If there’s one thing you can say about casinos, it’s this: you’ll never run out of stuff to do. There’s no shortage of games to play. And new games are coming out all the time.
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This is great if you play online, because with just a few clicks of your mouse, you could be playing a different, unique, or brand new game – one of hundreds (if not thousands) available at any ONE casino.
The question we have for you now is this: do you know all the casino games that are available to you? All the variations you can play? If not, then start with this brief guide. We’ll fill you in on all the types of casino games you can find and play online and at land-based venues.
Overview of Casino Game Types
Card counting is not easy, as we alluded to above. It’s possible though, and there have been many players that have managed to beat the casino at blackjack. Our section on famous card counters features some the most successful and well-known counters, including the following. There is a dispute about the correct spelling of the name - the earliest sources use the spelling Casino, but a tradition has grown up among later writers to spell it with a double 's': Cassino. The aim in Casino is to capture cards from a layout of face up cards on the table. A card is captured by playing a matching card from hand. Card games come in many different forms, but I focused more on multiplayer card games, more elaborate card games, and, as far as names go, on names with specific naming conventions. There are three types of names in this generator. The first type is a 'Noun and/against Noun' type of names. So you get names like 'Demons and Donkeys', for example. Blackjack is another card game that has a few rules, but it is all about getting a card combination that equals 21. If your combination doesn’t equal 21, then you can win by having a number close to 21. This is considered one of the best casino games because it has a fast pace. You choose whether the dealer hits you with another card.
Let’s start with an overview of the games you’ll usually find at a casino.
But before we list the games, we want to quickly explain how an online casino might list them on their website. That way, you know exactly where to find the games you’re most interested in if playing online.
Each casino will list their games differently. Here’s an example.
- Slots – This includes all variations, like 3D or progressives.
- Table Games – This includes all card games, like blackjack, baccarat, and pai gow poker. It also sometimes includes dice games like craps, as well as roulette.
- Video Poker – This includes all poker games played on a machine similar to slots.
- Specialty Games – This includes anything that doesn’t fit in the categories above, such as keno, scratch tickets, lottery games, and bingo. It may also include roulette or craps.
Some casinos also have an arcade or games section. Others list bingo or scratch card games separately. Some might have their own, unique categories.
Generally speaking, though, what we’ve listed here broadly covers all the main types of casino games.
Many popular casino games come in several variations. These variations sometimes come with just minor differences, while others have more significant differences.
Let’s take a look at some of the main variations of the most popular casino games. Many of these are available at both online casinos and land-based venues, while some are only available at one or the other.
Slots
- 3, 5, 7 reel machines
- Classic slots
- Video slots
- Fruit machines
- 3D slots
- Progressive slots
- Single and multiple payline slots
There are more, too. And then there are the various features that you’ll find with some slot games but not others. These included multipliers, free spins, cascading reels, and bonus rounds.
You could even add licensed slot titles to the list. This would expand to cover licensed movie, video game, celebrity, and board game slots. In short, slot games come in MANY variations.
- Perfect Pairs
- Spanish 21
- Pontoon
- Blackjack Switch
- Chinese Blackjack
- Super Fun 21
- Atlantic City Blackjack
- Bonus Blackjack
- European Blackjack
These are just a few examples, and there are several other blackjack variants. You’ll also find payout variations such as 6:5 or 3:2 for a natural blackjack.
- Bonus Deuces Wild
- Bonus Poker
- Deuces Wild
- Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Double Jackpot Poker
- Jacks or Better
- Joker Poker
- Loose Deuces
Again, these are just a few examples. In many land-based casinos, especially the large ones in Las Vegas, you might find dozens of different video poker games. Most of the online casinos we’ve reviewed have at least ten or so, and many of them have a lot more.
Some common video poker variations you’ll find everywhere, while others are exclusive to a specific online casino or software provider. Other variations also include progressive and multi-hand video poker machines.
- American Rouette
- European Roulette
- French Roulette
- Live Dealer Roulette (online only)
- 3D Roulette
- Multi-Ball Roulette
- Multi-Wheel Roulette
Almost hard to believe a simple game like roulette could have so many variations, huh?
