Exploring The Most Popular Card Games Played At Casinos
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Enter any casino and you’ll likely find rows upon rows of brightly lit slot machines, roulette wheels spinning, and card tables dotted across the room. It’s the latter of these that we’re interested in for this article.
Card games are one of the most exciting options and there’s plenty of variety. Poker provides a strategic game that is played against others. Blackjack is a house game but still one that requires thought. And baccarat is a game of chance in which you can sit back and watch the action unfold. Online casinos provide an excellent way to play casino games from the comfort of your own home, tuning into your favourite games from both desktop and mobile devices. The best online casino providers in Canada will offer lots of options when it comes to blackjack and the latest in video poker.
When it comes to physical casinos, the option is usually there to play one or more of these card games, especially poker and blackjack. Baccarat will also be on offer depending on location and the size of the venue.
Here’s a rundown of the most popular casino card games.
Poker
One of the most popular casino games is poker. If you enter even a local casino, it’s likely that many of the players will be sat down in a poker tournament. As players drop out of the tournaments, they tend to take a seat at the cash tables. So, most of the time, you’ll be able to find a game of poker.
The history of poker is vague. It is thought to have evolved from the 16th century Persian game As-Nas, picking up influence from European games of bluffing such as brag, before meandering up and down the Mississippi river and picking up new rules along the way.
The game that is most popular now is Texas Hold ‘em, in which players are dealt two hole cards as well as five community cards shared between all players. Players make five card hands and can bet and bluff their way to a win. This is the variation of poker that you’ll most commonly find in casinos across the land.
Another popular variation is Omaha, in which players are dealt four hole cards and five community cards. The aim is to make the best five card hand using exactly two hole cards and three community cards. Again, betting and bluffing are a big part of the game.
It’s harder to find Omaha games at smaller casinos, but the bigger card rooms will have them. You’ll also find several types of Omaha online. This is true of many of the more niche poker variations – online platforms are an excellent place to look.
Blackjack
Blackjack is the most popular casino banking game globally. Even at the quieter casinos, you’ll nearly always find at least one open blackjack table. Bigger venues will be bustling with players stood around dozens or even hundreds of tables.
Blackjack is not quite as complex as poker, and neither is its history. It belongs to a group of card games called 21 that are played around the world. Its direct lineage can be traced back to the 1600s and it was officially renamed blackjack in 1899.
The object of the game is to draw cards with a value as close to 21 as possible without going over and busting. If your hand is worth more points than the dealers, or you hit 21 outright, then you win the round. Blackjack rules may vary slightly depending on the casino, including the payouts if you hit 21, the numbers the dealer has to hit and stand on, and the side bets available.
Baccarat
Baccarat has grown in popularity over the years, generating an increasing amount of revenue in casinos across the Vegas Strip and beyond. You might not always find it at your local casino on a week night, but bigger venues will certainly be hosting many a table.
Baccarat’s origins are unknown, although the first written account of the game was in the 19th century, and it developed into the form we now know in the 1940s. The aim of the game is simply to bet on whether the Player hand or the Dealer hand will win, or on a Tie.
There may also be side bet options, such as betting on Player/Dealer pairs. The player has no real choices to make nor control over the outcome, making baccarat a game of chance. The only tip is that the Tie bet and side bets have the worst odds.
The way a baccarat hand unfolds can seem convoluted, but it matters little for the player. The winning hand is the one that scores closest to nine points (face cards and tens are worth zero, aces are worth one point). If you predicted the winning hand right, then you’re paid out according to your bet.
