It can be hard to walk into the casino and get started if you have never gambled before, and given age restrictions on gambling, that is a likely scenario. You don’t want to look silly or like you don’t know what you’re doing, but you want to join the fun. So, where do you start? Well, we’ve got a quick guide on every beginner-friendly casino game. Take a look to get prepped for your next visit to the casino.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a great game for a beginner. As long as that beginner can count to 21, there isn’t too much more to it. The most widely played casino game in the world sees you playing against the banker, looking for the total of the cards on the table to be greater than the dealer’s hand but not totaling any more than 21. You can find live blackjack here for a fun time.
You start by placing a bet in the betting box, and you get an initial two cards that are visible. This is where you can hit, stand, double, split, or surrender. Hit means you will be given another card so that your three cards come as close to 21 as possible without going over. A good choice if you have low numbers so far. To “stand,” “stick,” or “stay” means ending your turn without another card. To “split” means you want to split two cards of the same value into two hands. And “surrender,” as it implies, means to give up your half bet and exit the game.
From there, the dealer resolves his hand by drawing cards until he gets a total of 17 or more. If he goes over 17 or “busts,” the player hands win. If not, the hands win if they are greater than the dealer’s hand.
Craps
Craps is a very common casino game, mostly for its simplicity. From the outside looking in, you place a bet, someone rolls some dice, and the results of the dice dictate if you win the bet. You’re often betting on the total of the dice roll and whether it was an “easy” or “hard” result. Easy results are when an even number is a result of two different dice results like an easy eight would be two and six, or five and three, but a “hard” eight would be when you get two fours.
Where the complication comes in is where you place your bet on the craps table. The craps table layout dictates where you place your bet and shows all the different bets you can make.
A simple pass line bet is one that says the first roll will be a 7 or 11, and 2 and 12 will lose. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 mean that the number has to repeat before a seven to win. A don’t pass bet means the 2 or 3 is rolled on the first roll to win, 12 is a push, and the 7 or 11 loses. A seven must roll before any of the rest of the numbers repeat to win the bet. Players can then place a Come bet or a Don’t Come bet where the same rules apply to make a game within a game.
Roulette
Roulette is simple for beginners. You place a bet, the dealer rolls a ball, and where it lands on the wheel decides if you won your bet. The part to remember is all the different bets you can place. This usually gets boiled down to red or black (the color the ball lands on), even or odd (the number the ball lands on), high or low (high being 19-36 and low being 1 to 18), and the addition of the one (or two) green zero slots on a wheel with an additional 36 numbers. But there is also the straight bet on a single number, the split where you bet on two adjacent numbers, a street where you bet on three adjacent numbers, corner where you bet on four numbers in a corner, and six lines where you bet on six numbers that form two horizontal lines, trio which is a bet that involves a zero, first four on 0, 1, 2, and 3, and basket which is 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.
There is a difference between European and American roulette, however, where, depending on the bet you intend to place, it gives an extra edge to the player. The American version has two green zeros, whereas the European has one. With the American version, you have doubled your chance of hitting zero but lowered your chance of any other bet.
Slots
Slots are the most simple of them all. They come in all variations with features that can help you win and add extra tension, but they’re so popular because of their simplicity. Simply make a bet, spin the slot, and see if your icons line up to make a payline. If they do, you win. Simple.