” If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes and the quitting time” – Chinese proverb

That one Chinese proverb probably sums up casino gaming in one easy sweep. The best of casino games can only be enjoyed right, if you know the stakes and when to quit. Over time, the world of gambling has grown and gained a lot more glamour and spunk. Today, any casino enthusiast will have a plethora of mind-engaging and thrilling games to choose from out of which, some are rather often played and popular. In general almost all casino games are great to indulge in and gives the player a sense of refined fun along with the stellar service that casinos offer. Here are some of the most popular casino games and how you can have fun ‘right’ with them.

Baccarat

Baccarat is considered to be an “elegant” casino game and was in the past played by the creme de la creme of the social circles. It was also coincidentally the game of choice of the fictional character James Bond. The game is rather dramatic and involves placing blind bets on two different outcomes. One is that the Banker has the higher hand, the second that the Player does. It has often been said that given the odds, it takes an astounding level of courage to take on this game, but if you manage to learn the rules, you can easily “rule”.

Blackjack

Blackjack has a reputation for being the toughest game to win at the casino. It is also known as twenty-one and can be described as a comparing card game that happens between a player and a dealer. This means that you, the player, will compete against the dealer. Not against fellow players. It uses one or more decks of 52 cards each and can be called as the most widely played casino banking game around the world. Your target here, will be to defeat the dealer in any one of the following ways;

  • By getting the 21 points on the your first 2 cards, also known as a natural or blackjack, without a dealer blackjack.
  • Get to a score higher than that of the dealer without exceeding a total of 21
  • Let the dealer keep drawing additional cards until they exceed 21 at their hand

Roulette

This is by far, one of the easiest games to lay at the casino as it is to understand. As with any other game that is easy to get, the house has a bigger edge on Roulette as well. If you want to enjoy a slow game, do not mind the house edge and want to play something you can understand without getting a migraine, Roulette is just about perfect for you. The biggest difference between Roulette and other table games is that the Roulette chips have no value denomination indicated on them. The table is made with 6 to 8 differently coloured chip sets and each set has 300 chips. When you buy your chips, you get your own colour and the value of every chip is the buy-in divided by the number of total chips you get. The dealer will place a tag or token on top of their stack to indicate this total value.

Poker

Poker is the name given to a family of card games. Some that come under this category are Texas Hold’em Poker and Three Card Poker. The game is one that combines gambling, skill and strategy and all variants of the game revolve around placing bets and determining the winner of each hand played as per the combinations of the player’s cards. Some of these cards will stay hidden until the game is over. The main difference between various Poker games comes from the betting methods, number of cards shared known as community cards, number of dealt cards and the number of hidden cards. It is, overall a fun and prudent game to play that will keep any player really engaged in the game.

Teen Patti: three cards… all the way from India

Teen Patti is a very popular gambling game that originated in India. Also known as Three Cards or Flush, the game usually involves three to six individuals, uses a deck of 52 cards and has no jokers. The rules of the game

  • You can play either blind (cards face-down) or seen (Chaal, Pack/Fold, or Ask for Sideshow).
  • If the player who placed the bet before you is a seen player, you must make sure to bet half that stake or the current stake amount.
  • If the individual before you is a blind player you must bet the full current stake amount or double it.

Tips:

  • Before the dealt, the ‘boot amount’ is decided upon and collected from each individual. This is the minimum stake in the pot. With the game, the stake amount grows and the winner of each hand will be winning that amount.
  • The win usually goes to the player who stays in the game until the very end and has the best or highest hand based upon the ranking of cards.

Slot machines: quick and easy and a load of fun

Easy-to-play, slot machines have quickly garnered popularity in the casino gaming environment. Ideal for first-timers, they are fun to play and not too hard to learn. With a variety of games to choose from, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different types of games and their rules. Tips:

  • Almost all the machines have currency acceptors. Slide in a bill to the slot and you will see that the right equivalent for the amount is indicated as credits on a meter.
  • Use only one machine if the place is crowded, so that others can play too.
  • Look out for chairs tipped against the slot machine, or a coat on the chair which indicates that the machines are in use.