Anyway, these casino games have the most variations. Most other games either don’t have variations, don’t have nearly this many variations, or don’t have variations you’ll find at more than one or two casinos.
Other than what’s listed above, here are the most popular casino games you can play today.
- Baccarat
- Pai Gow Poker
- Craps
- Let Em Ride
- Caribbean Holdem
- Caribbean Stud
- Three Card Poker
- Vegas Three Card Rummy
- Keno
- Scratch Cards
One of the biggest variations you’ll find with these games (the table games, at least) will be side bets. They’re often exclusive to brick-and-mortar casinos, but you will find side bets for these games at some online casinos. In terms of value for money, they’re hit or miss.
Other than side bets, other types of variations or twists to casino games you’ll find include the following
- Live Dealer – Available online. A real person deals and the action is streamed live. Read more here.
- 3D
- Progressive – Every (max) bet contributes a small portion to a single jackpot that can be won at random by someone making the max bet.
- Video
- Multi-line
The options you have will vary from casino to casino. Online, the variations depends on the software provider(s) being used.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some games will have a different name due to licensing and/or copyrights. For example, tri-card poker is identical (or nearly identical) to 3-card poker.
When reading or talking about casino games, you might hear someone refer to them as skill games or games of chance. For example, blackjack is considered a skill game. Slots are a game of chance.
The difference between skill games and games of chance is there’s more or less a right and wrong way to play games of skill, and if not right or wrong, then definitely optimal and not optimal. You can learn these by studying various books and websites, then practice what you learned at the casino.
But games of chance? These are totally random. There’s not anything you can really do outside of cheating to gain an edge playing those.
That all said, skill games are only skill games if you yourself become skilled at them. Otherwise, they might as well be games of chance.
On top of that, few games can truly be beaten for a profit. Blackjack is one of those games. Some video poker variations can be, too.
Other games, such baccarat, pai gow poker, or craps, have strategies or optimal plays or optimal bets you can make to get the house edge down. Add in some bonuses, and you might turn a slight profit. But you shouldn’t count on it.
We point that out because unless you choose a game that can be beaten for a profit – and you’re willing to put in dozens or maybe even hundreds of hours learning it, and hundreds or probably more like thousands of dollars practicing it live – you’re unlikely to become skilled enough to beat the house for a profit.
Our point? We just recommend that you don’t choose a game for any other reason than that you like to play it. Because you’re most likely going to lose while playing it – at least in the long run.
Finding and Playing Casino Games Online
Let’s talk a minute about finding casino games online.
Most casinos will have the same options – blackjack, various table games, video poker, and slots. There are few exceptions.
Those exceptions include variations, like live table games, 3D slots, or something “rare” like multi-wheel or multi-ball roulette.
It also includes exclusive games or titles. Since many casinos work with different and/or multiple software companies, you’re likely to find a different selection of casino games at every casino you join.
This will also affect game rules, payouts, and odds – but on a much lower scale.
And it’ll affect the number of games you can play. Some casinos only have a few dozen games. Others have hundreds. Some more than a thousand. Seriously.
Then you’ll have casinos that offer full-blown mobile casino apps (for smartphones and tablets), while with others you might be lucky to have five or ten mobile friendly games. Some casinos – if you can believe it – won’t have any.
The point of all this is that you’ll have to do some research if there’s a specific game or variation you want to play. One of the best things you can do is join a casino that works with several software companies.
That way you have a wide variety of games to choose from.
There are so many types of casino games you can play. It can be overwhelming.
If you already know what games you like to play, and want to play online, we highly suggest looking for software companies that have them. From there, find out which casinos work with those software companies. Then read our casino reviews.
For everyone else?. Find a casino with LOTS of games to play. Then get busy. You’ll find the type of casino game you like to play in no time. Here are some of our recommended casinos that have a great selection of games, and they all offer bonuses too new customers, too.
