Casino Games 101
These days there’s a casino game to suit every taste. Whether a player prefers a solo game of slots, or the social nature of a table game, every type of player is catered to. This applies not only to a land-based casino, but even an online casino as well. But this wasn’t always the case. Casino games have come a long way in their storied history. Many existed in the past that are no longer played today. But the ones that survived the test of time did so because they were the most popular. Let’s take a look into the history and rules of some of the most popular casino games that still exist today.
A brief history of Blackjack
It’s believed that Blackjack was originally invented in 16th century France. However, the game was then named Vingt-en-Un which when translated means twenty-one. Vingt-en-Un was eventually brought to the Americas by French settlers. After Nevada legalised gambling in 1931, many casinos offered a special 10-to-1 bet known as “Blackjack”. Though these bets wouldn’t last long, the name did, and so Blackjack was born.
How to play Blackjack
In Blackjack players are dealt cards in an attempt to get on or as close to the number 21 as possible without going over. Players must also try to do this in as few cards as possible in an attempt to beat the dealer. If the dealer gets on or close to 21 in fewer cards, the player loses. If either the dealer or the player goes over 21, then it’s a “bust” which means they lose.
At the beginning of each round players must place bets. Players and the dealer are then dealt two cards, one at a time clockwise around the table. Getting 21 off the first two cards is a natural or “blackjack”. Any player that gets “blackjack” while the dealer doesn't, is paid out immediately. Any player that doesn’t get “blackjack” when the dealer does immediately loses their bet. Having a tie with the dealer on “blackjack” results in a player receiving their chips back.
If no one gets “blackjack” then players take turns asking for more cards as they try to get close to or directly on the number 21. To receive a card, players must ask the dealer to “hit”. To stay with the cards they have, players must ask to “stay”.
After every player has had their turn the dealer flips their face down card and then chooses to either “hit” or “stay” to try and beat the other players.
When the dealer is done dealing cards the results are tallied and winning bets are paid out.
A brief history of Roulette
Roulette was originally created by Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French physicist. Pascal mistakenly invented the Roulette wheel while trying to create the world’s first perpetual motion machine. Pascal adapted his new wheel into a game of chance and began shopping it out to gambling houses in France. Roulette became much more popular during the 19th century after Louis and Francois Blanc removed the infamous double zero pocket from the wheel. This lowered the house’s chances which was more favourable among players. European Roulette came to America by way of European settlers. American casino owners did not like the house’s diminished chances and were quick to add the double zero back onto the wheel. This style of Roulette is now called American Roulette.
How to play Roulette
There are three versions of Roulette. These are European, American and French Roulette and although they have slight differences in rules, the object of the game is the same. Each Roulette table features the Roulette wheel and a betting mat. Anywhere between 1 to 8 players play around a Roulette table attended by a dealer. Before each spin, players place chips on whichever numbers they think might come up on the spin.
After bets have been placed the dealer spins the wheel and then spins the Roulette ball into the wheel. The dealer will eventually call “No more bets” at which point players must stop betting. Once the wheel stops spinning the ball will come to rest in one of the pockets. Correct bets are then paid out while incorrect bets are taken by the house.
A brief history of Slots
The first ever slot machine was the Liberty Bell. It was invented in 1895 by Charles Fey, a car mechanic from San Francisco. The Liberty Bell was a mechanical machine operated by placing a coin into a coin slot and pulling the machine’s lever. If three similar images lined up on the spinning dials, then the machine paid out. Slot machines quickly became popular and began to fill casinos across America. Eventually the machines evolved to become digital and dropped mechanical parts in favour of microchips and digital screens. Nowadays many slot machines exist entirely in digital form in online casino games.
How to play Slots
An important aspect when considering a slots game is the paytable and the paylines for that game. Paytables display the symbols in the game and show which are the most important. Paylines show how symbols match up in order for payouts. If players bet more coins, they are able to use more paylines for a higher chance of a pay out.
Other additions to online slots are wilds, scatters, multipliers and bonus rounds. Wilds can stand in for any other symbol to make winning combinations. Some Wilds also trigger special events. Scatters don’t need to appear within a winning payline to match up for combinations. They can also lead to special bonus rounds or events just by appearing. Multipliers can multiply possible winnings.
Playing online
Players who would like to try online casino games like the ones mentioned above can find all these and more at Ruby Fortune.
