.