With millions of people visiting the casinos around the U.S. each year, they continue to be a highlighted destination for many people. Some plan their entire vacation around popular casinos, such as Caesars Palace, while others casually visit a local casino for just an evening or a short weekend. For anyone visiting a casino for the first time, it can definitely be intimidating and a bit overwhelming. However, a little planning and knowing what to expect can help prepare you.
Trying to decide which game(s) to try for the first time can be difficult for most people. On the plus side, there’s a wide range of games available, which is also one of the reasons why so many people love the games at the casino. Some people know right away which games they are going to play, whereas others have no idea at all. Some like to simply stick with slot machines, while others want more of a thrill with craps or roulette. And then there are those who want to spend their time on as many types of games as possible.
For beginners, it’s recommended to start with games that are the easiest to learn. Most casino games are pretty simple, with just a handful of games that are more sophisticated, but with some preparation, they are not too complicated to learn. In any case, we’re going to discuss what we think are the 5 best casino games for beginners, as well as casino games with the best and worst odds.
Casino Games for Beginners
Below are 5 casino games we believe are the best for beginners:
- Blackjack is probably one of the easiest games you’ll ever learn at the casino. It’s definitely one of the most popular table games in the U.S. Two reasons why it’s so popular are because it’s easy to play and because there’s a very low house advantage.
- Craps may look complicated and appear intimidating the first time you see this game, but it’s actually not as hard as it seems. There are many different bets you can place, it’s a fast-paced game, and the terminology might seem unusual. However, if played correctly, this game can offer great advantages for players. In reality, you’re simply rolling dice and placing bets on the outcome.
- Roulette is another really easy game to learn at the casino. It’s a slow-paced game and simple to understand. One of the main reasons it’s so popular is because of its simplicity. All you have to do is pick a number you think the ball will land on after it finishes spinning on the wheel. Once you’ve selected and placed a bet on your numbers, the ball is dropped, and the wheel is spun. If the ball lands on one of your numbers, you win.
- Video Poker is just like taking your basic 5-card draw game and making it electronic. Instead of playing against other people, you just have to come up with the best hand possible. You simply place a bet before each hand and can win depending on how strong your poker hand is. The stronger the hand you create, the bigger your win will be.
- Slots are another simple casino game to grasp. If you don’t try to learn the paytable, there’s pretty much nothing you need to do except place a bet and spin the reel. Slots may not sound like much fun, but believe it or not, they are one of the most popular casino games out there. Mainly because they are very simple, and potential wins can be big, especially when trying to win a progressive jackpot.
Casino Games with Best Odds
Below we’ll discuss some casino games we believe have the best odds of winning for players compared to other games. They may appear complicated at first, but with a little practice, they’re pretty easy to learn.
Blackjack – As mentioned before, it’s a simple game to learn at the casino and one of the most popular table games in the U.S. Another reason for its popularity is that the house edge is among the lowest in the casino, usually only 0.5% or less. This house edge means that over the long run, after thousands of bets, the casino expects to win. However, depending on the house edge, you usually have a 44% to 45% chance of winning each hand. This can be great as long as you follow basic strategies and stop when you’re ahead.
Roulette should be the next casino game on your list. It’s another easy game, and the house advantage is relatively low. For example, if you bet on just red or black numbers, you have close to a 50% chance of winning. That means you can double your bet if you pick all red and the ball lands on red, or if you pick all black and the ball lands on black. On the other hand, if you bet on just one number, your chances of winning are much lower, but the potential payout is significantly higher.
Craps is probably the most intimidating game you can find on the casino floor. It’s often played in a group setting, and there can be a lot of spectators watching the action. However, once you learn how to play, it’s actually quite simple—all you have to do is bet on a dice roll. The odds for this game are pretty good, typically around 50-50.
Baccarat is another popular game in the casino and has been around for decades. It’s a simple card game, but one of its advantages over other card games is that it usually has a fairly low house edge. There’s also no real decision-making involved—all you have to do is guess which hand will win.
Worst Odds in Casino
So far, we’ve mentioned some of the best games for beginners as well as games with the best odds for players. With that said, we believe it’s also important to discuss the games that have the worst odds in the casino.
Keno – The odds for this game are not very favorable for players. It may sound appealing to play for a big jackpot, but your chances of winning are slim to none. It’s similar to playing the lottery, where the likelihood of winning is very low. However, if you enjoy lottery-style games, Keno might be for you. The house edge for this game is usually around 25%, making it one of the worst odds in the casino.
Big Six is not a very common game you’ll see active at the casino anymore, which is probably a good thing as the odds for this game is huge in the casino’s favor. It is sort of like a game you may see at the carnival and unfortunately doesn’t really have a strategy for winning.
War just like the card game you’re probably familiar with as a little kid. This game hasn’t been around the casino floors for very long until the movie Vegas vacation came out. The chances of winning anything on this game are very slim. This game has a pretty high house edge and is a fast-paced game which doesn’t require many decision makings. The house edge is usually between 2 – 2.5% and the payout is usually only 10 – 1, which is not very good for the people at all.
Through all this discussion, it’s important to mention that there’s no right or wrong choice when selecting which games to try for the first time. These are just casino games we feel are good starting points for beginners. As for games with the best and worst odds, that doesn’t mean you should expect to win or lose at these games—it simply reflects the likelihood of winning based on statistics. In any case, we hope some of these suggestions will help you as a beginner, or even if you just need some direction the next time you visit the casino. In the end, it’s up to you. You may not care about the odds and prefer to stick with the games you enjoy playing the most, which is completely fine. We always recommend that everyone focuses on having fun.
In fact, if you’d like to play for free, Caesars Casino online offers a variety of casino games, including Blackjack, Roulette, video slots, classic slots and video poker you can enjoy anytime!