Table games can be found at most of the online casinos of today and will include different variants of games, like roulette and blackjack. In fact the spectrum is far wider than this when it comes to the variety of table games you can now play. Basically, table games offer entertainment, which includes the use of cards or dice. For the purpose of this guide we will talk you through a variety of the most common table games and give you a brief history of where each of them originated.

Roulette

Brief history – The word roulette actually means ‘little wheel’ in French and, in fact, roulette history did begin in France and dates back all the way to the seventeenth century. The early version of the roulette wheel was invented by the French mathematician Blaise Pascal. In 1842 a major advance took place in roulette history when a roulette game with a single zero was created by the brothers Francois and Louis Blanc. Francois Blanc bought the roulette game to Monte Carlo and established the first of the Monte Carlo casinos. Roulette was then introduced to the United States later in the nineteenth century and a second zero was added to the wheel to increase the casino house odds. Soon players all over Europe and the United States were playing the game and it became popular worldwide right up to the current date.

 

The rules – Roulette is a game of chance that can be found at most online casinos and it is one of the easiest games to play and understand. Roulette is a slow-paced table game and has a greater house edge than other casino games. The basics of roulette involve a spinning wheel which has special numbered pockets, a ball that is thrown into the wheel and a betting table in which you place your bets. Depending on where the ball stops on the reel you can be paid out between 1:1 and 35:1 on your bets. In order to win you have to correctly predict where the ball will land after each spin of the wheel.

 

The most popular variants of roulette are European Roulette, which consists of 37 slots on the wheel, and American Roulette, which has 38. Numbers range from 1 – 36 with zeros added as mentioned above. The numbers alternate between pairs of odd numbers with pairs of even numbers. They also alternate between red and black pockets. The zero numbers on both versions of roulette will always be green. As the wheel starts spinning, a small ball is rolled in the opposite direction and will drop into one of the pockets when the wheel stops spinning, which then determines the winning number. Before the wheel starts spinning, you will have time to place your bets on any numbers, including the zero inside or outside the table layout. This is known as inside or outside bets. You will receive your corresponding winnings based on where the ball landed on the wheel. Roulette is a simple game of luck and, if you are looking for an easy-to-understand game and are willing to sacrifice on the house edge, then roulette may just be the game for you.

 

Baccarat

Brief history – Baccarat, also known as Punto Banco, is actually considered one of the oldest games casino games that is still played today. However, its exact history is clouded by some mystery. It is believed that the game originated back in 1490 and spread to France in the late 15th century. The game has had many different names over the years and, once it reached England, it became known as European Baccarat. Following the popularity of baccarat around the globe, it was only natural that the game was going to appear in our online casinos of today.

 

The rules – The main objective of baccarat is to draw either a two or three card hand that totals closer to nine than the banker hand. Both the 10 and the royal cards are all worth zero, but the rest of the cards in the deck are all worth their face value. Unlike the game of blackjack, you cannot go bust in baccarat. Play will begin by all players betting either on the “player”, “banker”, or a tie. At some tables you may also bet on a player pair and banker pair. Once players have placed all of their bets, the dealer hands out two cards to each player and the banker. The score of the hand is the right digit of the total of the cards. So, if the two cards you received were an 8 and a 7, the total would be 15, meaning the score would be 5, as it is impossible to bust as we mentioned earlier. A third card can be dealt if either the player or the banker has a total of an 8 or a 9 they both stand, If the player’s total is 5 or less, then the player hits, otherwise the player stands or if the player stands, then the banker hits on a total of 5 or less. Other rules may also apply where a third can could be dealt to determine a winning hand.

 

As you can see, baccarat is an extremely easy game to play and understand. You could also get some practise in with this game by playing for free before making your deposit and playing for real money.

