At casinos, so many people get very comfortable playing the slots, and they feel intimidated by the casino’s table games. Often, they even have a belief that the slots offer them a better chance of winning money. That is not true. In reality, the table games offer players much better odds – and most of them are not at all very difficult to learn how to play. Are you finally ready to get serious? The next time you visit a casino, why not look to go home a winner. Here is an overview of the three most popular casino table games, which also offer some of the best odds.

Blackjack

Without a doubt the most popular casino table game, Blackjack also offers the best table game odds. The house edge for Blackjack is under 1% at most casinos.

I’m sure you have heard of Blackjack, and perhaps you’ve even played it with friends before without knowing it. Blackjack is often called Twenty-Ones outside of casinos – the popular card game where players have to try to score a card value of 21 or as close to 21 as possible, without going over it.

Ace: Can be counted as either 1 or 11.

2 – 10: Is the number of the card.

King, Queen, and Jack: Counted as 10.

The dealer deals out two cards to each player face-up. He deals out two cards to himself with one of them face-down and one face-up. Each player is playing only against the dealer, and not against each other, so there is no need to feel intimidated by more experienced players. Unlike poker, Blackjack is mostly a game of chance.

Each player can then choose to stick with the two cards they have (stand), to have additional cards dealt out to them (hit), or to double their bet, but by doing this they are only allowed one more card. When each player has chosen to stand or has gone over 21 (bust) and so is out of the game, the dealer finally reveals his own face down card, or ‘hole card’, and he will hit until his total card value is over 16. The dealer will either bust, in which case the remaining players have won, or the game is decided by who is closest to 21.

A ‘Blackjack’ is the highest possible hand and it happens when a player gets 21 with only two cards: 10 or a face card, and an Ace.

Roulette

Roulette is probably the easiest casino table game, and it also has one of the best game odds, with a house edge of less than 2%. The Roulette wheel is numbered 0 – 36, with some of them being black and some red.

The dealer spins the Roulette wheel and then rolls a ball around the edge of the table spinning in the opposite direction. Players gather around the roulette wheel and place their bets on where the ball will land. They can bet on on a specific number, colour, or on whether it will land on an odd or an even number. They can also bet on a combination of these different options.

With the different bet options available, this is probably the best casino table game to play if you are a complete novice.

Baccarat

Baccarat has a house edge of around 1%. It’s also one of the easiest games to play, and the rules are quite simple. Players can bet on the ‘Banker’, the ‘Player’ or they can bet on a tie. The value of the cards are as follows:

2 – 9: Face value.

Ace: 1.

King, Queen, Jack, and 10: Have a value of 0.

In Baccarat, the object of the game is getting a winning hand close to nine. Players do not have a great deal of input in the gameplay, as it plays out according to a set of predefined rules, and the dealer will direct the game for the most part. If, for example, a player bets on the banker’s hand, and if the game ends with the banker having the winning hand, then that player has won. It’s essentially that simple and straight forward.

I hope you can now see the advantage of playing casino table games, rather than limiting yourself to the worse odds of slots. True, it might mean moving out of your comfort zone but remember: Fortune favours the bold.

Understanding the concept of RTP will enable you to select the most lucrative video slot games online. This article explains what RTP is and how you can use it to your best advantage when delving into the fabulous world of online slots. First, it will be beneficial to understand how online slot games work in general.

Online slot games: what they are and how they operate

In many ways, video slots replicate the look and feel of classic pub and bar slot machine games. Players crank a virtual handle or push a digital button, the reels in the machine (there are usually three or more of these) start to spin and then come to a halt. If the symbols that the reels stop on match each other, you have won a prize. To ensure that this remains a game of chance, video slots use what is known as RNG technology. RNG stands for Random Number Generator. This is a piece of software at the heart of an online slot game, and it is used to create a totally random number for each reel every time that you crank that virtual handle or press that digital button to start the slot machine going. These random numbers are then converted into the random symbols that form the basis of the game. Random Number Generators are not endowed with a memory – i.e. they are ‘reset’ every time that you play. So, the numbers generated in one round of a slot machine game do not affect the numbers that are generated in the next round.

RTP meaning and effect on your game

RTP stands for ‘return to player’ and it tells you how much of your stake will, typically, be returned to you when you play a given online video slot game. For instance, if one video slot has a slots RTP of 40% that means that for every £100 you put in to the slot you will get, on average, £40 back. Another video slot may have an RTP of £75% which means that on average you will receive £75 back for every £100 you put in. Obviously, it makes sense to seek out slot games that have a higher RTP as your chances of winning back money will be higher too. This concept is somewhat equivalent to that of the ‘house edge’ in online casinos. Savvy gamblers know that it is best to seek out online casinos with a lower house edge, as this means that there is a lower chance that the casino will recoup your stake for themselves. Different video slots will have a different RTP, and this is largely due to the fact that different online slot games use different types of RNG software. Some types of RNG software yield a higher RTP than others.

How to find out the online video slots with the best RTP

If you would like to know which video shots will offer you the best chances, then you can use an RTP database. These databases list all of the main video slot games alongside their RTP values. Even a quick glance at these databases will show you that several online slot games offer an RTP in excess of 90%. A final word of warning: make sure to examine all other features of a given slot site before signing up. RTP is not the only factor that you should look at. If a site has a high RTP but also high commissions and fees for deposits and withdrawals, it might be worth selecting another website: one that offers you better value for your money in all areas.