Common Casino Games
Introduction
- Names Of Casino Games
- Most Common Casino Games
- Common Casino Games
- Common Casino Card Games
- Games In Casino
- Games Played In Casinos
The house edge is defined as the ratio of the average loss to the initial bet. In some games the beginning wager is not necessarily the ending wager. For example in blackjack, let it ride, and Caribbean stud poker, the player may increase their bet when the odds favor doing so. In these cases the additional money wagered is not figured into the denominator for the purpose of determining the house edge, thus increasing the measure of risk. For games like Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em and Crazy 4 Poker, where there are two required initial wagers, the house edge is based on one of them only. House edge figures are based on optimal or near-optimal player strategy.
The table below shows the house edge of most popular casino games and bets.
Names Of Casino Games
Types Of Common Casino Games. Different casino games have various chances of winning. Most games of luck fail to give the greatest odds for an individual player, but there exists a small chance that a player will actually win. Compare many different casino jackpot games in order to choose the one that matches your personality and playing style. Online Casino - Play Slots Online - Videoslots. The majority of online casino sites promise the moon, but unvaryingly fall short.Having realized this, our team, which constitutes of industry veterans, started off with one main objective – to offer an unrivaled and reliable online casino gaming experience to all sorts of players, regardless of their prior experience. Blackjack is by far the most popular casino card game. Almost everyone has either. Our live casino Malaysia games are from the most popular gaming developers in the globe, which includes Asia Gaming, eBet, Ezugi, Playtech, Evolution Gaming, HoGaming, Pragmatic Play, SA Gaming and more. Enjoy the thrills and excitement just like any land-based casino such as Genting Casino, Sky Casino, Marina Bay Sand Casino and more.
Casino Game House Edge
Most Common Casino Games
| Game | Bet/Rules | House Edge | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baccarat | Banker | 1.06% | 0.93 |
| Player | 1.24% | 0.95 | |
| Tie | 14.36% | 2.64 | |
| Big Six | $1 | 11.11% | 0.99 |
| $2 | 16.67% | 1.34 | |
| $5 | 22.22% | 2.02 | |
| $10 | 18.52% | 2.88 | |
| $20 | 22.22% | 3.97 | |
| Joker/Logo | 24.07% | 5.35 | |
| Bonus Six | No insurance | 10.42% | 5.79 |
| With insurance | 23.83% | 6.51 | |
| Blackjacka | Liberal Vegas rules | 0.28% | 1.15 |
| Caribbean Stud Poker | 5.22% | 2.24 | |
| Casino War | Go to war on ties | 2.88% | 1.05 |
| Surrender on ties | 3.70% | 0.94 | |
| Bet on tie | 18.65% | 8.32 | |
| Catch a Wave | 0.50% | d | |
| Craps | Pass/Come | 1.41% | 1.00 |
| Don't pass/don't come | 1.36% | 0.99 | |
| Odds — 4 or 10 | 0.00% | 1.41 | |
| Odds — 5 or 9 | 0.00% | 1.22 | |
| Odds — 6 or 8 | 0.00% | 1.10 | |
| Field (2:1 on 12) | 5.56% | 1.08 | |
| Field (3:1 on 12) | 2.78% | 1.14 | |
| Any craps | 11.11% | 2.51 | |
| Big 6,8 | 9.09% | 1.00 | |
| Hard 4,10 | 11.11% | 2.51 | |
| Hard 6,8 | 9.09% | 2.87 | |
| Place 6,8 | 1.52% | 1.08 | |
| Place 5,9 | 4.00% | 1.18 | |
| Place 4,10 | 6.67% | 1.32 | |
| Place (to lose) 4,10 | 3.03% | 0.69 | |
| 2, 12, & all hard hops | 13.89% | 5.09 | |
| 3, 11, & all easy hops | 11.11% | 3.66 | |
| Any seven | 16.67% | 1.86 | |
| Crazy 4 Poker | Ante | 3.42%* | 3.13* |
| Double Down Stud | 2.67% | 2.97 | |
