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OVERVIEW
Literally hundreds of other games can be played at
online casinos reacehd through Top Casino Review. Here
are some of the more popular games:
3-Card
Poker
3-Card
Draw Poker
Bingo
Caribbean
Stud Poker
Casino War
Hold 'Em
Let It
Ride
Pai Gow Poker
Red Dog
Sic Bo
Spanish
21
3-Card Poker
Three card poker is two games in one. The player may
bet on either one, both, and in different amounts. Both
games are based on hands consisting of three cards.
Before I go on here are the possible hands in three
card poker, the number of combinations of each hand,
and the probability of forming. Note that a straight
is harder to form than a flush.
| Probabilities
in Three Card Poker |
|
Hand
|
Combinations
|
Probability
|
| Straight flush |
48 |
0.0021719 |
| Three of a kind |
52 |
0.0023529 |
| Straight |
720 |
0.0325792 |
| Flush |
1096 |
0.0495928 |
| Pair |
3744 |
0.1694118 |
| Queen to ace high |
9720 |
0.4398190 |
| Jack high or less |
6720 |
0.3040724 |
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
3-Card Draw Poker
Three Card Draw Poker is a
video poker based game. Instead of five cards there
are three and instead of one deck there are four. The
player may choose from two games: sevens or better and
bonus poker. The player may also choose between three
pay, five pay, and ten pay. The machines I have seen
have been multi-coin. So far I have noticed the game
at the Orleans and Caesars Palace.
| Probabilities
in Three Draw Card Poker - Sevens or Better |
|
Hand
|
Pays |
Combinations
|
Probability
|
Return
|
| 3 suited ace of spades |
800
|
96215784 |
0.000015 |
0.012267 |
| 3 suited aces |
160
|
280930104 |
0.000045 |
0.007163 |
| 3 of a kind suited |
80
|
3390178176 |
0.00054 |
0.043223 |
| AKQ suited |
80
|
5213655552 |
0.000831 |
0.066471 |
| 3 aces |
25
|
12822960192 |
0.002044 |
0.051089 |
| Straight flush |
12
|
41454171648 |
0.006606 |
0.079277 |
| 3 of a kind |
5
|
87660405504 |
0.01397 |
0.069851 |
| Straight |
3
|
547919376384 |
0.087321 |
0.261962 |
| Suited pair |
2
|
415505124864 |
0.066218 |
0.132436 |
| Flush |
1
|
486173627904 |
0.07748 |
0.07748 |
| Pair: 7-A |
1
|
1116492023808 |
0.177933 |
0.177933 |
| Nothing |
0
|
3557788920960 |
0.566997 |
0 |
| Total |
|
6274797590880 |
1 |
0.979153 |
All the statistics in this section were based on optimal
computer strategy. Following is a player strategy, which
should correctly advise in all situations. It will work
correctly for both the 97.92% and 95.52% return pay
tables of sevens or better. To use the strategy play
the hand that can be found highest on the list below.
For example if you had a suited 3/4/J it would be better
to play the 3/4 rather (two to a straight flush, no
gap) rather than keep the pat flush.
Pat three aces or higher
Two ace of spades
Straight flush
Suited aces, except spaded
Straight, three of a kind
Suited pair 2-K
Ace pair, unsuited
2 to A/K/Q suited
Pair 7-K, unsuited
Two to a straight flush, no gap, except A/2
Flush
Two to a straight flush with one gap, suited A/2 &
A/3
Ace of spades
Two consecutive unsuited cards 6/7 to Q/K1
Ace, except spades
Queen
King
High card. If more than one then usually the highest
one is best, however keep middle card if (1) middle
card is 7-K, and (2) high card is suited with low card,
and (3) there are two or more gaps between low and middle
card.
Toss everything
Exceptions:
Hold jack and queen over ace of spades if jack is
spaded
Following are some of the hands you should never play:
A low pair
Two suited high cards with more than one gap
Two unsuited high cards with one or more gap
Unsuited king and ace
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
Bingo
HOW BINGO IS PLAYED
Traditional BINGO is played in person in a large hall.
Players meet at the hall, pay a fee to get in, then
the games begin. A night of BINGO consists of many BINGO
games played continuously, one after another. A single
BINGO game proceeds like this:
You will note that there are 75 possible BINGO numbers:
B1, B2, B3, ... B15, I16, I17, I18, ... I30, N31, N32,
... O74, O75. Each of these numbers is represented by
a ball in a large rotating bin. Each ball is painted
with its unique BINGO number. An announcer spins the
bin, reaches in a selects a ball, and a announces it
to the room. The players check all of their cards to
see if that number appears on their card. If it is,
they mark it. When a player has a BINGO (5 in a row,
column, or diagonal), he or she calls out BINGO.