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This page is partly based on contributions from Kim Scarborough, Janet Levy, Scott Grengs and Rachel Hooley. The historical introduction draws on an article by Franco Pratesi: Casino from Nowhere to Vaguely Everywhere (originally published in The Playing-Card Vol XXIV No 1 July/Aug 1995 pages 6-11)
Introduction
Casino is the only fishing game to have become popular in English speaking countries. Although it is traditionally supposed to have originated in Italy, there is no direct evidence of it having been played there, at least under that name, though many other Italian fishing games are known. Casino first appears in the card game literature at the end of the eighteenth century in London, and shortly afterwards in Germany. In the late nineteenth century it became fashionable in America and a number of new variations were developed. There is a dispute about the correct spelling of the name - the earliest sources use the spelling Casino, but a tradition has grown up among later writers to spell it with a double 's': Cassino.
The aim in Casino is to capture cards from a layout of face up cards on the table. A card is captured by playing a matching card from hand. It is also possible to capture several cards at once if their values add up to the value of the card played. Captured cards are stored face down in front of the player who captured them and scored at the end of the play. Cards from hand can also be combined with table cards into builds, which can only be captured as a unit.
This page describes the most usual Anglo-American version of Casino in which picture cards, not having a numerical value, can only capture an equal picture. There are many variants in which picture cards also have numerical values. In English-speaking countries this type of game is known as Royal Casino, and interesting versions of it are popular in various parts of the world. On other pages of this site there are descriptions of:
- Royal Casino and the version played in the Dominican Republic, which features different scoring in the endgame;
- Casino in Southern Africa (Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa), where cards can be from opponents' capture piles can be reused in builds;
- Casino (Kasino) in Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway and Finland) which is usually played without building;
- Krypkasino, a reverse variant from Sweden in which the aim is to avoid capturing cards.
We would like to thank the following partner sites for their support:
Since 2017, the website casinotopp.net has been helping Norwegian gamers to find safe places to play online. Reza Shojaei and his team of writers at Value Marketing in Oslo aim to provide objective reviews of online casinos and slots and all the information needed for players to find the casino that suits them best. In 2019 the English language partner site casinotop.com was opened, where journalists and copywriters from the Malta office provide a similar service for the Canadian market.
Ionut Marin's Casino Bonus CA was launched in 2018 to provide up to date information in English and French on casino bonuses and offers in Canada.
A large collection of ice hockey cards, including many interesting and rare examples, is displayed at www.icehockeycards.com.
Players and Cards
The game works best with from 2 to 4 players, though in theory more could take part. It has the distinction of being one of the few games which will deal out evenly to two, three, or four players. Four players can play in partnerships, two against two, with partners sitting opposite each other.
A regular 52 card deck is used. Each numeral card (ace-ten) is counted as its numerical value (ace = 1, two = 2, etc). Picked up cards are accumulated in a pile to be counted at the end of the round.
The Deal
The dealer deals four cards to each player and four cards face up in the centre (these centre cards are laid out separately so that all are visible). Traditionally, the deal is in twos: two cards to each other player, two to the table, then two to the dealer, then repeat. However, some players prefer to deal the cards singly. The remainder of the deck is temporarily put aside. After everyone has played their four cards, another hand of four cards is dealt to each player from the remaining cards, but no more cards are dealt to the table after the first deal. After these cards have been played there is another deal, and this continues until all 52 cards have been dealt (this takes 6 deals for 2 players, 4 deals for three players, 3 deals for 4 players). The dealer must announce 'last' when dealing the last cards. After the last cards have been played and the hand scored, the deal passes to the left for the next round.
The Play
Starting with the player to the left of the dealer and continuing clockwise, each player in turn must play one card out from hand face up on the table. This card may or may not capture one or more cards from the table.
- In case of a capture, when the other players have had an opportunity to see the capturing card, the player picks up this card and the captured cards and stores them all face down in a pile.
- If there is no capture the played card remains face up on the table.
Irrespective of whether a capture was made or not, the turn passes to the next player.
In detail, the possible types of play are as follows:
Example:The Q and Q are on the table, and the Q is played. The player may capture one of the queens from the table but not both.
