Popular Casino Games – Something for Everyone

Other Casino Card Games and Casual Games to Keep You Entertained

Apart from the three usual suspects above, there’s a lot more out there, so even the most selective players will be able to get into their element. Here are some other game categories you might find at online gambling sites:

Casino Poker

Sure to please many poker enthusiasts, these games offer the well-known card game on a play-against-the-dealer basis, rather than facing off with other players as you would at a real or virtual poker table. Nevertheless, you’re sure to find several variants besides the classic Hold’em game: there’s Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker and others – also sometimes available as a live table versions. For regular poker rooms, check out our quick poker guide with more resources and operator tips!

Other Casino Poker Games:

• Tequila Poker
• Red Dog
• Pai Gow Poker
• Oasis Poker
• Progressive Caribbean Stud

Video Poker

In contrast to its casino variant, this casino card game brings a bit of a throwback vibe into the mix: it’s quite reminiscent of the early slot machines, often referred to as poker machines as well, as they layout is based on the five-card draw principle. You play against the computer as you choose whether to discard cards in exchange for new ones for a winning lineup. Jacks or Better or Aces and Faces are some popular examples.

Casino Card Games Beyond Poker and Blackjack

Some other highlights from the world of cards include popular games like baccarat – one that is in fact quite successful online due to its prominence in live casinos as well – and other games like Punto Banco or Hi-Lo, though the list could go on. Each of these has its unique set of rules, but you might recognise elements from other card favourites as well.

Other Card Games You May Find:

• 3 Card Brag
• Punto Banco
• Baccarat
• Hi-Lo
• Stravaganza

Bingo and Keno

And what would online gaming be without bingo? This hugely popular game can be enjoyed in separate online bingo hall, but many operators also offer casino variations of this popular group game. Of course, playing the casino version doesn’t carry the same community feeling as an online bingo hall – but it can nevertheless be immensely entertaining and rewarding. Keno is another special we know from ‘real life’ as a lottery variation. Playing it online can be a lot more comfortable than going to the shop for keno tickets – so why not give it a go?

Dice Games

We certainly can’t ignore dice games – these are likewise hugely popular, crossing cultures and age ranges. The fact that you can play casino games like these online as well will please tons of people, especially with popular ones like Sic Bo having a prominent spot in online casomp lobbies.

Scratch Cards and Arcade Games

Those who are neither fans of table nor card games or slots might find something in the typically diverse category of casual games and scratch cards. There’s a plethora of diversions, ranging from virtual races, to darts, to bowling or pinball, and the aforementioned scratch cards might even come as a spin-offs of more popular slots. These games are a lot more relaxed as there’s no skill or rule-mastery involved, so you can just sit back and enjoy the rounds!

Other Popular Games:

• Darts
• Bowling
• Four by Four
• Cash Blox
• Rubik’s Riches

Jackpot Games – Get Lucky and Win Big!

It bears repeating that one of the biggest advantages of playing online is the expanded number of jackpot games you can get into. Typically, jackpot games will often come in the form of slots, and there is a huge number of already existing popular reels such as Gladiator, Mega Moolah, or Mega Fortune, a game where the biggest jackpot thus far was cracked a few years ago by a lucky UK player. Of course, other games may include a jackpot – scratch cards, table and card games and even keno are no strangers to this.

Game Distribution Across Platforms

Though game selection varies from operator to operator, there are some tendencies when it comes to how much of what is available. Therefore we’d like to give you a very general idea of how the aforementioned game categories tend to be distributed in most major casinos.

Online Casinos: Slots tend to represent the biggest chunk of games on online gambling sites, being in a clear majority in every casino we’ve encountered thus far. There’s not secret to why it is so – they are hugely popular and there’s tremendous potiential in terms of creativity, taking software providers on a wild ride of innovative ideas, modern graphic renditions and layout possibilities. This game category is so big, that we’ve dedicated a comprehensive guide to slots, too! Other major groups are card and table staples like roulette and blackjack, including its variants. Lastly, a small portion tends to be devoted to other games like arcade, scratch cards or other various card games.

Mobile Casinos: When gaming on the go, you’ll see the same tendencies as on a desktop casino – though here the dominance of slot games is typically even more pronounced, as they are the easiest to format to fit various screen and browser types. Card and table games are offered in varied quantities, though typically also in reduced numbers. Nevertheless, live table and card games tend to be unaffected and tend to be available pretty much in full effect.

Live Casinos: As these include only table and card games, slots and casual games don’t play a role here. Instead, let’s have a look at how the different dealer and croupier games tend to be distributed. Roulette and blackjack take the biggest contingents of the available streamed tables, offering not only several variants and languages but also numerous tables for each variant to accommodate the high number of players at any given time. A smaller number of live tables may be devoted to casino poker and baccarat – though here it really depends on the operator, since only the more advanced sites offer these games.

Benefits of Playing for Real Money

• Why Play for Real Money?
• Real deposits, real wins
• Experience a real thrill
• Chance to win jackpots
• Varied and big choice of games

Huge part of the appeal of playing online is the fact that you can choose to play casino games for real money, the same way you would at a brick-and-mortar casino. This lets you reap the benefits of playing for real cash – you can win actual cash rewards and experience the real thrill of gambling that comes with each wager. If that doesn’t sound appealing enough, real money online games give you the optin to try your hand at jackpot variants, too.

Thousands of players worldwide flock to real money online casino games precisely due to these reasons. Some typical favourites include the popular casino card and table classics mentioned above. Here players can choose to follow one or other well-known betting strategy such as Martingale in order to minimise their losses. Other big real money favourites are, of course, slots, where numerous jackpot options attract players for the obvious reason – the chance to crack the big one and make history.