The game pauses while the card is verified. If indeed
a winner, the game stops and a new game begins. If the
card wasn't a winner, the game proceeds where it left
off. Each BINGO game proceeds until someone wins (there's
always a winner). Chances of Winning Every BINGO game
has a winning card, so a player's chances of winning
depend on the number of cards in the game and how many
cards s/he is playing. For example, if a player has
12 cards in a game with 1200 cards, the chances of winning
for that player is 1 in 100.
Content from the Bingo
Hangout
Caribbean Stud Poker
This game is a variation
of poker played on a blackjack sized table. Following
is how the game is played:
Play starts with each player making an ante bet in a
designated square. Each player then receives five cards
face down. Players may examine their own cards but may
not share information with each other. The dealer also
receives five cards, four face down and one face up.
At this point each player has two options: raise or
fold. If the player raises he puts twice his ante bet
in the raise box. If the player folds he must relinquish
his cards to the dealer, who will collect his ante bet.
After all players have made their plays the dealer exposes
his own cards. If he does not qualify with at least
an ace and king then all remaining ante bets pay even
money and all raise bets push. If the dealer does qualify
then each remaining player hand is individually compared
against the dealer's hand, and the best poker hand wins
in each case. If the dealer has the higher hand the
player loses both ante and raise. In the unlikely event
the two hands are equal in value then both ante and
raise push. If the player has the higher hand the ante
pays even money and the raise pays according to the
following pay table.
|
Hand
|
Payoff |
| Royal
flush |
100
to 1
|
| Straight
flush |
50
to 1
|
| Four
of a kind |
20
to 1
|
| Full
house |
7
to 1
|
| Flush |
5
to 1
|
| Straight |
4
to 1
|
| Three
of a kind |
3
to 1
|
| Two
pair |
2
to 1
|
| Pair |
1
to 1
|
| Ace/King |
1
to 1
|
Strategy
The
player should raise on any pair or better, fold on anything
less than ace/king, and should sometimes raise and sometimes
fold on ace/king. To play Caribbean stud perfectly would
involve memorizing the charts in my appendix on when exactly
to raise on ace/king. Of course nobody is going to do
that so a more simplified strategy is clearly called for.
By studying the appendix you will notice certain paterns
of when the odds favor raising and when they don't. I
have summarized these patterns in the following suggested
rules of thumb on when to raise on ace/king:
- Raise
if the dealer's card is a 2 through queen and matches
one of yours.
- Raise
if the dealer's card is an ace or king and you have
a queen or jack in your hand.
- Raise
if the dealer's rank does not match any of yours and
you have a queen in your hand and the dealer's card
is less than your fourth highest card.
This
strategy is unique to this page but is not the only
strategy I have heard of. Following are various other
strategies, their total loss based on all possible 19,933,230,517,200
combinations of hands, the house edge, and the "element
of risk" (defined below). The "matching rank" strategy
calls for raising on any pair or better and on ace/king
when one of the player's cards matches the rank of the
dealer's up card (which lowers the odds of the dealer
forming a pair).
| Strategy
Statistics in Caribbean Stud Poker |
|
Strategy
|
Total
loss
|
House
edge
|
Element
of risk
|
| Perfect
strategy |
1,041,372,912,372
|
5.224%
|
2.555%
|
| Three
rules of thumb (above) |
1,041,417,758,724
|
5.225%
|
2.554%
|
| Raise
on ace/king/jack/8/3 or better |
1,059,715,400,580
|
5.316%
|
2.596%
|
| Matching
rank |
1,063,176,931,284
|
5.334%
|
2.616%
|
| Raise
on any pair or better |
1,090,272,101,460
|
5.470%
|
2.738%
|
| Raise
on any ace/king or better |
1,132,600,203,540
|
5.682%
|
2.672%
|
| Playing
blind (raise on everything) |
3,310,360,338,060
|
16.607%
|
5.536%
|
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
Casino
War
Casino War is without a doubt the easiest card game
to play in the casino. If you have ever played war as
a child, or simply made a bet on who could draw the
highest card then war will seem instantly familiar.
Following are the specific rules.
The game is played with six decks. Cards are ranked
as in poker, except aces are always high. The suite
does not matter.
After the players have made a wager each player and
the dealer shall get one card.
Each player's card shall be compared with the dealer's
card. If the player's card is higher he wins even money.
If the dealer's card is higher the player loses.
