1dcde4Ever since the first casino opened its doors to the public, decades ago, casinos have been attracting galore newcomers and experienced gamblers alike. Casinos are a hub of excitement, activities, and cash prizes. However, if you are a newbie, you might feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the casino atmosphere, the fast-paced games, and the specialized lingo that is commonly used by gamblers.
Walk into a casino and you will be greeted by an assortment of games ranging from slot machines to poker, blackjack, roulette, and many more. Each game has its own set of rules, involving a different strategy and mindset. You should be prepared for the games by learning the rules and developing a strategy for maximizing your chances of winning and minimizing losses.
In this article, we discuss the basics of casino gambling to help you get started.
What to Expect When You Walk Into a Casino
Casinos are typically large, open spaces filled with a variety of games. They range from small, cozy joints to luxurious affairs with enough space to accommodate hundreds or even thousands of players. Casinos are usually smartly designed with the help of psychology to encourage you to play games and keep you entertained for longer periods of time.
Most casinos are filled with a variety of games. Some casinos exclusively offer card games, whereas others will include a few more niche games like bingo or keno. The most common games found in casinos include:
Slots
Blackjack
Roulette
Craps
Poker
Bingo
Keno
These games typically have a designated section of the casino floor, with the most popular games scattered around the floor to maximize attraction. Newly released and developed games are often placed in more visible areas to draw in players.
Rules of the Games
The plethora of games offered in casinos can be confusing, especially for new players. They can also be intimidating. It’s a good idea to learn the rules of each game before you play them. You can usually find these rules posted on the table or in a help menu if you’re playing at an online casino.
If you’re playing in a physical casino, here are some tips to get started:
Watch a game in action before joining in to get a feel for the pace of the game and the rules.
If you’re unsure about what game you want to play, watch games in different areas of the casino to see which ones appeal to you.
Casinos tend to be busy places, so if you want to learn faster and better, avoid peak times like weekends or evenings.
Some of the most popular casino games around the world include:
Slots
Blackjack
Roulette
Poker
Bingo
Keno
Baccarat
Each of these games has its own unique set of rules and strategies. Below, we’ll take a look at the basics of a few of the most popular games, including roulette, blackjack, and poker.
Casino Games: A Glimpse into the World’s Most Popular Casino Games
As one of the most popular games in the casino industry, roulette attracts gamblers alike with its mix of simplicity and excitement.
The game involves a small ball that is thrown into the spinning wheel. The wheel itself consists of differently numbered pockets separated by metal ridges. The numbers are alternately colored in red and black. In general, there are two types of wheels you will encounter: American roulette and European roulette. Although the principle is the same, there are distinct differences between the two.
American roulette has a wheel with 38 pockets, ranging from 1 to 36, with two zeros and a double zero.European roulette has a wheel with 37 pockets, ranging from 1 to 36, with a single zero.
The pockets are alternatively colored in red and black, with the zeros in green. The objective for players is to predict the outcome of the game, whereby the little ball will eventually land in one of the pockets on the roulette wheel.
Players can bet on a specific number, the color of the slot, whether it is an odd or even number, and many other factors across a designated betting table. You can also place combination bets. While roulette is mainly a game of chance, there are several strategies you can employ to increase your chances of winning.
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is one of the most popular card games in casinos today. It is also one of the easiest games to learn how to play. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer by accumulating a score of 21 or closer to 21 than the dealer without going over.
If you go over 21, you lose and the dealer wins. Cards between two and ten are counted at their face value. All face cards (king, queen, and jack) count as ten points. An ace can be counted as either one or ten points, depending on the player’s choice.
The game starts with the players and the dealer being dealt two cards each. The dealer will only show one card, however. Each player’s card values are kept secret from other players in the round.
Casino Poker
Another popular card game in casinos is poker. Casino poker usually involves playing against the house, however, unlike blackjack, your opponent(s) at the table is not relevant to your winnings.
The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and the objective is to form the best possible poker hand. The better your hand, the bigger the payout if you win.
One of the most popular casino poker variations is Pai Gow Poker. The object of the game is to beat the dealer with a stronger poker hand, achieved by creating two poker hands out of seven cards.
One hand has five cards, and the other hand has two cards. The five-card hand must be of a higher value than the two-card hand. This essentially means that you are competing against the dealer for each of your hands.
Bingo
Bingo is a simple game of chance that is particularly popular with seniors and more casual gamblers. The game involves purchasing a bingo card, which has a 5×5 grid of numbers.
A caller will announce randomly drawn numbers and if they appear on your card, you will mark them off. You can win prizes for completing lines or the entire card. Bingo has evolved into many variations, including speed bingo, which offers faster wins and more excitement.
Keno
Ken is a lottery-style game where players select numbers and then a random ball machine will draw numbers. If your selected numbers match the drawn numbers, you will win prizes based on your bet.
Baccarat
Baccarat is a simple game of chance involving just a few decisions for the player. The objective is to predict which of the three possible outcomes will occur: the player will win, the dealer (also known as the banker) will win, or the round will result in a tie.
Players and dealers are dealt two cards and added together to determine the value of the hand. Cards two through nine are counted at face value, with ten and face cards counted as zero and aces counted as one.
If the cards exceed ten, the first digit is ignored, meaning a hand of seven and nine would have a value of six.
Players can choose to bet on the player’s hand, the dealer’s hand, or a tie. Two consecutive wins on the player’s hand award a cumulative profit for the player, whereas a consecutive win on the banker’s hand requires a commission to be paid.
Core Strategies and Practical Tips for Players
With so many different games available in casinos, it can be daunting to navigate them all, let alone master them.
Here are some core strategies and practical tips for players on some of the most popular games offered at casinos:
Slots
The fact that slots are completely random is a misconception. While this is true, you can still improve your chances of winning.
Pay attention to the return to player rate (RTP) as it indicates how much you can expect to get back from your bet over time.
Computerized slots are programmed to pay out a certain percentage of the time, so the volatility is a key feature to look for.
High volatility slots pay out less frequently but offer bigger wins. Low volatility slots will offer more frequent wins, however, they are typically smaller.
To activate all the lines, which gives you the best chance of winning, you must bet on all of them.
Blackjack
The goal of blackjack is not to get as close to 21 as possible, but to beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. You should never take insurance, because you will lose money on the long shot.
It is better to stand on a 16 (or any number above) if the dealer has a card between two and six, because they are more likely to bust.
Remember, you are not trying to get 21, you are trying to beat the dealer. Hands like 12 or 13 can be very powerful in the right situation, especially if the dealer is showing a face card.
Roulette
If you want to win big, inside bets are your best option. Outside bets offer better odds but significantly smaller payouts.
While it is legal to bet on both red and black in roulette, it is not a good idea because you will lose in the long run. Although getting red and black correct will result in a push, you have to beat the house edge, which is designed to make you lose.
Poker
It should be your goal to get a royal flush, straight flush, or four of a kind. Don’t chase too many straights or flushes, because you often won’t win enough to
