Casino game betting guide to the most popular casino games online – it is no coincidence that real money casino games are the most popular type of wagering online today and I expect major growth in the industry over the next few years.
Today’s online casino games are designed to be as similar to their live counterparts as possible. The betting rules of casino games, the way they look and even the payouts of real money games are nearly identical to all the games you can find in brick and mortar casinos. Technology in this area has come a long ways over the years, and casino fans have more options now than ever before.
Any betting game that you can find in a live casino can also be found at online casino sites. Classics such as blackjack, craps, roulette and slot machines are just as popular on the internet as they are in Las Vegas. In fact, the selection on the internet is even more varied than it is in the largest land based casinos.
Playing Casino Games Online For Real Money
Real money casino games can now be played at hundreds of online casinos. These games let you wager real money just like you would at a live casino. The only difference is that you can play from the comfort of your home and transfer your winnings straight to your bank account.
One of the nice things about real money casino games on the internet is that the stakes are very flexible. Online casinos can afford to spread games with betting limits as low as $0.01 or as high as several thousand dollars per bet. Online casino games do not occupy valuable floor space and they don’t require expensive dealers, so internet casinos are perfectly happy to spread games at all levels.
Live casinos still have the edge at the high stakes games, though. We have yet to find an online casino that can accept $50,000 bets on blackjack like you can in Vegas. But we have found casinos that accept wagers as high as $5,000 a pop. Needless to say, that’s more than enough flexibility for the average casino gamer.
Getting started with real money casino games is an easy process. The first thing you need to do is choose an online casino and create an account there. After that, you can use a variety of deposit methods to fund your account and get to the action. When you’re finishing playing, you can cash out your winnings via the same method that you used to deposit.
How Betting On Online Casino Games Work
Online casino games use random number generators (RNGs) to create truly random results for their players. Every time a deck is shuffled, the roulette wheel is spun or a slot machine is activated, RNGs are used to produce perfectly random results. This makes it possible for online casinos to function without real-life dealers working behind the scenes.
Interestingly, RNGs are not just used in online casino games. Many live casino games now use RNGs as well. For example, most live slot machines use RNGs to produce their results. The spinning reels of even the most basic live slot machines are just there for show.
Security plays an extremely important role behind the scenes of online casino games. Online casinos live and die by their reputations, so no single casino can afford to have a reputation for faulty games, crooked games or games with lax security. To that end, online casinos develop a lot of time and money.
The most reputable online casinos submit their games to random testing by independent companies. One such company, Technical Systems Testing (TST), is internationally recognized for testing the random number generators and security for both live casinos and online casinos. A certification from TST is always a good thing to see.
Online Casino Game Variations
Online casino games come in an all sorts of different variations. Card games such as blackjack, Caribbean Stud and Let It Ride are available at nearly every online casino on the internet. Every card game you can find at a live casino can also be found on the internet. This also includes variations such as blackjack switch, Pontoon and Red Dog.
Specialty games such as roulette, craps and baccarat are also available on the internet. These games can be played at all stakes and feature the same rules and bets as their live cousins. The graphics for these games are designed to mimic the look and feel of the live versions.
Slots and video poker translate nicely to the internet since these games already rely heavily on computers. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of slot machine and video poker variations on the internet that can be played for all stakes. These games often look better than their live counterparts because they are easily updated with new graphics and improved technology.
Online casinos also feature other random games such as scratch cards, keno and casino bingo. These games are a little more hit and miss in terms of availability, but most big casinos feature them. If you’re looking for a quick and cheap gamble, these games are often the best bet.
In short, any game that you can find in a live casino can also be found on the internet. Online casinos actually have more variety because they are not limited by space or budget. An online casino can hold an infinite number of games without the limitations of space and staff. Below are the most popular casino game variations:
- Blackjack Online – Blackjack is one of the most popular online betting games of them all. Although your earnings in blackjack are ultimately determined by luck, skill plays a major role in blackjack. Skilled blackjack players are much more likely to end up with a sizable win than people who play with a haphazard strategy.
