The Simplest Gambling Games For Beginners

June 17, 2020 Stan

Open up the front page of the newspaper in the recent few months and you would be saturated by news of the global pandemic affecting many businesses in the services sector. More specifically, the Meccas of Gambling, Las Vegas in the West, and Macau in Asia, have been hit with immense loss of revenue due to the restrictions on visitors.

However, thanks to increased internet connectivity, there are now many outlets for gamblers to dance with lady luck without even needing to leave their houses. However, before trying your hand at it, remember to verify the legality of online gambling in your country, as well as the website you intend to punt on. You don’t want to land in hot water!

After checking, visit any online casino page and you’ll be spoilt for choice on the games that you can play. For instance, global poker sounds good for those looking for a reliable poker site. More so, we have compiled a list of games based on three guidelines: First, the simplicity of game mechanics. Second, the complexity of the game rules. Lastly, the house edge of the game. House edge refers to the percentage of a player’s bet that the casino earns.

With the considerations of choosing a game laid out, here are the five games beginners can try their hand at.

1. Blackjack

This is undoubtedly the most popular game in casinos, taking up 31% of casino table game action, favorited by both greenhorns and seasoned players. The relatively simple game mechanism makes it easy for beginners to learn and pick up. At the same time, seasoned players who have a good understanding of the game develop various strategies that incorporate card counting in order to improve their chances of winning.

The basic premise of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand without exceeding 21. Some simple arithmetic is required where you will have to tally up the value of the cards dealt to you. While the numbers from 2-10 have self-explanatory values, keep in mind that J, Q, and K have a value of 10 as well. Here comes the slightly tricky part; Ace has a value of 1 or 11, depending on which value helps you the most. With such versatility, luck is definitely on your side if you are dealt an Ace.

When it comes to the bets that can be placed, you can only bet on your own hand. With that said, the house edge is relatively low for blackjack.

While it has relatively simple and basic game mechanics, there are variations of the game that have different rules from standard games. Thus, keep a lookout for these special games which may have more complicated rules which make it difficult for beginners to keep up with.

2. Baccarat

The basic premise of Baccarat is straightforward. Both the player and the dealer are dealt two cards each. Add up the value of the two cards in each hand, and whichever hand is higher wins. However, the catch is that instead of blackjack’s 21, the maximum score is nine.

Baccarat is similar to blackjack, where only simple arithmetic is required to play the game. The numbers 2 to 9 carry the face value. The cards 10, J, Q, and K have the value of zero whereas Ace has the value of one. Now you might be asking: if I add up 7 and 5, doesn’t that give me 12, which is larger than 9? It is, but game rules let you remove the first number and look at the second number — so in this case, that would be 2.

Though this game may seem simple on the surface, there are further rules which will dictate whether you will be able to draw a third card in order to improve your number. It’s best to research these rules and familiarize yourself with them before playing.

You will be able to place three kinds of bets. One on the player, one on the banker. These two bets have relatively low house edge which makes them safer bets. However, if you’re feeling lucky, you can try the third option: betting on a tie. This has an eight to one payout, meaning for every dollar wagered, you will get eight dollars back. But be warned, this bet has very high house bets that greatly favors the banker.

3. Roulette

Roulette is perhaps the most iconic gambling game, often portrayed as the opening shot of many movies and television shows, it is probably what you think of first when the word casino is mentioned.

There are two versions of Roulette; namely, the European style which has 37 slots, and the American version which has 38 slots. Although the difference of one slot may seem insignificant, this results in a significant increase in house edge, from 2.70% for the European version to 5.26% for the American version. That is almost double! For beginners, you should start with European Roulette.

When it comes to betting in Roulette, there are more than 20 types of wagers you can place. Depending on the probability of the outcome, there will be different payouts, which can go up to 38 to 1. The more unlikely the occurrence, the higher the payout. Even though bets that have very high returns seem very enticing, there’s a very low probability that the outcome will happen, so, there is actually no difference in house edge amongst any of the bets you place.

4. Slot Machine

Walk into a casino and you will be overwhelmed by the blinding lights and blaring dings of slot machines. Though the utter din of the machines is difficult to replicate when you’re playing alone, there are still glitzy colors and graphics to keep you enticed. Due to its simplicity, many people start off by playing slot machines as a warm-up before moving on to other table games.

When playing slots, it’s all down to luck. This is because there are computer programs that are making thousands of permutations per second until you press the play button which will display the combination the computer decides at that split second.

With its quick play style and no skill to pick up, this is a good option for beginners who like the rush of excitement when the machine lights up with JACKPOT.

Conclusion

This is just a short round-up of the most beginner-friendly games that are available online. If there’s anything it teaches us, it’s that while gambling might be an engaging pastime that is easy to pick up, it can also be a good exercise of the mind where statistics and strategies are used.

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