How Do Casino Games Work
The casino does have an edge over the player. This is true of every casino game, in fact. The casino gets its edge using math and large numbers. Every bet on every casino game offers a lower payout than the actual odds of winning. They’re used for virtual games, which are games where there’s no dealer. You’d think this mostly applies to online casinos. But offline casinos use them, too, for their virtual blackjack and roulette games, as well as for keno, video poker, and video slot machines. Let’s take slots, for example. How exactly does an RNG work?
I’ve had a fascination with gambling and more precisely casino gambling since I watched the mobster movie Casino as a teenager.
While there were definitely some aspects of the movie I wanted NO part of, other parts stirred something in my imagination.
Some games (such as progressive jackpot slots, or in some cases, live dealer games) don’t count at all towards wagering requirements. When do you incur casino wagering requirements? In most cases, every time you claim a bonus at an online casino, you will be accepting new wagering requirements. It is often a good idea not to claim new bonuses. Players presses spin and a random number is The mathematical module in the games software translates that number and figures out where the reels should stop. Those reels stop where they should and the game calculates the result of the spin. The player is then notified of the outcome.
After all, owning a casino is basically a license to print money. Right?
So, by that logic everyone in the casino, dressed to the 9s, bourbon in hand and a mountain of chips in front of them, must be the pinnacle of opulence.
It was about 2 hours into my first casino trip, I had this crushing realization of how woefully unprepared I was.
How in the world could this happen?
It happened because I had no clue as to what I was doing or how the games even worked.
I never want a first timer or any novice gambler to have the experience I had 2 decades ago. So, I’m here to help.
To understand how casino games work, we have to know the different types of games.
Table Games
Table games are where the action is at any casino. Dealers paying out bets, players bustling around, dice bouncing, and cards being dealt. Spend any time on a casino floor with some high stakes table games and it will be an experience you’re sure to remember.
1 – Baccarat
Baccarat is perhaps the lesser known or understood table game of the 4 mainstays in most casinos. Once you grasp how hand values are formulated, you will find the enigma of Baccarat strategy has been lifted. Baccarat then becomes one of the most transparent casino games around.
I’ll give you a little head start, “Baccarat” is derived from old European dialects and means “zero”. So, just think of baccarat as playing “zero”.
We call it zero because face cards and the 10s which are typically valued at 10 become worth 0 in Baccarat. Meanwhile, number cards are worth face value and Aces are worth 1.
For baccarat, the objective is to predict if the banker or player will have a higher score. You may also bet for a tie if both hands finish with the same total tie bets win.
2 – Roulette
Roulette is perhaps the most recognizable and straightforward casino table game. Roulette comes to us from the French word for “little wheel”.
There are a plethora of bets available for the player to make, so many in fact hundreds of articles have been written solely on that topic. So, let’s stick to basic game play.
Roulette begins with players making bets. The dealer then throws the ball into the Roulette wheel and players may continue making bets. While the ball is still in motion the dealer announces “no more bets” and betting is over. After the ball comes to rest, winning bets are placed and the next round begins.
3 – Craps
Ooohhh craps.
If you’re looking for a fun time and some true comradery hit the craps table. Standing around the table, slinging around high-fives, laying bets and throwing dice combine to assemble my favorite casino nights.
Craps may be the most complex table game at the casino, but it doesn’t have to be scary. Let’s cover some basics and you’ll be right at home rubbing elbows with the avid players.
To pass or not to pass?
Ignore the side bets for the moment and focus on the main game. This is the “Pass Line” or “Don’t Pass” line. Pass Line bets are on the shooter to win.
So, if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 the bet wins. However, if the come out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 the bet loses. If the come out is any other number that becomes the point. The shooter is then trying to hit that point before rolling a 7. If the player rolls a 7 before hitting the point they “seven out” and the bet loses.
A “Don’t Pass” bet essentially works juxtaposed to a “Pass Line” bet. Again, the “Don’t Pass” bet is a bet against the shooter.
“Don’t Pass” bets win if the come out roll is 2 or 3 and the bet is pushed if 12 is rolled. A come out of 7 or 11 is a loser. If any other number is rolled it, establishes the point and if a 7 is rolled before the point is hit the bet pays
This is an abridged overview, but it gives you a basis on how craps works. You’ll surely pick up the rest at the table.
Whatever you do remember this; never say the word seven at the table. And when you are throwing the dice please make sure the dice hit the back wall.
4 – Blackjack
Blackjack is my go-to casino game. You don’t have to be as uniquely intelligent as Raymond Babbit to thoroughly enjoy yourself.