| Heads Up Hold 'Em | Blind pay table #1 (500-50-10-8-5) | 2.36% | 4.56 |
| Keno | 25%-29% | 1.30-46.04 | |
| Let it Ride | 3.51% | 5.17 | |
| Pai Gowc | 1.50% | 0.75 | |
| Pai Gow Pokerc | 1.46% | 0.75 | |
| Pick ’em Poker | 0% - 10% | 3.87 | |
| Red Dog | Six decks | 2.80% | 1.60 |
| Roulette | Single Zero | 2.70% | e |
| Double Zero | 5.26% | e | |
| Sic-Bo | 2.78%-33.33% | e | |
| Slot Machines | 2%-15%f | 8.74g | |
| Spanish 21 | Dealer hits soft 17 | 0.76% | d |
| Dealer stands on soft 17 | 0.40% | d | |
| Super Fun 21 | 0.94% | d | |
| Three Card Poker | Pairplus | 7.28% | 2.85 |
| Ante & play | 3.37% | 1.64 | |
| Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em | Ante | 2.19% | 4.94 |
| Video Poker | Jacks or Better (Full Pay) | 0.46% | 4.42 |
| Wild Hold ’em Fold ’em | 6.86% | d |
Notes
| a | Liberal Vegas Strip rules: Dealer stands on soft 17, player may double on any two cards, player may double after splitting, resplit aces, late surrender. |
| b | Las Vegas single deck rules are dealer hits on soft 17, player may double on any two cards, player may not double after splitting, one card to split aces, no surrender. |
| c | Assuming player plays the house way, playing one on one against dealer, and half of bets made are as banker. |
| d | Yet to be determined. |
| e | Standard deviation depends on bet made. |
| f | Slot machine range is based on available returns from a major manufacturer |
| g | Slot machine standard deviation based on just one machine. While this can vary, the standard deviation on slot machines are very high. |
Guide to House Edge
The reason that the house edge is relative to the original wager, not the average wager, is that it makes it easier for the player to estimate how much they will lose. For example if a player knows the house edge in blackjack is 0.6% he can assume that for every $10 wager original wager he makes he will lose 6 cents on the average. Most players are not going to know how much their average wager will be in games like blackjack relative to the original wager, thus any statistic based on the average wager would be difficult to apply to real life questions.
The conventional definition can be helpful for players determine how much it will cost them to play, given the information they already know. However the statistic is very biased as a measure of risk. In Caribbean stud poker, for example, the house edge is 5.22%, which is close to that of double zero roulette at 5.26%. However the ratio of average money lost to average money wagered in Caribbean stud is only 2.56%. The player only looking at the house edge may be indifferent between roulette and Caribbean stud poker, based only the house edge. If one wants to compare one game against another I believe it is better to look at the ratio of money lost to money wagered, which would show Caribbean stud poker to be a much better gamble than roulette.
Many other sources do not count ties in the house edge calculation, especially for the Don’t Pass bet in craps and the banker and player bets in baccarat. The rationale is that if a bet isn’t resolved then it should be ignored. I personally opt to include ties although I respect the other definition.
Element of Risk
For purposes of comparing one game to another I would like to propose a different measurement of risk, which I call the 'element of risk.' This measurement is defined as the average loss divided by total money bet. For bets in which the initial bet is always the final bet there would be no difference between this statistic and the house edge. Bets in which there is a difference are listed below.
