Trips to the casino are an exciting time. To maximize your chances of winning money, however, it’s important to choose the right games. All casino games are not created equal, and some of them are little more than traps waiting to spring shut on your wallet. Here are three casino games that you should learn how to play today before you make that next trip.
1- Video Poker
Here’s a valuable tip that will save you money every time you visit the casino. See all those fancy slot machines with the bells, whistles, and lights? Just pass those right on up and look for the video poker machines that are often placed behind the regular slots. While slot machines in general offer some of the worst odds in the casino, video poker machines offer some of the best.
Video poker is similar to a slot machine in that it is an electronic game that requires no casino personnel to operate it while you play. You simply sit down, insert your money, and play. There are several varieties of video poker to choose from. Almost all of them have the same premise. You are trying to make the best five-card poker hand you can on each play. The better the winning hand, the more money you’ll receive in return.
Unlike a regular game of poker where you must beat the hand of another player to collect winnings, in video poker you don’t have to beat anyone. Each hand has the potential to be a winner. In most cases, the lowest hand which qualifies for a payout is a pair of Jacks. As your hand improves to two pair, three-of-a-kind, or any of the standard poker hands, the reward goes up.
The hand you want to make in video poker is a royal flush. This is A-K-Q-J-10 of any one suit. The royal flush offers the biggest payout and progressive jackpots. You should always draw at this hand when given the opportunity.
2- Blackjack
Without question, the best table game in the casino for the player is blackjack. 21, as it is also called, has the lowest house edge of any table game. You can also lower the house advantage considerably when you use appropriate blackjack strategy.
In blackjack, you compete against the dealer. According to Table Mountain Casino, the object is to make a hand that comes closer to a total of 21 than the dealer’s hand. Aces in the game can be counted as a 1 or an 11, and all face cards are counted as a 10. Every other card is assigned face value. If you are dealt a 10-value card and an ace to begin the game, you have a blackjack. This hand is an automatic winner unless the dealer also has it, and it pays odds of 3-2. If either you or the dealer exceeds a total of 21, that is called a bust and the hand is a loser.
One of the things that makes blackjack an interesting game to play is that the dealer is bound by a very strict set of rules. The dealer must add a card on any total of 16 or less and stand on any total of 17 or higher in most variations of the game. As a player, you have no such restriction. You can ask for as many additional cards as you like to improve your hand, but if you bust the hand you lose.
You may have seen movies about card counters and how they have managed to win thousands at blackjack. Forget about it. The fact is, card counting requires lots of practice and the casinos are very good at catching those who do it.
3- Craps
The next best table game option is craps, a fast-paced dice game in which you can win or lose a lot of money in a hurry. When you approach a craps table you will see a lot of excitement. People are rolling the dice, shouting out encouragement to the shooter, and making bets on a variety of propositions. It can be overwhelming.
For a beginner, the best craps strategy is very simple. Always bet the minimum on the Don’t Pass line. This means you are betting that the shooter, or person rolling the dice, will crap out. This most often occurs when the shooter rolls a total of seven after setting a point on their initial roll. For example, on their first roll the shooter rolls a ten. To collect their bet, the shooter must now roll a ten again before they roll a seven.
There are more ways to make a total of seven than any other number from 2-12. Therefore, the odds are against the shooter. Play the odds and bet against the shooter making their point.
Craps is a game with many side bets. Before you attempt any of them, be sure to get a good book on the game or at least watch several sessions of play. With the dice in the air every few seconds, losses can add up quickly in craps.
