The variety of online casino games available to players has grown a lot in the last couple of decades. Slots in particular have seen a significant increase in the number of different games for players to choose from, ranging across many different themes and mechanics.
But for all the many new varieties of classic games available on online casino platforms, many still have the same core concepts. So, here’s a guide to the basics of the major online casino games.
Slots
There’s no denying that Slots are the most common casino game online. There are hundreds of different varieties of slot games, all catering to different player preferences in their designs.
All Slots revolve around the reels and the symbols that appear on them, with players spinning the reels to see if matching combinations land. But beyond that core, there are a lot of differences between online Slots.
Some have as few as three reels where others have as many as seven. The symbols they use vary depending on the game’s theme, and how matching combinations are counted can also differ.
There’s also the difference in how jackpots work between certain games, with some Slots having fixed jackpot figures and others having progressive jackpots that rise over time.
Roulette
Among table games, there are none so popular as Roulette, which centres around the spinning wheel and which of its pockets a ball will stop in.
There are three major formats of Roulette – European, American and French – which are the basis of any online Roulette game. But there are also varieties such as multi-wheel Roulette, where multiple wheels are in play at the same time.
European Roulette features a wheel with 37 pockets, with American Roulette wheels having an additional double zero pocket that takes them up to 38. This changes the house edge of the game, with the ball having higher odds of landing in a green pocket.
Blackjack
Perhaps the most popular casino card game, Blackjack, has been around in one form or another for centuries. It’s actually descended from some of the oldest known card games in Europe.
Players aim to get a hand value that’s closer to 21 than the dealer, without going any higher. If their hand value ever goes over 21, then they go bust, which is true for the player and the dealer.
After being dealt two cards at the start of the game, players must choose what actions they want to take. They can hit (increasing their hand value), stand (keeping their hand at its current value and ending their turn), split (if their two initial cards were the same value) or double down (doubling their wager for only one additional card).
Poker
Another popular card game is Poker, which saw a boom in the early 2000s. It’s quite different to games like Blackjack, as players compare hands against each other rather than the dealer.
There are quite a few variants of Poker, all with different rulesets and setups, but the most common games found online are:
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There are still plenty of other online casino games, but that covers the most common ones that players are likely to encounter.
