The online gambling industry has been thriving in the past two decades or so. Nowadays, the top casinos on the web offer hundreds of games to their customers. There are so many products that it might be difficult to pick the most suitable option.
We decided to take a look at the good and bad sides of the most common casino games online so that you can make the best decision for yourself.
Online Slots
You will struggle to find an online casino that doesn’t offer slot machines. This is the largest and possibly the most attractive category on the web. Hundreds of people love slots, and there are a couple of good reasons why.
The first one is that many slots offer you the chance to win huge prizes with a tiny stake. There are some progressive jackpots that could bring you millions in a heartbeat, and the spin costs only a couple of bucks. Sure, the chances are slim, but your life could be changed forever.
On top of that, most slots are really fun. They come in all shapes and sizes in terms of gameplay mechanics and themes. One could say that slots combine the best out of the gambling and the gaming industry.
Finally, you can get some of the biggest bonuses out there to play slots, but the main reason behind that is the high margins of the casinos.
The gambling sites are more than happy to see so many people play slots, simply because slots make the sites a ton of money. Your disadvantage usually lies somewhere in the 5-10% region, which means you will be losing between 5 and 10 cents from every dollar you place in the long run.
The other downside of slot machines is that there is no strategy involved. There are some tips that could help for some of the games, but most of the time, you are simply clicking on a button and waiting for something to happen.
If you want casual entertainment with the chance of huge prizes, that’s not a big deal. For the rest of the players, there are better options.
Blackjack
Since we mentioned strategy, it’s time to take a look at one of the most famous casino games. Blackjack has a special place in the hearts of many gamblers and is often part of popular culture.
There’s a good reason for the cult status of blackjack, and that’s a combination between the game’s simplicity and the low casino margin. Depending on the variation of the game you pick, the house edge could be as small as 0.5% with the optimal strategy.
The last part is the key here because the number rises significantly if you make mistakes. That’s right; blackjack is one of the few casino games in which your decisions matter after the moment when you’ve put your money in the middle of the table.
That could be an advantage or disadvantage of the game, depending on what you are looking for. If you want more control and some mental gymnastics, blackjack is the game for you. It must be mentioned that you can’t win big in one hand, which is an issue for many players.
Roulette
Those of you who prefer not to think too much and simply enjoy the experience should certainly consider playing roulette. Legends say math genius Blaise Pascal was the one that invented it.
It was the favorite entertainment of many European aristocrats throughout the centuries and remains popular today too. Almost every online casino has at least a couple of roulette options.
What makes the game so exciting is the thrill that you experience. That specific moment when the money is in and the ball is spinning brings a lot of fun to many gamblers.
If you believe that roulette is your game, we recommend you stick to European roulette. This variation has only one zero, so the house edge is 2.70%, which is decent. If you pick American roulette, which has two zeros, the number rises to 5.26%.
There’s an even better version called French roulette. It features an additional rule that returns half of your lost stake when the ball lands on the zero sector if you backed some of the even odds bets. Unfortunately, not many casinos online offer this variation.
Video Poker
Another classic casino game category that made the successful transition from the rooms of Vegas and Monaco to the internet is video poker. It comes in different variations, but the basic gameplay is the same.
You try to make the best combination of five cards by choosing which ones to hold and which to switch. Video poker combines some of the best traits of all of the other options we’ve explored so far.
Similar to blackjack, there is a strategy here, and if you play well, the house edge is close to zero. In fact, you can be ahead in some variations of video poker that are available online.
Another perk is that you can win big if you hit a jackpot, and there are a lot of colorful animations and cool sounds, just like in many slot machines.
The only notable downside of playing video poker is that most online casino sites exclude the game from their bonuses and promotions. The reason is the low house edge, as any experienced player would easily make money with the help of some side offers.
If you can live with the lack of extra cash through special deals, video poker is a great choice.
Final Words
We covered the most popular casino games online, but there are plenty of others too. You can go for number games like keno or enjoy some scratch cards. The variety of card and table games like baccarat, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, craps, and others provide plenty of entertainment too.
The problem with most of them is that the house edge is really high, so we don’t really recommend them. On top of that, they are not available in every single casino, so you might struggle to find a suitable gambling site.
