The Best Casino Games To Play In Vegas

With that in mind, it may be a once in a lifetime experience for some visitors to try out the casinos. These are definitely worth the visit and may become profitable ventures.

Whether visitors want to play casually, trying their luck in several games, or they travel to Vegas specifically to hit the casinos, there are a few things that may be useful to know ahead of time.

The House Edge in Las Vegas Casinos

The saying "the house always wins" is a commonly used expression amongst seasoned casino players, and to a large extent it is true. The games in the casino are developed so that the casino has a slight advantage over gamers when they play the different games. When analysing the statistics, the house edge in most games is very minimal, ranging up to a maximum of 5% in most games. Translated into what that means for the players, is that for every $100 they play with, the odds suggest that they will lose $5 to the casino. This may sound strange at first, but this is the way the casinos work, the house edge is used so that the casino is able to make a profit and keep running.

The house edge does not mean all players will lose $5 for every $100 placed, but rather that this is the mathematical average over all the bets placed in a casino. Players may play with $20 and not win anything, but some may carry on and when they have put in $100 they may suddenly hit a huge jackpot. There is no way of knowing when players may win, but there are some ways to reduce the house edge to give players a small advantage when playing certain games.

Blackjack

Without using any strategies, blackjack has one of the lowest house edges of all of the games that can be found in casinos in Vegas. The house edge ranges from 1% to 2%, and attracts many players to try their luck. This edge can be reduced by players who try to count cards, although this practise is objected to by many casinos who may even ban players who try to use this method. There are many variants of blackjack, and even for players who do not want to learn how to count cards or fear the repercussions of being banned, there are a number of expert strategies for each variant that can help reduce the house edge. These strategies vary between each different form of blackjack, though the main concept is the same. There are charts that players can memorise, which instruct the player whether they should fold, hit, split or double down. These rules depend on which cards the player receives and what card they play against.

Craps

Craps is a classic casino game that most people will recognise from movies. The point of the game is to throw a pair of dice on a large table and hope that they form totals. There is only one player who can shoot during a round and the goal is to roll a total of 7 or 11 and avoid totals of 2, 3 or 12. The most straightforward bet to place in craps is the pass/don't pass bet, which gives the house an edge of 1%. While this number is already quite low, an additional bet can be placed behind the pass or don't pass bet when a point is set. The Laying the Odds bets are wagers on specific numbers before a specific number is thrown. This bet is statistically fair and therefore the house edge on this bet is 0%, a rare occurrence in casino games.

Baccarat

Baccarat is one of the oldest games that is still played in casinos. This glamorous game was enjoyed amongst the French aristocracy and was one of the most popular games in the days before public casinos were opened. Nowadays, there are three popular variants of Baccarat, the most common being Punto Banco. Cards are drawn for the player and the house, and the point is to get as close as possible to the value 9. Both the dealer and the player are dealt two cards, and if the numerical value of both cards exceeds 10, then 10 is subtracted from the value. Simply put, it does not matter if the value of the cards go into double digits as long as the last digit is as high as it can be. After the cards are dealt, a third card may be added to the player or the dealer, depending on which version of baccarat is being played. A win for the player or banker (dealer) pays out at 1:1, although a bet on a draw between the two may pay at 8:1 depending on the rules of the casino.

Roulette

This game, like Baccarat, can trace its history back to France. The first roulette wheels appeared in French casinos in the 18th century. Roulette fits the description of "A game of chance" much more than baccarat or blackjack, where players can have certain levels of control on how each round will finish. The house edge in roulette can range from 2.8% to 5.2%. There are three main variants of roulette, including the American style roulette, the European style roulette and the French style roulette. The French and European roulette wheels feature 37 numbers, from 0 to 36. The American variant of roulette features 38 numbers, with an additional 00 segments, meaning the numbers on the wheel include 00 and 0-36. The odd number of segments on the European and French variants of roulette mean that players can take the advantage when looking for bets to place in roulette. There are 19 even numbers to 18 odd numbers in European and French roulette for example. The odds offered will still be 1:1 in most cases, meaning that the house edge is reduced to an absolute minimum.

Slot Machines and Keno

While slot machines remain one of the most popular games in casinos, they are also one of the highest risk games for players. The house edge of course varies from slot to slot, as these are operated by different developers who created each game and are responsible for the rate at which money returns to each player.

Despite their popularity, slots on average have a far higher house advantage. Each slot has its own Return to Player rate, but on average the house advantage is higher than that of the table games.

Keno is a game that strongly resembles bingo, and though it is just as hugely popular, it has a high house edge.

When it comes to slots and keno, there are no strategies or guides that can help players reduce the house advantage. These games do not have any special decision making rounds where players can rely on strategies that may improve their chances. Slots are pretty straightforward in that a stake is set and then the reels are spun. Keno is similar to bingo, in that players choose numbers and then hope those are drawn.