- cards which are part of a build (see below) can only be captured by a card of the rank announced for that build;
- when sets are captured, each captured card can only be counted as belonging to one such set.
Example If an eight is played it could capture one, two or three eights from the table. It could also capture a five and a three, or a four and two twos. If the following cards are on the table: A 2 3 5 6 8, then an eight could capture 8 6 2 5 3 or 8 5 2 A, but not all six cards.
- A single build consists of two or more cards whose capture values add up to the capture value of the build - for example a 5-build made of a 2 and a 3, or a 10-build made of A-4-5.
- A multiple build consists of two or more cards or sets of cards, each of which equates to the capture value of the build - for example a 5-build made of a 2 and a 3 plus a 4 and an ace, or a 5-build made of A-4 and 5, or a 9-build made of two nines, or a 9-build made of 6-3 plus 5-4 plus 9.
Examples
- If there is a 5 on the table, a player holding a 3 and an 8 may put the 3 on the 5 and announce 'building 8'; this single build can now only be captured by an 8.
- If there is an ace and a two on the table, a player holding two threes and a six could play one of the threes and either:
- capture the two and the ace;
- combine the played three with the ace and the two and make a single build, announcing 'building 6';
- combine the played three with the ace and the two and make a multiple build, announcing 'building 3';
- You may add a card from your hand to a single build, increasing the capturing number, provided that you also hold a card which will capture the new build. At the same time you may incorporate additional cards from the table into the build, if they are equal to the new capturing number. In this case the build will become multiple. You can never use a card from the table to change the value of a single build.
Example A The table contains a build consisting of two threes, announced as a build of six. If you hold a two and an eight, you can add the two to the build announcing 'building 8'. The next player, holding an ace and a nine, could then add the ace and say 'building 9'.
The capturing number of a multiple build can never be changed. If the original build of two threes in the above example had been announced as building three (rather than building six), it would not be possible for a player holding a two and a five to add the two to the build, making five, not for a player holding a two and an eight to add the two making eight.
Example B The table contains an ace, a two and a four; the ace and the four have been combined by a previous player into a build of five. You hold a three, an eight and a ten. You can play your three onto the single five-build and announce 'building eight', but you are not allowed to incorporate the two from the table into this build to make it a build of ten.
Example C The table contains a three and a four, built into a seven, and a separate nine. You hold a two and a nine. You can play your two, combining it with the seven-build to make nine, and at the same time incorporate the nine on the table into the build, converting it to a multiple build and saying 'building nine'.
- You may add to any build, single or multiple, by playing a card from your hand which, either alone or combined with other cards on the table which are not yet in builds, matches the existing capture number of the build, provided that you hold a card which can capture the combined build.
Example The table contains a 9-build consisting of a 5 and a 4, and there is also a 3 on the table. You hold a six and two nines. You can play your 6, combining it with the 3 and the existing build to make a new multiple build of 9. Then on your next turn (provided that no one else captured) you could add one of the nines from your hand to the build. Finally, on the following turn, you could capture the whole build with your second nine.
Note that when making or adding to a build, you must contribute a card to it from your hand. You cannot just combine various cards which are already on the table to form a build. Note also that once a build contains more than one card or sets of cards which add to the capturing number, it is a multiple build and the capturing number can no longer be changed.
Example. There is a multiple 8-build of 3-5-8 on the table, and there is also a loose 6 on the table. In your hand you have 2, 8, 8, 10. You may add one of your 8s to the build, making 3-5-8-8, or to add your 2 together with the 6 on the table, making 3-5-8-2-6, still with capture value 8. You cannot use your 2 to change the capture value to 10.
When all the cards have been played in the final deal, the last player who made a capture also wins any cards which are left on the table (these cards are sometimes known as the residue). That is why it is important that the dealer should announce 'last' when dealing the last cards.
Hint on tactics: it is often good for the dealer to hold back a face card to play last if possible; this will capture a matching face card on the table and thereby also win any other table cards that remain.
