Casino Games: What You Need to Know
The great thing about casinos – both online and in the real world – is the sheer diversity of games they offer to their customers. Blackjack is, of course, the most popular casino game. In essence, this is a card game of individual players attempting to beat the house or dealer. The Holy Grail is the number 21. Achieving 21 points on your first two cards (a blackjack), reaching a final score that’s higher than that of the dealer (without exceeding 21!), or allowing the dealer to draw additional cards until their hand goes over 21, are always to win.
For many, the roulette wheel is the epitome of casino glamour. A relatively simple game, roulette requires players to place bets on where a ball will land on the spinning wheel – black or red, odd or even? The croupier spins the wheel one way and the ball goes bouncing off in the opposite direction around the tilted track.
Craps is one of the most portable and fast games to play. A dice game, craps requires players to place quick wagers on what each roll will be. The other stalwart of the modern casino are the slot machines, which stand immovable and enticing in every spare corner. The games you can play on slot games are innumerable but most people have their personal favourite. So those are the basics, but here are a few fun facts about the casino games you love to play.
Blackjack
Some people argue that blackjack is the real gamblers’ game because it offers mathematics that work to the Blackjack player’s advantage. Originating in France, the game was originally called ‘ving-et-un’, meaning 21, and it is thought to have been a favourite of Napoleon. In blackjack, five is the most powerful card and at a casino blackjack table you may spot that the dealer has a small mirror that allows them to check the ‘hole card.’ This nifty gadget is called a ‘peeper’.
Roulette
Europe’s most popular casino game, Roulette is pretty much the easiest game to play, as there are no complex formulas – just straight betting on colours and numbers. The word roulette means ‘little wheel’ in French but some people refer to Roulette as ‘the devil’s game’ because when you add up the numbers on the wheel they come to 666. 17 is the most commonly played number on the wheel and the chances of hitting the same colour ten times in a row is 1 in 1024.
Craps
Originally called Hazard, Craps is a game that can be dated back to the Crusades. The word Craps comes from the French word for toad – crapaud, because in times gone by, players would crouch down on the street, squatting like toads. Exceptional wins have been made playing Craps. One man, Archie Karas, famously turned $17 million into $40 million over a number of months in the 1990s.
Slots
In the UK, slots are known as fruit machines and in Scotland they’re also sometimes referred to as puggy machines. Others call them one-armed bandits because some have a singular lever and they take your money! Slots are incredibly popular in Japan, where there are around 4.6 million machines.