 

Blackjack

Brief history – The popular game of blackjack is a classic game and has certainly been the source of entertainment for many players over hundreds of years. The game of blackjack evolved from a game called Vingt et Un, meaning twenty one back in the eighteenth century. Since casinos were legalised in Nevada in the 1930s, blackjack appeared as a game in those casinos.

 

The rules – Blackjack literally puts the player against the dealer. The object of the game is to obtain a hand that reaches, or is as close to 21 as possible without exceeding that number. If you go over 21, then this is called ‘bust’. You will be dealt two cards at the very start of the game which you look at and add both of the face values together. You may then request more cards, one a time to try and get a total score as close to 21 as you can. You need to decide whether to stick with the cards in hand or to request another. The decision is based on the cards in hand, as well as the cards of the other players being the dealer. If you bust the dealer wins. When you stick with your cards you must then beat the dealer’s hand – closest to 21. If you are immediately dealt with a 10 or a royal card along with an ace (which can be classed as a 1 or an 11) this makes an instant 21 and you automatically win that hand as it outranks all other 21-point hands. After the first two cards have been dealt, the player may buy insurance when the dealer has an ace showing. You can choose to increase your bet by 50% before the dealer checks his second card to see if he has blackjack. You will always be able to see the dealer’s first card, but his second card will be dealt face down to the table. If you decide to take insurance and the dealer does have blackjack you will win the insurance bet, which pays 2-1, and lose the original bet. This means you will break even in the total bet. However, if the dealer does not have blackjack you will lose the insurance bet but the hand proceeds like any normal hand.

 

Again this is another extremely popular table game with players all over the world as you don’t compete with other players, only against the house. The rules and strategies are simple and easy to learn. The house’s advantage is less than 1 percent, so players can make their money last a long time.

 

Caribbean Stud Poker

Brief history – Unfortunately, there is no clear evidence as to the origins of this game.

 

The rules – This is a game that is played around a table and bears a liking to the game five-card stud poker. Caribbean Stud Poker is played with 52 cards of a single deck and the player makes an initial bet against the dealer which is called an ‘ante’. Players that make an initial bet are dealt a hand and make a decision whether to bet against the house or not. The player makes this decision based on their five-card hand and one of the dealer’s cards which is placed face up. There are several ways of winning in this game. However, you will lose if your hand is folded or if the dealer has a higher 5-card poker hand. If you decide not to continue, the ante is forfeited and this means the hand is folded. You will win your hand if it beats the dealer’s hand and the dealer’s hand qualifies. The dealer qualifies by having a hand that contains an ace, king or better. The payout rates for this game depends on the player’s hand. If you are not sure of the complex rules of poker, then this game may be suited for you.

 

Craps

Brief history – The game of craps is said to date back to the Ancient Egyptian era and was invented at the time of the Roman Empire. It spread to the Medieval Europe in the late 1600s and early 1700s in England and it became very popular in gambling establishments at the end of the 19th century.

 

The rules – Craps is a dice game and can be more complicated than other table game. It can be played with up to twenty players. The virtual craps table offers many different types of bets and there are just as many different ways to play craps. Most players will play the Pass Line Bet, and it is important that you understand this rule above all else as it is the fundamental bet in craps. The rule says that if your first roll is a 7 or 11, you win the craps game. However, if you roll 2, 3 or 12, you lose the game. If you roll anything else, that number becomes your Point and you’ll win if you roll the Point again before rolling a 7. Some players will stick with the Pass Line Bet exclusively, while others like to try out the other online craps bets as well. You can also place several different bets simultaneously to hedge your bets and increase your odds of winning at craps. Playing this game for free first should help you master the different types of bets before spending real money.

 

Casino Hold’em

Brief history – This game is a poker variation, very similar to Texas Hold’Em, and it is played all over the world both online and in land-based casino. However, there is no definite history for Casino Hold’Em.