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Scoring
Each player (or team) counts their score based on the pile of cards they have won. There are eleven possible points in each hand:
- whoever has the Most Cards gets three points;
- whoever has Most Spades is one point;
- each Ace is worth one point (capturing an ace with another ace is called 'cash' by some players)
- the ten of diamonds, called Big Casino or the Good Ten, is worth two points;
- the two of spades, called Little Casino or the Good Two, is worth one point.
If there is a tie for most cards or most spades, no one gets those points.
Whoever first reaches a total of 21 or more points, over however many rounds it takes, wins the game. If two people reach the target on the same round, whoever has the higher score wins. If there is a tie, another round is played.
Variations
Building Rules
Building is the most intricate part of the game, and there are several variations in exactly what is allowed when creating or capturing builds, and many of the card game books are ambiguous on this point. Some people play by more permissive rules, for example:
- Some players allow a player to trail a card and simultaneously make a build by combining other cards on the table, not including the card played.
- Some players allow a player who has a build on the table simply to trail a card on subsequent turns, leaving the build in place.
- Some players allow cards from the table to be used to help increase the value of a single build, provided that a card from your hand is also used to increase the value. In this variation, in Example B under rule 5 above, it would be legal when playing your 3 on the 5-build to incorporate the 2 from the table as well, making a single build of 10. On the other hand, if there was a 6-build and a 3 on the table and you had two nines in your hand, it would not be legal to combine one of your nines with the six-build and the three to make a multiple build of nines, because when changing the value of a build, the card you play from your hand has to contribute to the change of value.
- Some players treat a single build exactly like a single card of the same value, for the purpose of capturing it or extending the build. For example, if there is a build of 6 (5+A) on the table and a loose 4, a player who holds a 10 can capture the 6-build and the 4, and a player who holds two 10's can combine one 10 from hand with the 6-build and the 4 to make a multiple 10-build.
Sweeps
Many people play that a Sweep is worth one point. A sweep occurs when a player takes all the cards from the table, leaving it empty and forcing the next player to trail. Some players call this a clear. When making a sweep, the capturing card is stored face-up in the pile of won cards, so that the number of sweeps can be checked when scoring. It is possible to make a sweep with the last card of the final deal if it captures all the cards on the table, but if it does not, taking the remaining cards from the table because you made the last capture does not count as a sweep.
Casino Royale Card Game Name
Scoring
Other targets for winning the game are possible:
- Some play to 11 points. In a two player game (or a 4-player game with partners), in each round the player with more points scores the difference between the points made by the two players or sides.
- Some play to 50 points.
Some people, instead of scoring three points for cards, award two points to the player with most cards and one point to the player who made the last capture during the game.
Some play that when deciding the overall winner, if more than one player or team reaches the target score in the same round, the points are counted in order: cards, spades, big casino, little casino, aces (in the order spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds), sweeps. If the aces are not sufficient to reach the target score then the player or team with more sweeps wins; if they have the same number of sweeps another hand is played to decide the winner.
Some players, when approaching the target score, count the points as they are earned - each sweep as it happens, aces, big and little casino as they are captured, and spades or cards as soon as one player has captured 7 or 27 of them respectively. In this case the play ends soon as a player correctly claims to have won by reaching the target score (even if the opponent has in fact scored more but failed to claim it). Some score sweeps as they happen, but the remaining points in a specific order, with an agreed order of suits for the aces.
Some books describe Spade Casino, a variant in which instead of counting a point for most spades, each spade counts 1 point and the jack of spades counts an extra point. The ace and two of spades still count an extra point as well, so that the total points available (excluding sweeps) are 24: cards (3) + ten of diamonds (2) + the four aces and the two and jack of spades (6) + the spades (13).
Other Variations
See also the pages on Royal Casino, African Casino, Nordic Casino and Krypkasino.
Software
Playing Card
With Mari J Michaelis's SpiteNET: Cassino computer program you can play against the computer or against a live opponent over the Internet.
You can download a freeware Casino program from Thanos Card Games.
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Games4All has published a free Cassino app for the Android platform.
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Carl Scafidi has published a free Casino app for iPhone or iPad.