Element of Risk
| Game | Bet | House Edge | Element of Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackjack | Atlantic City rules | 0.43% | 0.38% |
| Bonus 6 | No insurance | 10.42% | 5.41% |
| Bonus 6 | With insurance | 23.83% | 6.42% |
| Caribbean Stud Poker | 5.22% | 2.56% | |
| Casino War | Go to war on ties | 2.88% | 2.68% |
| Crazy 4 Poker | Standard rules | 3.42%* | 1.09% |
| Heads Up Hold 'Em | Pay Table #1 (500-50-10-8-5) | 2.36% | 0.64% |
| Double Down Stud | 2.67% | 2.13% | |
| Let it Ride | 3.51% | 2.85% | |
| Spanish 21 | Dealer hits soft 17 | 0.76% | 0.65% |
| Spanish 21 | Dealer stands on soft 17 | 0.40% | 0.30% |
| Three Card Poker | Ante & play | 3.37% | 2.01% |
| Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em | 2.19%* | 0.53% | |
| Wild Hold ’em Fold ’em | 6.86% | 3.23% |
Standard Deviation
The standard deviation is a measure of how volatile your bankroll will be playing a given game. This statistic is commonly used to calculate the probability that the end result of a session of a defined number of bets will be within certain bounds.
Common Casino Games
The standard deviation of the final result over n bets is the product of the standard deviation for one bet (see table) and the square root of the number of initial bets made in the session. This assumes that all bets made are of equal size. The probability that the session outcome will be within one standard deviation is 68.26%. The probability that the session outcome will be within two standard deviations is 95.46%. The probability that the session outcome will be within three standard deviations is 99.74%. The following table shows the probability that a session outcome will come within various numbers of standard deviations.
I realize that this explanation may not make much sense to someone who is not well versed in the basics of statistics. If this is the case I would recommend enriching yourself with a good introductory statistics book.
Standard Deviation
| Number | Probability |
|---|---|
| 0.25 | 0.1974 |
| 0.50 | 0.3830 |
| 0.75 | 0.5468 |
| 1.00 | 0.6826 |
| 1.25 | 0.7888 |
| 1.50 | 0.8664 |
| 1.75 | 0.9198 |
| 2.00 | 0.9546 |
| 2.25 | 0.9756 |
| 2.50 | 0.9876 |
| 2.75 | 0.9940 |
| 3.00 | 0.9974 |
| 3.25 | 0.9988 |
| 3.50 | 0.9996 |
| 3.75 | 0.9998 |
Hold
Although I do not mention hold percentages on my site the term is worth defining because it comes up a lot. The hold percentage is the ratio of chips the casino keeps to the total chips sold. This is generally measured over an entire shift. For example if blackjack table x takes in $1000 in the drop box and of the $1000 in chips sold the table keeps $300 of them (players walked away with the other $700) then the game's hold is 30%. If every player loses their entire purchase of chips then the hold will be 100%. It is possible for the hold to exceed 100% if players carry to the table chips purchased at another table. A mathematician alone can not determine the hold because it depends on how long the player will sit at the table and the same money circulates back and forth. There is a lot of confusion between the house edge and hold, especially among casino personnel.
Hands per Hour, House Edge for Comp Purposes
The following table shows the average hands per hour and the house edge for comp purposes various games. The house edge figures are higher than those above, because the above figures assume optimal strategy, and those below reflect player errors and average type of bet made. This table was given to me anonymously by an executive with a major Strip casino and is used for rating players.
Hands per Hour and Average House Edge
| Games | Hands/Hour | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Baccarat | 72 | 1.2% |
| Blackjack | 70 | 0.75% |
| Big Six | 10 | 15.53% |
| Craps | 48 | 1.58% |
| Car. Stud | 50 | 1.46% |
| Let It Ride | 52 | 2.4% |
| Mini-Baccarat | 72 | 1.2% |
| Midi-Baccarat | 72 | 1.2% |
| Pai Gow | 30 | 1.65% |
| Pai Pow Poker | 34 | 1.96% |
| Roulette | 38 | 5.26% |
| Single 0 Roulette | 35 | 2.59% |
| Casino War | 65 | 2.87% |
| Spanish 21 | 75 | 2.2% |
| Sic Bo | 45 | 8% |
| 3 Way Action | 70 | 2.2% |
Footnotes
* — House edge based on Ante bet only as opposed to all mandatory wagers (for example the Blind in Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em and the Super Bonus in Crazy 4 Poker.