Blackjack gained its soaring popularity in part by being incredibly easy to learn. The experienced and novice gambler alike can’t seem to get enough of the fast-paced action of real money blackjack.
The object of the game is to reach 21, without going over, before the dealer hits 17. If you don’t bust,and your total is higher than the dealer’s you win. Hitting 21 or blackjack usually means even bigger winnings.
Electronic Gaming Machines
Now, there seems to be a stigma regarding these casino games. I must admit that when someone mentions slots to me, I envision grandma with a cigarette hanging loosely from her lips and an oxygen tank strapped to the back of her mobility scooter.
This is an unfair characterization that likely stems from too much time looking at memes on Facebook. In fact, the first time I remember leaving a casino with house money was a birthday night of years back spent at the penny slots.
There is no question that slots have a special place in casino gaming. Simple to play, smaller minimum bets, bright flashing lights and loud noises draw in the masses.
Did you know that while slots absolutely take a lion’s share of the EGM pie, they don’t have a monopoly?
Playing video poker wasn’t just for passing hours in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In fact, video poker started making its way into casinos back in the 1970s.
Modeled after 5 card draw the object is easy. Build your best poker hand by holding your best hand from the deal and drawing in hopes of completing your hand.
Unlike poker at a table, you aren’t competing with an opponent. You are simply trying to build the best hand possible. Usually a pair of jacks or better will pay and the better your hand the higher the payout.
Random Number Ticket Games
Keno is by far the most popular game in this genre. Rumor has it the game saved an ancient city during war time and that keno helped fund the Great Wall of China. If you can count to 80, congratulations — you already know everything you need for Keno.
Each casino has their own pay tables and variations of rules. The standard seems to be 80 numbers on the board. You then select 20 numbers from those 80. The more numbers you match, the higher the payout.
If you’ve ever played Powerball or your state’s lottery, you’ll immediately recognize how to play Keno
Conclusion
I hope you’ve gained some understanding of how casino games work. Casino gambling may seem overwhelming, but as you see, it doesn’t have to be.
The most important thing is to remember to have fun. Don’t take yourself too seriously. I have found time and again that any casino personnel are always happy to show a newbie the ropes. These days most casinos even offer “classes” on popular games for beginners.
How nice of the casino to show patrons how to win their money.
Other players can also be a wealth of great information. It usually isn’t too hard to spot the rookie at a table and most are glad to offer a lending hand. Be aware that this will not work at the poker table. I repeat you are on your own there.
When it comes to the casino games we reviewed, it’s us against them.
And them has been rarely defeated for a very long time.
Everyone knows how casino games work, don’t they?
Actually, you’d be surprised. I’ve heard some of the most insane strategies and ideas about how to go about playing real money casino games.
The purpose of this post is to explain how casino games work so that maybe there’ll be less misinformation about it in the future.
This is ideal for those who don’t yet know much about gambling and are looking to learn more about how most casino games work.
Math Is a Critical Part of Understanding Casino Games
Some people think that casinos and real money online casinos make money from their games because they cheat. That’s not at all true. Casinos don’t have to cheat, because they use the math of larger numbers to guarantee themselves a profit.
Here’s how that works.
Every casino game has payout odds, which is the amount you get paid if you win the bet compared to the amount you had to risk.
Many games have even odds where, if you bet $100 and win, you get $100 in winnings. Other games might pay off at 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 if some conditions are met. If you bet $100 and win, you’ll get $200 or $300 given those odds.
The thing about these bets is that you can also use odds to describe the probability of winning.
For example, if something is going to happen half the time, the odds are even, or 50/50.
If something is only going to happen 46% of the time, and the bet pays off at even money, someone is going to profit in the long run. And someone else is going to lose in the long run.
Guess who’s going to win 54% of the time on a casino game? That’s right. It’s the casino.
More About Odds and Probabilities Related to Casino Games
Let’s look at a really clear, specific example of how this works in reality in the game of roulette.
A real money roulette wheel has 38 numbers on it, and you can place a bet on which number the ball will land in. If you bet on the right number, you get a 35 to 1 payout.
Now, suppose you have a table full of gamblers, and each person picks one number and bets $100 on it. Or suppose that one player decides he absolutely MUST win, so he bets on all 38 numbers.
What’s the outcome for the casino? They win 37 of the 38 bets, for $100 each, so they win $3,700. They lose one of those bets, and they pay out $3500 on the winning bet. This leaves them with a $200 profit.
