Humans have been playing casino style games for millennia. The earliest recorded six-sided dice dates back to Mesopotamia from 3000 BC.
Fortunately though, if you want to enjoy the very best casino games nowadays you don’t need to travel back in time. Instead all you need to do is open your mobile device and download an app from one of the many thousands of trusted online casino companies on the market.
That’s the easy part though, the tough part comes when you have to find the best casino game to suit your budget, playing style and preferences. Fortunately for you, we’ve gone to the effort of detailing 4 of the main casino games, listing their pros and cons and describing what type of player they’re suited to.
Read on to find out which casino game is tailor made for you.
Poker
Pros:
- It can be exhilarating and full-throttled
- Regular poker sessions provide you with a fun and engaging way to train your brain and keep you mentally sharp
- Playing regularly is a great way to make friends
Cons:
- Whilst it can be fun and exhilarating, poker can oftentimes be quite time consuming
- Poker is a hard game to pick up, you’ll have to do a good bit of research and study before your first game
- You can lose a lot of money on just one turn of a card
Description: Poker was developed at some point in the 19th century in the United States and to this day remains incredibly popular in North America. The most played variant of the game is Texas Hold ‘Em, which you will find available at any online casino worth its salt.
The average game lasts between 1-3 hours, but if you’re engaged in tournament play you can expect that to double, treble and perhaps even quadruple. As poker is skill based, the sky really is the limit in how far you can go. Practice, study and improve and you could end up battling it out with the world’s best at the World Series of Poker.
Who it suits: If you’re the type of person to have obsessed about every pastime you’ve ever had, poker is the game for you. It rewards hard work and practice so if you can guarantee those two things, you’ll win more than you lose. If, on the other hand you’re a casual casino gamer, poker is a sure fire way to lose money.
Slots
Pros:
- Fast-paced casino action
- Slots can be cheap to play with stakes as low as 1 pence
- Most online casinos have a great range of slots to play so you should never get bored
Cons:
- There is no skill involved
- The graphics and themes can be quite tacky
- Playing slots drains your phone battery
Description: In 1891 Stittman and Pitt released the world’s first slot machine in Brooklyn, New York. The gambling machine featured 50 card faces and if players drew certain combinations they would be rewarded with bar snacks and drinks.
In the 130 years since the slot industry has gone from strength to strength and is now by far the most popular casino game. The main allure of slots is their fast-paced gameplay combined with the large sums of money on offer for lucky winners.
Who it suits: If you’re a casual casino player who plays to unwind and de-stress after a tough day at work then slots are the game for you. Winning big is rare, but slots do provide regular, small wins that will keep you smiling as you spin the reels.
Blackjack
Pros:
- It’s an easy game to pick up
- Blackjack is at its core a social game, even when played online
- Unlike poker, there’s never a dull moment
Cons:
- After playing for a while it can get a little repetitive
- It’s easy to lose track of your bets
- Strategies can be quite hard to get your head around
Description: The first game on this list not to have been invented in the United States, blackjack, or 21 as it is known to some can trace its origins back to France. This simple and fast-paced card game sees players take on the dealer in an attempt to make 21 in as few as cards as possible.
If neither party makes 21 with their cards the winner is the player with the highest total from the cards they have been dealt. Go over 21 though and you go bust, losing the round.
Who it suits: Blackjack is a casino classic that suits players who love the feel of traditional casino gaming but also like their iGaming to come with a degree of pace and action.
Roulette
Pros:
- No game can measure up to roulette in terms of jeopardy and thrills
- Roulette can make you rich in an instant
- It’s a very easy game to understand
Cons:
- Similarly to blackjack, strategies can be hard to understand
- Roulette can make you poor in an instant
- Played wrongly it can quickly turn into a boring game
Description: Developed in 18th century France, roulette is one of the most commonly portrayed casino games in Film & TV. The dealer spins a purpose-built wheel before dropping a small ball into the wheel. Players then bet on where the ball will land, either picking a specific number, a spread of numbers or a colour.
Who it suits: If you’re a risk-taker you will adore roulette. In 2004 English Ashley Revell travelled to Las Vegas and bet his life saving on a single spin of the roulette wheel. His luck came in and he doubled his money in an instant, using his winnings to set-up his own online casino business.
If you like the idea of those high-stakes jeopardy bets then roulette is definitely the game for you. If waging big like that doesn’t sound too appealing, don’t forget that roulette is also a game that rewards methodical players who enjoy enacting a strategy.