Casino Games Explained

By Simon Skinner

Have you finally decided that gambling in Vegas is one thing you have to try for yourself? That, my friend, is a pretty good decision, so long as you do not plan to stay there all your life.

If you are a beginning gambler, you might want to familiarize yourself with the house games casinos offer. This way, your first time would at most be a winning experience, and at least be a fun-filled time for you and your pals.

The number of main house games: 8

The most commonly placed games in all casinos, however, are these five: craps, punto banco, casino stud poker, blackjack, and roulette.

The roulette is housed by a majority of the casinos and there are three variations to it: French, British and American. In playing roulette, you need to predict where a white ball will land after spinning the wheel. There are two wheels, an outside rim, and the carousel inside. The ball spins outside the carousel but bounces off it, eventually resting on one numbered slot in the rim. On the table where the roulette is placed are boxes with numbers that correspond to the numbers on the wheel (0-36).

If you dream of becoming a skilled table game player, you may play the blackjack which can be learned by reading literature associated with it. You can actually beat the house in this game as long as you play by the rules some degenerate gambler has painstakingly written down eons ago.

The basic game of blackjack is thus:

1. You place a bet.
2. You are dealt two cards face up, and the dealer gets just one.
3. The aim is for you to beat the house to 21 by adding the values of your cards. You can ask for more cards if you think you still can add to the value of your cards without going over 21.
4. If you go over 21, you lose.
5. If the house gets a lower value than your cards, you win.
6. The house stops drawing cards at 17.
7. A “blackjack “is when you get one face card or a ten and one Ace.

Casino stud poker is another skill game that you may want to try. You get five cards face down and the dealer gets five also but with one card face up. The bets start before you get your cards and then you can raise your bet once the dealer gets his hand. The winner of course, is the player (or the dealer) who gets the best poker hand.

Punto Banco may be mistaken for baccarat, but there are subtle differences. Players and the banker are dealt with two cards from a six-deck shoe. You just have to compare your card value with that of the banker; only the last digit of the sum is considered. You win by placing your bet on the higher cards (yours or the banker) or betting on “equal” or tied sums.

Craps, or in full, bank craps, is probably the most exciting game there is in the casino. You will never get lost in finding the craps table since it would be the loudest. You will have to predict and bet on the roll of the dice. You win if you get your wish.

There is tons of literature on each of the games discussed here. For more information, start surfing the net for casino games explanations.