In the event of a tie the player shall have two choices:
(1) surrender and forfeit half the bet, and (2) go to
war (see rule 5)
If the player elects to go to war he must raise his
bet by an amount equal to his original wager. The dealer
will do the same but this is just for show. The dealer
will then burn three cards and give the player and dealer
another card each. If the player's second card equals
or beats the dealer then the player shall win even money
on the raise only and the original wager shall push.
If the dealer's second card is greater the player shall
lose both bets.
A tie bet is also available, which pays 10 to 1 if the
first two cards tie.
House Edge
If the player goes to war on ties the house edge is
2.88% and the element of risk is 2.68%. If the player
forfeits on ties the house edge and element or risk
are both 3.70%. The house edge on the tie bet is 18.65%
(ouch!). The standard deviation in casino war is 1.05
.
Casino Niagara Rules
At the Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls Ontario the
rules are slightly more liberal. In the event of a tie
after a war the raise pays 2:1 and the original wager
is still a push. They use different semantics there,
saying the raise pays 3:1 but you lose the original
wager. It comes out to the same thing. The house edge
under these rules is 2.33% and the element of risk is
2.19%.
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
Hold
'Em
Wild Hold 'em Fold 'em Poker is yet another new
poker variation table game. This is evidently the first
wild card table game to achieve any degree of success.
As of February, 2001, it is at about half the Las Vegas
casinos. Casinos that I know have it are Fitzgeralds,
the Sahara, the Fiesta, and the Texas Station. The closest
game to compare this to is Let it Ride. However in this
game the player must keep raising to stay in or fold,
and the deuces are wild. The house edge and element
of risk are rather high, so play at your own risk.
The Rules
The game is played with a single deck of cards, which
is shuffled after every hand.
The player begins by placing an ante bet in the "ante"
square.
Player receives three cards face down.
After looking at cards player must decide to either
bet or fold. If the player folds he forfeits his ante.
If player bets he must put an amount equal to the ante
in the "bet" square.
All players who bet receive a fourth card.
After examining the four-card hand all players still
in must decide to raise or fold. If player folds he
forfeits both the ante and bet. If player raises he
must place an amount equal to double the ante in the
"raise" square.
All players still in the game receive a fifth and final
card.
Strategy
With three cards bet with any of the following hands,
otherwise fold.
Any hand with a deuce
Any pair, three of a kind
Three to a flush, including an ace
Three to a straight flush
With four cards raise with any of the following hands,
otherwise fold.
Any hand with a deuce
Any pair, two pair, three of a kind
Four to a straight, flush, or straight flush
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
Let It Ride
Play starts with each player makes three bets of equal
size. Then the dealer gives every player three cards
and two community cards are placed face down. After
seeing their first three cards every player has the
choice to take one of their three bets back or to "let
it ride" and leave it out. Then the dealer turns
over one of the two community cards. Then each player
has the option to pull out another bet or "let
it ride." The player may leave their bet in or
take it out the second time regardless of their first
decision. Finally the second community card is flipped
and the players are paid.
Strategy
With three cards you should only "let it ride"
if you have:
Any paying hand (tens or better, three of a kind)
Any three to a royal flush
Three suited cards in a row except 2-3-4, and ace-2-3
Three to a straight flush, spread 4, with at least one
high card (ten or greater)
Three to a straight flush, spread 5, with at least two
high cards
With four cards you should only "let it ride"
if you have:
Any paying hand (tens or better, two pair, three of
a kind)
Any four to a royal flush
Any four to a straight flush
Any four to a flush
Any four to an outside straight with at least one high
card
Any four to an outside straight with no high cards (zero
house edge)
Any four to an inside straight with 4 high cards (zero
house edge)
A lot of people have asked me what I mean by "inside
straight", "outside straight", "spread
4", and "spread 5." An inside straight
is one in which an 'inside' card is missing, such as
(4,5,7,8). An outside straight is one in which an outside
card is missing, such as (4,5,6,7). Outside straights
are much better because there are 8 cards that can complete
them as opposed to 4 for an inside straight. Spread
4 means that the cards in question span 4 ranks in a
row, for example a (5,6,8). Spread 5 means the cards
in question span 5 ranks, for example a (5,7,9).
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
Pai
Gow Poker
Pai gow poker is a variation of the Chinese domino game
gai gow. Pai gow poker is played with a 53 card deck,
including a joker. The game is one on one, the player(s)
against the banker, each competing to make the best
possible hands. Due to a rather slow pace and a lot
of ties pai gow poker is less intense than most casino
games and a modest buy in can usually last a long time.
This page will discuss the rules and strategy for pai
gow as found in casinos as opposed to card clubs. Pai
gow in legal in the card clubs of southern California
but the rules are somewhat different, often in the direction
of being to the player's advantage.