If you average that $200 profit by all 38 bets, you’ll get $5.26 per bet on average. And that’s how the casino makes its money, by paying out at odds lower than the odds of winning.
How Slot Machines Work
Of course, most people don’t play table games like blackjack, craps, or roulette anymore. 80% of most casino revenue comes from the slots.
How do the slot machines work? As it turns out, they work almost exactly like the table games. The major differences are the bigger payouts for the top jackpots and the correspondingly lower odds of winning them.
Also, on a gambling machine, your payout is done on an “x for y” basis rather than an “x to y” basis… What does that mean?
Well, it means that you don’t get to keep your original bet in addition to your winnings. You’re trading your original bet for what you’ve won.
This means that if you win an even money payout on a slot machine, you’re not actually winning anything. You just didn’t lose any money. In a table game, that would be considered a “push,” which is a fancy casino term for “tie.”
Let’s say you have 2,000 different possible outcomes on a slot machine. Then, let’s say you have 1,800 possible payouts on all the winning combinations.
That slot machine game would have a 90% payback ratio, which is the amount that the slot machine pays back on average on every spin. It’s like paying a 10% tax on every bet.
Are Casino Games Random?
I read a lot of blog posts from an author who likes to point out that most casino game outcomes aren’t TRULY random, but they’re close enough. They’re confused about what random means.
It’s still random, but the odds are just tilted away from what they should be.
Casinos don’t have an incentive to have a non-random roulette game with a biased wheel, though. If they did have one, they’d be putting themselves in a position where savvy players could figure out the bias and profit from it.
They make MORE money offering random games than they would if they had games that were predictable.
That’s an important thing to understand about how casino games work. The casinos are incentivized to make sure they’re random and fair. If they weren’t random or fair, the casino would make less money.
What Are the Different Types of Casino Games?
Casino games can be broadly categorized into three types:
- Gambling machines
- Novelty games
- Table games
Gambling machines are currently the most popular type of casino game in the United States. Slot machines are an example, and video poker is the second most popular example. But you can also find video blackjack and video roulette games.
Novelty games include games like keno and other “carnival style” games. These games tend to have a higher mathematical advantage for the house than gambling machines or table games.
Table games are the games you see played at the various tables in the casino. The most popular of these include baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette.
The problem is that you have to be familiar enough with the pay tables for the variations of video poker to spot the ones with the higher payback percentages.
With most table games, you can bet a low house edge by just sticking with the best bets at the table. And at some tables, all the bets carry the same mathematical edge.
Which Casino Games Are Best?
The best casino games to play are the ones you enjoy the most. That advice runs counter to what you’ll read on many sites.
Most books and websites advise you to stick with the games with the lowest edge, but I disagree with this advice.
Imagine this. Suppose you’re playing blackjack for an hour, and you’re pretty sure that you’re going to lose $10 per hour while you’re playing. Let’s also suppose you HATE playing blackjack.
How Do Online Casino Games Work
On the other hand, you’re playing slots for an hour, and you’re pretty sure you’re going to lose $50 per hour while you’re playing. Let’s also suppose you LOVE playing slot machines. Which game should you play?
At the end of the day, if you play casino games, you’re going to lose all your money if you play long enough. That’s just how the math behind the game works.
So, even if you’re going to lose your money faster on a game with a high house edge, if it’s more fun, that’s the game you should play.
How Can I Win More Often Playing Casino Games?
In the long run, you can’t win unless you’re some kind of advantage player. Learning how to beat the casinos in the long run is beyond the scope of this post.
But, in the short term, the nature of random chance means you’ll sometimes win. I’d estimate that 20% of the time, you should be able to walk away from the casino with some winnings in your pockets.
Start by playing games with the lowest house edge. This means playing blackjack and learning the correct basic strategy for the game. It also means learning about the pay tables in video poker and learning how to play that game with the correct mathematical strategy.
How To Win On Casino Games
Craps is another game where you can get a low house edge, but you have to stick with the best bets at the table. At some games, like roulette, almost all the bets have the same house edge. But, in craps, many of the bets have a really big advantage for the casino. Avoid those bets.
The best way to increase your odds of walking away from the casino a winner is to stay far away from the slot machines. They have the worst odds of winning, except for maybe keno.
How Do Casinos Make Money
Conclusion
How Do Casino Games Work Without
That’s the basic idea of how casino games work and what you need to do to get the most out of them.
How Do Casino Games Work Windows 10
What questions do you have about casino games now? Post them in the comments, and I’ll try to answer those questions.