 

The rules – This game begins with each player at the table making an ‘ante’ wager. The dealer then gives the players and himself two hole cards, as well as three community cards that are face up on the table. Once the cards are handed out, the player must then decide either to fold or call. Should a player fold, then they give up their cards along with their bet. If a player calls, then the call bet must be equal to two times the ante bet. The dealer will then deal two more community cards, for a total of five and the dealer will then turn over his own two cards. Both hands are then scored according to the highest poker value of the two hole cards and five community cards. In order to qualify, the dealer must have a pair of fours or better. The player will win based on their hand and the paytable. However, if the dealer qualifies and beats the player, then the player will lose both the ante and call. This is yet another popular game at online casinos that carries many different variants.

 

Casino War

Brief history – The game of Casino War spread rapidly in the middle ages because many people were confined to their homes during the plague. The game was very popular because all you needed was a deck of cards. It soon spread around the world within no time at all and during the second half of the twentieth century it came to a Las Vegas Casino.

 

The rules – Casino War is an extremely easy card game that can often be associated with many peoples childhood. There is one main rule on Casino War – the highest card wins. The cards’ values are based on basic poker card rankings and aces are high. The game is played with six decks of cards and the player and the dealer are dealt one card each after the player places their bet. The point of the game is to get a higher card than the dealer. If the card you are dealt with is higher, you instantly win that bet. If a tie occurs (meaning both card values have the same denomination), then ‘war’ is declared or you can surrender. If you go to ‘war’, you must raise your bet and then three cards are burned and placed face-down on the table. You and the dealer then receive one card face up each and again the highest card wins. But this time, if the cards tie, you win the game and you win a special ante bonus of two times your ante bet. However, you do not have to go to war; you can instead choose to surrender. If you do this, you lose half your ante bet, instead of risking the loss of both your full ante bet and your raise bet if you lose the war. You can also bet on a tie before the game starts.

 

The turn of the cards is a pure matter of luck and there are no strategies for this game as there is nothing you can do to make your card higher than the dealers.

 

Pai Gow Poker

Brief history – Pai Gow was first developed in China over a century ago and its most recent invention Pai Gow Poker was created in the United States in the 1980s. From there it spread from card clubs in California to casinos in Las Vegas and then to the rest of America and abroad. Nowadays Pai Gow Poker is starting to be offered in more and more online casinos.
The rules – This is a game that pits the players against the banker with the use of a single 53-card deck which consists of the usual 52 cards plus one joker. The joker can act as a wild to complete a straight or a flush, otherwise it is counted as an ace. Each player is dealt seven cards and must complete two poker hands from these cards. The player must split their cards into two hands which consist of a five card high hand and a two card low hand. The high hand must be of higher poker value than the low hand. The player can win under several different conditions. Their behind hand must be worth more than their front hand which are based on poker values. Each of these must be worth more than the corresponding hand belonging to the banker. This is a slow paced leisurely game that is now offered at some online casinos.

 

Let It Ride

Brief history – Let It Ride is actually one of the first of the wave of new casino games which only started back in the late nineties.

 

The rules – Let It Ride is a simple poker-based game where the player is only based on his five-card hand only. In this game there is no dealer hand to worry about. The twist in this game is that, as the cards are revealed, the player can decrease their bet if they do not like their cards. The player starts by placing three equal bets and the dealer hands out three cards to the player face down, two communal cards are also dealt face down. The player then has the chance to examine the cards and can choose to pull back the first bet or leave the wager. If the latter is chosen, this is known as to ‘Let it Ride’. The dealer will then expose one community card. The player can then once again pull back the wager. Once they have decided what to do, all cards are placed face down and are left untouched. Finally the dealer reveals the last community card and the player’s three cards are revealed. Winning hands are then paid out based on the paytable and how many times the player ‘let it ride’.

 

Others

Other table games that are commonly found at an online casino include variants of roulette such as French Roulette and Chinese Roulette. You may also find games like Sic-Bo, Pontoon, BackGammon, Spanish 21, RedQueen Blackjack and many more.

 

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