- Baccarat Online – Baccarat looks like a complicated game, but it’s actually one of the simplest games in the casino. The cards are dealt according to a complex system of rules, but the only thing players have to do is guess whether the “dealer” or “player” position will win. Superstition also plays a role in this game, with many of the rules of the game set in place to appease superstitious players.
- Slots Online – Slot machines are widely known as “one-armed bandits” but that name hasn’t hurt the timeless popularity of this casino game. The slot machine has been around for more than a hundred years but it continues to evolve and change to this day. Today’s slot machines range from the very basic to technologically advanced. Some online slot machines come with million dollar jackpots.
- Craps Online – Craps games are popular for a few reasons. First of all, online craps isn’t nearly as intimidating as live craps (where there are crowds of people watching you play). Secondly, online craps gives players the ability to plan their bets and take as long as they want to make their decisions. On top of that, online craps betting is way more convenient than driving to the local land base casino resort.
- Roulette Online – Few games personify games of luck as well as roulette does. The spinning wheel and bouncing ball that characterize roulette are one of the most recognizable metaphors for chance in the world. Roulette has been known to create fortunes in the blink of an eye and take them away again just as fast. If you’re feeling lucky and want to see what the gambling gods have in store for you, the roulette table should be your first stop.
- Video Poker Online – Video poker dances all over the line between skill and luck. Depending on who is at the controls, video poker can be a totally random game or it can be a test of endurance, concentration and memory. Play your cards right and you can almost completely eliminate the house advantage in online video poker.
- Keno Online – Keno is a lottery-style game that can be found at most online casinos. Betting on Keno games online involves picking anywhere from 1 to 10 different numbers on a card out of 80 total numbers. The computer then randomly selects 20 numbers from the card and gives you payouts if your numbers are picked. If enough numbers are chosen correctly, Keno offers astounding payouts.
- Let It Ride Online – Let It Ride is a popular card game in both live casinos and online betting sites. The right combination of skill and luck make Let It Ride a fun game for casino fans of all types. The rules of the Let It Ride are simple to learn but still allow players the ability to exhibit some control over the game. Even better is the fact that most online Let It Ride games come with large progressive jackpots.
- 3 Card Poker Online – Players who like options like 3 Card Poker. In this game, players have two different betting options. One betting option pits you in a competition against the dealer, while the other betting option simply gives you payouts if you hit a strong enough hand. This is a relaxing game that doesn’t ask for much from the player but still offers substantial payouts.
- Caribbean Stud Online – Images of sandy beeches and gently swaying palm trees come to mind when the name “Caribbean Stud” is uttered aloud. Interestingly, the name is more than just a clever marketing gimmick – Caribbean Stud actually first appeared on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Even more important is the fact that Caribbean Stud offers players the opportunity to win small, frequent payouts in combination with the occasional massive payday.
- Pai-Gow Poker – Players who prefer options over mindless betting tend to flock to Pai Gow Poker. This online betting game gives each player a set of seven cards and then allows the players to form those cards into two different hands. The goal is to beat the dealer with both hands and to win lots of money.
- Sic-Bo Online – Sic Bo is another one of those casino games that looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. Sic-Bo is comparable to craps in that it involves dice and gives players many different betting options. The long list of possible bets makes it look like a complicated game, but each type of bet is pretty straightforward. Choose an outcome, roll the dice and get paid.
- Pachinko Games Online – Pachinko is a unique online betting game that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves. In pachinko, the player drops or fires a ball into the top of the machine. The ball then drops down through a field of pins that randomly alter the course of the ball. If the ball lands in the right place, players are rewarded with either more balls or prizes.
- Mahjong Online – Mahjong is the one casino betting game that actually is somewhat complicated. However, the game is rewarding to those who take the time to learn how to play. Mahjong online can be played with other players or in a single player format known as Mahjong Solitaire.