Why Play Casino Games Online?

Besides being able to take a swipe at winning real cash online, playing virtually has got several handy advantages over going to an actual, land-based casino to play. First of all – you don’t have to go anywhere! Perhaps your surroundings don’t offer enough gambling options that you like, or you’re simply a fan of playing from home – whatever your situation, online gambling gives you no restriction since you can play from your couch or even on your mobile when on the go, and you can play 24/7.

• Why Do Many People Prefer to Gamble Online?
• Casinos open around the clock
• Comfortable gaming from home
• Wider range of betting limits
• More favourable RTPs online
• Possibility to play on a mobile device
• Practice mode available for many games

Another major advantage is the fact that good online casinos will typically offer you much more favourable return to player percentages than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. For example, slot game RTPs typically move around 92% or more, most popular games straddling a comfy return rate of around 95-97%, with some going even higher. This is a lot better deal than the mid-to-high 80s you’ll get at a land-based casino. Also, beginners might benefit from many operators’ option to play many casino games in practice mode before they start involving their hard-earned cash. This is a particularly useful perk that you won’t find in actual casinos – these involve real money play from the get go, and give you no opportunities to learn without risking losing cash.

A Closer Look at Odds, RTPs and Expected Values

An integral part of gambling, whether online or in a ‘real’ casino, is the understanding of some principal concepts of returns and odds. These will actively affect your gaming experience since your actual chances to win lie in precisely these numbers. And no, there’s no need to be a math expert to understand the specifics.

First there are the basic odds, which is, simply put, the likelihood of you landing a win. These are different depending on the game; for instance, if you bet on a single number in roulette, your odds are 1 to 37 (or 1/37), giving you a 2.7% chance to win. If you bet on red or black, your chance to win is just under 50%, or 18 to 37. Here is the breakdown of the simple calculation, with roulette single number bets as an example. Other games have different percentages, depending on the number of possibilities, i.e. cards, numbers, etc.

To take things a bit further, you can also calculate the expected value of your bets, based on the odds you’re facing at a particular game. Let’s have a look again at the example of roulette.

With this math riddle we’re facing a situation of betting and losing £20 each time on 36 single number bets we’ve made (out of 37). Nevertheless, if we win one number bet of £20, our profit is multiplied 35 times, amounting to £700. The difference between the accumulated losses and the win are shown in the formula above, as the expected value. This value is also what we refer to as the house edge, meaning that the casino gets an estimated 54p for each £20 bet you make.

One key factor to consider is game variance, or the likelihood of a particular outcome. Games with big jackpots tend to have high variance, and you might lose more often in exchange for the chance to hit a really big win. On the other hand, smaller wins might be balanced by a higher chance to land one.

To give you a clearer idea of what some of the above-described concepts translate into in real life, here’s an overview of popular online casino games and their estimated return to player percentage – or, in other words, a reversed house edge.

These are just a few examples for each game category, but you’ll be able to review the RTP for any particular game at the casino site itself. This info is typically accessible directly from the game with the help of an ‘Information’ or ‘Game rules’ button; though you might sometimes find comprehensive lists summarising all games in the section. For more information on roulette find the details in our expert guide. The same goes for the card favourite blackjack – for which we’ve rounded up an all-encompassing overview as well.

Play on the Move with Mobile Casino Games!

Another huge step for the online gaming industry came with the inevitable move to bring the casino experience to the screens of portable devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Most casinos here started depending on either a downloadable, device-customised app and/or the aforementioned HTLM5 format for browser-based gambling.

It’s good to note that there are some clear differences between the two, apart from the obvious presence or lack of download. Native apps provide you with a fully tailor-made solution for your device and may therefore have optimal performance. On the other hand, they usually do not support every operating system out there, putting gadgets like Blackbery or Windows Phone at a disadvantage.

HTML5-based web apps, on the other hand, tend to work with a wider range of devices and OS, and there’s no download needed so all you’ve got to do is visit your casino site and start playing in the optimised browser. Inversely, the benefits of having a customised, device-specific software solution are missing here.

Is It Safe to Play Online?

Playing at a brick-and-mortar casino may seem relatively reassuring when it comes to putting your money to the test at a table or a slot machine – it’s without a doubt a more ‘tangible’ experience, after all. But how safe is it to gamble online? Well, there are some key elements you shouldn’t overlook when choosing a casino site.

. Online casinos rely on random number generators to determine the outcome of each spin, not only in slot games but also card and table games. Depending on the game you’re playing, there are various numbers of possible combinations that you can witness over an extended period of time, reaching well into tens of thousands or more in most cases. To assure the fairness of this technology, monitoring bodies such as eCogra or GLI overlook the processes at all times.

. The above-mentioned point goes hand in hand with the general regulations standards in the UK online gaming industry, put forth by the UK Gambling Commission. This regulatory authority ensures that each and every casino operating in the UK market is registered and holds a valid license, and complies with a host of legal and regulatory measures. As such, licensing by the UKGC is an absolute must. Many major casinos also have additional licensing from the country/administrative region where they are seated, typically Malta, Gibraltar or the Channel Islands.

. Another crucial factor to look for is how secure your payments will be, including how well the casino site protects your personal information. Here is where encryption software must ensure that your sensitive data doesn’t leak to any third parties and that your payments, no matter the method, are processed with utmost confidentiality. The aim is to significantly downsize faulty transactions, identity theft and other dangers such as phishing or fraud.

In a nutshell, solid, up-to-date licensing and monitoring as well as secure payments processing are the main tell-tale signs of a trustworthy casino. For more detailed information on these and other minor factors, check out our comprehensive safe casino guide.