Translation
A Spanish translation of this page is available at www.eldropbox.com.
Written by: Michael Shackleford
If there’s one thing you can say about casinos, it’s this: you’ll never run out of stuff to do. There’s no shortage of games to play. And new games are coming out all the time.
This is great if you play online, because with just a few clicks of your mouse, you could be playing a different, unique, or brand new game – one of hundreds (if not thousands) available at any ONE casino.
The question we have for you now is this: do you know all the casino games that are available to you? All the variations you can play? If not, then start with this brief guide. We’ll fill you in on all the types of casino games you can find and play online and at land-based venues.
Overview of Casino Game Types
Let’s start with an overview of the games you’ll usually find at a casino.
But before we list the games, we want to quickly explain how an online casino might list them on their website. That way, you know exactly where to find the games you’re most interested in if playing online.
Each casino will list their games differently. Here’s an example.
- Slots – This includes all variations, like 3D or progressives.
- Table Games – This includes all card games, like blackjack, baccarat, and pai gow poker. It also sometimes includes dice games like craps, as well as roulette.
- Video Poker – This includes all poker games played on a machine similar to slots.
- Specialty Games – This includes anything that doesn’t fit in the categories above, such as keno, scratch tickets, lottery games, and bingo. It may also include roulette or craps.
Some casinos also have an arcade or games section. Others list bingo or scratch card games separately. Some might have their own, unique categories.
Generally speaking, though, what we’ve listed here broadly covers all the main types of casino games.
Common Casino Card Games
Many popular casino games come in several variations. These variations sometimes come with just minor differences, while others have more significant differences.
Let’s take a look at some of the main variations of the most popular casino games. Many of these are available at both online casinos and land-based venues, while some are only available at one or the other.
Slots
- 3, 5, 7 reel machines
- Classic slots
- Video slots
- Fruit machines
- 3D slots
- Progressive slots
- Single and multiple payline slots
There are more, too. And then there are the various features that you’ll find with some slot games but not others. These included multipliers, free spins, cascading reels, and bonus rounds.
You could even add licensed slot titles to the list. This would expand to cover licensed movie, video game, celebrity, and board game slots. In short, slot games come in MANY variations.
- Perfect Pairs
- Spanish 21
- Pontoon
- Blackjack Switch
- Chinese Blackjack
- Super Fun 21
- Atlantic City Blackjack
- Bonus Blackjack
- European Blackjack
These are just a few examples, and there are several other blackjack variants. You’ll also find payout variations such as 6:5 or 3:2 for a natural blackjack.
- Bonus Deuces Wild
- Bonus Poker
- Deuces Wild
- Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Double Jackpot Poker
- Jacks or Better
- Joker Poker
- Loose Deuces
Again, these are just a few examples. In many land-based casinos, especially the large ones in Las Vegas, you might find dozens of different video poker games. Most of the online casinos we’ve reviewed have at least ten or so, and many of them have a lot more.
Some common video poker variations you’ll find everywhere, while others are exclusive to a specific online casino or software provider. Other variations also include progressive and multi-hand video poker machines.
- American Rouette
- European Roulette
- French Roulette
- Live Dealer Roulette (online only)
- 3D Roulette
- Multi-Ball Roulette
- Multi-Wheel Roulette
Almost hard to believe a simple game like roulette could have so many variations, huh?
Anyway, these casino games have the most variations. Most other games either don’t have variations, don’t have nearly this many variations, or don’t have variations you’ll find at more than one or two casinos.
Other than what’s listed above, here are the most popular casino games you can play today.