The Rules
Play begins by making a wager. Next everyone receives
seven cards. A roll of the dice or a randomly generated
number determines which player gets the first set of
cards. The players then each arrange their seven cards
into a five-card hand and a two-card hand. The five-card
hand is ranked as in poker, with the exception that
an A-2-3-4-5 straight is the second highest straight.
The two-card hand will either be a pair or two individual
cards. The highest two-card hand is a pair of aces and
the lowest is a 2-3.
After all the players have arranged their hands the
banker arranges theirs according to a set of fixed rules
known as the "house way." Then the player's
five-card hand is compared to the dealer's five-card
hand. Likewise the player's two-card hand is compared
to the dealer's two-card hand. The highest hand wins.
In the event of an exact match between hands, called
a copy, the tie goes to the banker. If the player beats
the dealer with both hands the player wins even money,
less a 5% commission. If the player wins one and loses
one the bet is a push. If the player loses both the
player loses the entire wager.
When setting the hands the two-card hand may not be
higher then the five-card hand. If it is then both hands
are deemed "foul" and both lose. The joker
can only be used to complete a straight, flush, or straight
flush, otherwise it is treated as an ace. At some places
if there is an empty seat the dealer will also deal
a "dragon" hand. Another player may assume
the dragon hand if they wish, essentially playing two
positions rather than one. The player may have to use
the house way in setting the dragon hand.
In pai gow poker any player may elect to be the banker
in turn. If a player banks the 5% commission is charged
on the net win. When a player is the banker the dealer
will still play, betting an amount equal to the last
bet the player made when the dealer was banking. It
is strongly to the advantage of the player to be the
banker as much as possible because the dealer wins on
copies and the 5% commission is charged after losses
are set against winnings.
The opportunity to bank usually rotates from person
to person, including the house, but sometimes will zig-zag
between the players and the dealer. If the player wants
to bank they must have enough money on the table to
pay off all winning bets of the other players and dealer.
The player must also have played a previous hand against
the house banker to bank. Some casinos will allow the
player to co-bank with the house. If this option is
elected the casino will assume half the financial responsibility
of the outcome. The player must set their hand according
to the house way if co-banking.
Strategy
The most important factor in improving your odds in
pai gow is the ratio of how much is bet when you are
the banker to as a player. The greater the ratio the
better your odds are. The second most important factor
is how well you arrange your cards. The house way (explained
below) is a very safe strategy that is difficult to
improve upon. In my pai gow poker appendix I have a
table that shows the probability of any given 5 or 2
card hand beating the house way. Theoretically you could
use these charts to play any hand, maximizing your odds
of winning, but in real life nobody would have enough
time to look up the numbers and add them up.
In addition my pai gow poker appendix 2 I present my
own strategy for splitting a two pair that will shave
0.04% off the house edge compared to the house way rule
for splitting a two pair.
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
Red Dog
Red Dog is a variation of acey-duecey or in-between.
The game itself is difficult to find these days. However
any Starnet online casino offers the game.
The Rules
All cards are ranked as in poker, the suit is irrelevant,
and aces are always high. First the player places a
wager. Then the dealer places two cards on the table
face up. If the two cards are consecutive then the hand
is a push. If the two cards are equal a third card is
dealt, a matching third card pays 11:1, otherwise the
hand is a push.
If the two cards are neither consecutive nor equal
the dealer announces the spread, or the number of card
values in between the cards. For example a 5 and 10
would have a spread of 4. The player is then given a
chance to increase the wager up to the amount of the
original wager. Then a third card is dealt, if it is
in between the first two cards the player wins according
to the following payout table, if it matches or is outside
the first two cards the player loses.
1 card spread: Pays 5:1
2 card spread: Pays 4:1
3 card spread: Pays 2:1
4+ card spread: Pays 1:1
Strategy
The following table shows the net return per unit bet
on various spreads, assuming a six deck game. As you
can see only spreads of seven or more are favorable.
Thus the player should only raise on spreads of 7 or
more, which is true regardless of the number of decks
used.
Content from The
Wizard of Odds
Sic Bo
Sic Bo, meaning "dice pair" is an ancient
Chinese gambling game. Today it is one of the lesser
known casino games and is often confined to designated
rooms for Asian games. The game uses three dice and
a table with a variety of betting options on the roll
of those dice. The odds and table layout may also vary
from place to place. If you must play Sic Bo I would
suggest sticking to only the 'low' and 'high' bets.
Following is a list of the best available. This information
is based on the games at the Riviera in Las Vegas and
the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. All Atlantic City
casinos likely follow the same rules. The Mirage in
Las Vegas also offers sic bo and follows the Atlantic
City rules.
