Marinelle Adams
Today, entertainment is available to us in many forms. We can kill time and feel pleasure through a vast set of activities. However, few pursuits engross people as much as gambling does. The act of wagering on uncertain outcomes can be an emotional rollercoaster that can lead to adrenaline spikes, the kind that you cannot experience when engaging in anything else.
Participating in an activity where you know that you are seconds away from a life-changing result is exhilarating. Thus, it is no wonder that both the land-based and online casino industries are growing year-on-year, posting revenue numbers that would make other sectors blush. People crave thrills and interaction, things that casino games provide.
Naturally, gaming establishments will always have the upper hand. They are businesses, and they aim to stay in business. Statistically, in the long-term, the odds are in their favor. However, short-term, anything can happen.
Online Slots
One-armed bandits, pokies, buggies, fruit machines, reel-spinners, slots, whatever you want to call them, there is no doubt that they are the kings of any gambling floor and site, constituting around 70% of all gaming revenues. The online casino industry began in 1996 when the first wager got placed at InterCasino. Back then, online slots real money games were mere replicas of classic Vegas three-reel machines. The ones with the BAR and fruit symbols. Today, they represent advanced software that features stunning visuals and complex gameplay, which involves fluctuating reel-grids. Online casinos utilize random number generators (RNGs) to determine the symbol combo on each real rotation, and these computer algorithms go through regular audits that ensure maximum fairness. So, no one worries about rigged slots anymore.
You can review online slot websites at OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos.com, one of the internet’s top iGaming info hubs. These sites post up-to-date data regarding the digital gaming industry. They review platforms, providing you with an analysis that tells you whether you should consider or avoid a specific casino.
Blackjack
While slots may be the most popular casino game of them all, blackjack is by far the king when it comes to table action. Why? Well, there’s a myriad of reasons. It has an established ruleset that most people know. Even if a player has minimal familiarity with the game, its rules are so simple that anyone can pick them up in a matter of minutes. Next up, it features the lowest house edge out of any casino game ever. Yes, real money blackjack can feature better odds than even the highest-paying slot. While there are reel-spinners that feature a payback percentage of up to 98%, using an optimal strategy and at the right blackjack table, the casino’s edge can drop to as low as 0.5%. There are even RNG versions of blackjack where the edge is 0.31%.
Blackjack is one of the most widely available and affordable table games. You’d be hard-press to find a real-world and digital casino that doesn’t carry it, and bet sizes online usually start at $1. It’s the casino game where a player most holds the fate in his hands, as smart decision-making and using proper strategy play a massive factor in each hand’s outcome.
Roulette
Did you know that roulette means little wheel in French? If you didn’t, don’t beat yourself over not being familiar with that bit of trivia. Most people don’t know that, nor do they know that roulette got inadvertently invented by mathematician Blaise Pascal as he sought to create a perpetual motion machine. Fun facts aside, the roulette table emphasizes social togetherness more than anything else on gaming floors. Roulette is dynamic, and its tables are likely the loudest spots at any casino.
If you believe that roulette is only popular and social at land-based establishments, then you are wrong. Live dealer casinos are a big thing, and they’ve been around since 2003 when UK gaming giant Playtech launched the first one. These platforms allow you to go up against a croupier located in a fancy studio or one at a gambling locale. You are playing at a real-time table via video feed, and you can socialize with the other players via the interface chat. Riga-based company Evolution Gaming is the top dog in this sector, dominating it for over a decade. Its innovative variation called Lightning Roulette is the most-played non-slot title in the industry. Of course, roulette in its European and American variants is also on offer at most sites.
Game Show Games
Speaking of Evolution Gaming, it is the largest single-site casino operation in Europe. Founded in 2006, this company now has offices in several countries. Recently, it has focused on acquiring industry competitors and expanding its Game Shows category. What are game show games? They are what you think they are, attempts to copy popular TV shows where competitors vie for prizes, incorporating money wheels, and aspects from traditional table action, for an added layer of excitement.
If you still have trouble grasping the concept, know that you can play Deal or No Deal and Keno at most casinos. Evolution began developing such titles in 2017, first adding Dream Catcher to their arsenal, which has straightforward money wheel gameplay. Other popular titles in this genre include Mega Ball, Football Studio, Adventures Beyond Wonderland, Monopoly Live, and the latest Evolution sensation – Crazy Time.
Baccarat
Many believe that baccarat is strictly a high-roller affair due to its tables accounting for a large chunk of Macau’s gaming revenues. Despite this persisting perception, it’s also available at most online casinos. At such platforms, the minimum bet limits start at $1. This low-stakes action happens at smaller baccarat tables that seat seven instead of the big one that features up to fourteen seats. You may see these tables referred to as mini-baccarat ones.
James Bond’s favorite game is a simple one, and at a regular baccarat table, the house edge can range between 1% to 1.24% on the banker and player bets. It ranks behind blackjack as the casino game with the most favorable odds. It requires little strategy, and even though it is an Asian favorite, particularly in regions such as Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Macau, it also enjoys global popularity. Average gambles should not ignore baccarat or any of its variations. With the right set of tools, you can turn a search for a good time into a lucrative endeavor.
Video Poker
Poker is not a casino game, as most believe that it involves skill. As the same faces make it to the finals of WSOP tournaments, that’s hard to argue. Thus, card rooms organize poker games, and these venues require a different type of gambling license than casinos. That said, you can find video poker machines at any real-world and digital operator, as it is a game of chance based on the simplest poker version – five-card draw.
Video poker first appeared in the mid-1970s, when it became economically viable for venues to combine solid-state processing units and a television-like monitor, around the same time when personal computers became commercially available. Video poker is a terrific game option because popular variations such as Jacks or Better can feature a house advantage as low as 0.5%. Also, Microgaming’s All Aces has an edge of only 0.1%. These odds are fantastic, and you get to control the action. Before playing, do a deep-dive on how to use an appropriate strategy when facing these virtual machines.
Craps
Craps is a dice game that most non-gamblers do not understand but have seen in a ton of movies. It has been a part of cinema through features such as Diamonds Are Forever, Indecent Proposal, Guys and Dolls, Hard Eight, California Split, and many others. All laypeople know is that you throw a pair of dice, and if they land displaying identical numbers above a specific value, you win. That’s it. However, its rules are not that simple, and they involve rounds, phases, and different bets.
Craps is the American, simplified version of an old English dice game called Hazard, which has roots in the 14th century. While popular at Vegas establishments, dice do not enjoy the same demand in the online sector. Sites rarely offer craps in the live dealer format, and there are only a few RNG tables available. It does have a house advantage that can dip to 1.36%, so it’s a gaming option worth considering.
Summing Up & Advice
Gambling is fun. However, like anything, you should only partake in it when you feel cool-headed and believe that you can make smart choices. Responsible play is a crucial aspect of the experience, and every platform promotes it. All gambling sites let players set deposit and loss limits. Always set a budget and stick to it when playing games of chance.
If you have no experience, play online slots. Most titles in this genre are super-simple to play, and all you’ll need to do is press a button. There are many progressive reel-spinners, where a prize pool builds until one lucky winner takes it all home. Titles such as Mega Moolah, Hall of Gods, and Mega Fortune, have all made multiple millionaires via dollar bets.