- Baccarat
- Pai Gow Poker
- Craps
- Let Em Ride
- Caribbean Holdem
- Caribbean Stud
- Three Card Poker
- Vegas Three Card Rummy
- Keno
- Scratch Cards
One of the biggest variations you’ll find with these games (the table games, at least) will be side bets. They’re often exclusive to brick-and-mortar casinos, but you will find side bets for these games at some online casinos. In terms of value for money, they’re hit or miss.
Other than side bets, other types of variations or twists to casino games you’ll find include the following
- Live Dealer – Available online. A real person deals and the action is streamed live. Read more here.
- 3D
- Progressive – Every (max) bet contributes a small portion to a single jackpot that can be won at random by someone making the max bet.
- Video
- Multi-line
The options you have will vary from casino to casino. Online, the variations depends on the software provider(s) being used.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some games will have a different name due to licensing and/or copyrights. For example, tri-card poker is identical (or nearly identical) to 3-card poker.
When reading or talking about casino games, you might hear someone refer to them as skill games or games of chance. For example, blackjack is considered a skill game. Slots are a game of chance.
The difference between skill games and games of chance is there’s more or less a right and wrong way to play games of skill, and if not right or wrong, then definitely optimal and not optimal. You can learn these by studying various books and websites, then practice what you learned at the casino.
But games of chance? These are totally random. There’s not anything you can really do outside of cheating to gain an edge playing those.
Games In Casino
That all said, skill games are only skill games if you yourself become skilled at them. Otherwise, they might as well be games of chance.
On top of that, few games can truly be beaten for a profit. Blackjack is one of those games. Some video poker variations can be, too.
Other games, such baccarat, pai gow poker, or craps, have strategies or optimal plays or optimal bets you can make to get the house edge down. Add in some bonuses, and you might turn a slight profit. But you shouldn’t count on it.
Games Played In Casinos
We point that out because unless you choose a game that can be beaten for a profit – and you’re willing to put in dozens or maybe even hundreds of hours learning it, and hundreds or probably more like thousands of dollars practicing it live – you’re unlikely to become skilled enough to beat the house for a profit.
Our point? We just recommend that you don’t choose a game for any other reason than that you like to play it. Because you’re most likely going to lose while playing it – at least in the long run.
Finding and Playing Casino Games Online
Let’s talk a minute about finding casino games online.
Most casinos will have the same options – blackjack, various table games, video poker, and slots. There are few exceptions.
Those exceptions include variations, like live table games, 3D slots, or something “rare” like multi-wheel or multi-ball roulette.
It also includes exclusive games or titles. Since many casinos work with different and/or multiple software companies, you’re likely to find a different selection of casino games at every casino you join.
This will also affect game rules, payouts, and odds – but on a much lower scale.
And it’ll affect the number of games you can play. Some casinos only have a few dozen games. Others have hundreds. Some more than a thousand. Seriously.
Then you’ll have casinos that offer full-blown mobile casino apps (for smartphones and tablets), while with others you might be lucky to have five or ten mobile friendly games. Some casinos – if you can believe it – won’t have any.
The point of all this is that you’ll have to do some research if there’s a specific game or variation you want to play. One of the best things you can do is join a casino that works with several software companies.
That way you have a wide variety of games to choose from.
There are so many types of casino games you can play. It can be overwhelming.
If you already know what games you like to play, and want to play online, we highly suggest looking for software companies that have them. From there, find out which casinos work with those software companies. Then read our casino reviews.
For everyone else?. Find a casino with LOTS of games to play. Then get busy. You’ll find the type of casino game you like to play in no time. Here are some of our recommended casinos that have a great selection of games, and they all offer bonuses too new customers, too.
| Rank | DE Online Casino | Exclusive Bonus | Get Started | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Betway Casino | 100% Up To€250 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
| #2 | Europa Casino | 200% Up To€500 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
| #3 | Jackpot City Casino | 100% Up To€400 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
| #4 | Spinia | 100% Up To€250 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
| #5 | Spin Casino | 100% Up To€400 | Visit Site | Visit Site |