Recently, I was at a casino. Although I spend a lot of time playing online casino games, such as slots or poker, there were a few games I did not know how to play. Since I am an avid fan of casino games, I was curious how the ones I didn’t know work. Because of this, I turned to Google. Now, I will explain what I found there so that I can help you learn how to play the most popular games as well!
Table of Contents
Live and Online Gambling
When gambling online, certain games are more common than others. These games include online slot machines or video poker, regular poker, and sometimes a few table games. Online slots are the simplest to play and are the most commonly played games among online gamblers. They are very easy to understand once you know the basics of how they work.
Online Slots or Video Slots
Online slots and modern video slots are built around a random number generator, also known as RNG. This RNG computes hundreds of numbers per second. The moment you click spin, the specific number that the RNG determines is what generates the symbols that appear on the screen. Luckily, there are more reels in online slots than classic ones and many more ways to win along different paylines. When you place bets on more paylines, you increase your chances of winning. However, the more lines you bet on does increase the cost per bet. You may also end up with scatter symbols across your screen. These offer bonuses such as multipliers and free spins. This is essentially an extra round of free slots. Moreover, they can also trigger bonus games, which will add to your winnings!
There are also progressive jackpots, which increase in value as games are played across the same machines or even as people play throughout the casino. These jackpots can reach very large sums of money and can be worth trying! The house advantage in slots is larger when it comes to progressive jackpots. In general, though, the machines display an RTP, or return to player, that shows the amount of money the machine returns to its users. However, it is important to note that this number tells what percent of the money is returned over billions of spins, and not during each play session.
Poker
Another common game you will find when playing either casino games online or live is poker. Poker is one of the most popular casino games. It is based around cards dealt and trying to get combinations of cards that are better than those of your opponents. It is best to research poker strategy online beforehand since other players will be very knowledgeable. Online poker is also played a lot faster, so begin at lower stakes so you don’t lose too much money before becoming used to playing online. There are even free casino games online to train yourself before playing the real deal.
There are also different kinds of poker offered. Caribbean stud poker, for example, is not played against other players. Instead, all bets are against the house. This raises the house edge slightly but also decreases competition from other players. There is also pai gow poker, which is also played against a single opponent. However, this form of poker is derived from a Chinese game and is played by making the best 2 hands out of a 7 card hand. One hand is a five card hand while the other consists of 2 cards. The goal is to beat the banker, which may be the dealer or another player.
Table Games
There are also many other popular casino games that fall into the category of table games. These games are not available as often online and include things like craps, roulette, baccarat, and others. Craps is played by rolling dice and betting on specific outcomes. There are different kinds of bets, and knowing which kinds are more likely to pay off is key to knowing how to play effectively. For example, pass and don’t pass bets are the most common bets that win when playing craps. Moreover, there is a relatively low house edge on these bets. Furthermore, knowing dice odds is also important. The most common outcomes of dice rolls fall between 5 and 9. Using this information is key to predicting outcomes of craps rolls.
Roulette is a relatively simple game. A wheel spins and a ball falls on a specific number and color. Bets can be placed on a number, grouping of numbers, or a color. The odds of a roulette wheel stopping on a specific outcome are all relatively the same, except for a 00, 0, 1, 2, 3 bet of all 5 numbers. This particular bet is a harder outcome, and the house edge is much larger as a result.
Baccarat is also a relatively simple game to play. There are only three possible outcomes — the player winning, the banker winning, or a tie. Ties are the least likely outcome and have the highest house edge. The banker winning is the most likely outcome with the smallest house edge, so usually, players will bet on the banker to win. Two cards are drawn for each of the players and the banker. The second number of the card total must be 8 or 9 to win, with 9 being the winning number. Sometimes, a third card will be drawn if the number is 5 or less, but often, only 2 cards are needed to win. The banker will win as long as the number is an 8 or a 9.
Other Games
There are other games as well that are not card games, video games, or table games. These can include wheels of fortune and lottery, among others. These games are purely based on luck, and playing them is as simple as betting on a number or a given symbol and hoping for the best. The games mentioned in the previous chapter generally require some knowledge of how they work or the strategies involved, but the rest of them tend to rely on pure luck. Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand the basics of these games and can help you start playing more casino games than you ever before!