Who doesn’t enjoy a little flutter occasionally and let’s face it, it’s even better if you win. When you play games in a casino, they generally fall into two categories, those of skill and those that are based on luck. To be honest though even with the skill-based games sometimes you need a little luck on your side – but if you win it’s all down to proficiency right? (I won’t tell if you don’t!)
Games of Chance
So what are the alternatives when you play one of the many games available in a casino? If you fancy pure games of chance, then how about Keno, Roulette or of course the always popular Bingo.
Keno
Keno is similar to a lottery or bingo in that the player has to choose numbers or ‘spots’ that will come up out of a possible 80. Although payouts are usually given if the spots chosen match the numbers on the balls selected, there are some casinos that pay out if none of the spots were matched. There are spectacular odds for getting all 20 numbers and to date it hasn’t actually been verified that it has ever happened. Doesn’t that just make you want to be the one?
Roulette
Roulette, which in French means little wheel, is a game where a ball is dropped onto a spinning wheel that has slots around the outside of it designed for the ball to fall into. Each slot has a number and a colour which you can bet on before the ball is dropped. You can pick specific numbers, odd or even, a colour (usually red or black) or a range of numbers. As the wheel slows, the ball will eventually come to rest in one of the slots and if you have correctly picked the number or colour of the chosen slot you will win a payout.
Bingo
Bingo used to be the favourite of a certain lilac-haired part of the community but not anymore, these days you’ll find any number of people playing this addictive game. In a similar manner to Keno, numbered balls will be selected randomly and are marked off on your Bingo card. The first player to get a line marked numbers wins (and must very loudly shout the word Bingo so that people in the next county can hear you).
Games of skill
Card games are always a popular casino staple and mostly you need skill to be able to profit by them. However Baccarat is an exception in that you just have three betting options and there isn’t much skill involved in being able to pick one choice out of three!
Blackjack
The more common skill-driven card games are Blackjack, also known as 21, and poker. In Blackjack you are dealt 2 cards and the idea is to add up the pips to total as near as possible 21 without exceeding it. If you don’t have 21 in that initial deal you also have the option to be given more cards to try to get nearer 21 without going bust. The dealer will also have the same opportunity and it is a contest between the two hands to see which is closer. An ace totals either 1 or 11 depending on your preference and as such the best hand you can get is a picture card with an ace to make a perfect 21 with just 2 cards, as this will always beat the dealer regardless of his hand.
Poker
Poker has many variants and they fall into three main types. Stud poker where there is a mix of hidden and shown cards dealt to each player in various rounds. Draw poker where the initial cards are hidden but the player has the option to replace some or all of them and finally community poker where the players hand consists of some of the hidden ones dealt to him and some from a common central selection of face up cards available to all players.
Cassino
Why not play casino at the casino! There is a card game called Casino, or for some Cassino. In this card game there can be a minimum of two players and a maximum of four. The four players will play the game in partnership of two in each team. This game has some similarities to Scopa, an Italian card game.
When the game starts each player gets four cards, only visual to the player. Then the dealer puts down four cards on the table, face up, this is the only time there are cards dealt to the table. After the players have played their four cards, the dealer hands out another four card to each player. They game continues until the whole deck has been used.
On each round there are a maximum 11 points to win . 1 point is given out to a hand with an ace, a hand with spades in a higher number, “a little cassino” which is 2 of spades and for cleaning the board each round. A player gets two points for “big cassino” which is 10 of diamonds. Finally 3 points are given to the player with the higher number of cards. But note that if there are more then one player who has the same, non get points.
Whichever game you decide to try your luck on, have fun and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for your success.