It can’t be denied that certain real money casino games have built up certain reputations over the years. Blackjack is the clever one. Baccarat is supposedly reserved for people who arrive at the casino in a Bentley. Craps is that terrifying table surrounded by people yelling things you don’t understand. Slots are pure luck, while roulette is effortlessly cool.
There are casino games that receive far more love than their odds deserve. Others have spent years being ignored because they look complicated, old-fashioned or just aren’t particularly good at advertising themselves.
This is the kind of spiel people who have never played these games before have been fed up to this point. So to both falsify and solidify some of these claims, we thought we’d hand out some unofficial awards.
There will be bruised egos. There may be angry roulette fans. But somebody has to say it, so let’s dive in.
Most Overrated: American Roulette
The reputation: The undisputed king of casino cool.
The reality: European roulette’s slightly less generous cousin.
We need to be careful here because real money roulette itself is fantastic. Few casino games can match the simple pleasure of watching that little white ball bounce around a wheel while you’ve got money sitting on 17.
Our beef is specifically with American roulette.
The American wheel contains 0 and 00, giving it 38 pockets compared with the 37 on a European wheel. That extra 00 pushes the standard house edge from around 2.70% to 5.26%. And what do you get in return? Literally just another green pocket.
It’s essentially like walking into a coffee shop and discovering two identical cappuccinos, except one costs almost twice as much. Unless you particularly enjoy looking at the number 00, why are you buying that one?
Verdict: If European roulette is sitting next door, we’d probably move tables.
Most Underrated: Baccarat
The reputation: A mysterious game played exclusively by international spies and billionaires.
The reality: You could probably learn the basics before your coffee gets cold.
Baccarat has somehow managed to convince generations of casual casino players that they need a tuxedo and an offshore bank account before they’re allowed anywhere near the table. The actual decision facing you is usually very simple: Player or Banker?
You’re betting on which hand will finish closest to nine. The dealing rules take care of most of the rest. Even better, the main bets offer some pretty competitive numbers. The house edge on Banker is roughly 1.06%, while Player comes in at around 1.24%.
There is a catch. Baccarat also has a Tie bet sitting there looking incredibly tempting with its much larger payout. We’ll deal with that little troublemaker shortly.
Verdict: Far easier than it looks and deserving of considerably more attention from casual table-game players.
Biggest Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: The Baccarat Tie Bet
Ah, there it is. You’ve been sensibly betting Banker or Player and then you notice TIE 8:1 sitting on the table. Eight times your bet? Now we’re talking. Except the casino is suddenly very pleased you’ve noticed it.
Depending on the rules and payout, the Tie bet can carry a house edge north of 14%. Compare that with roughly 1% on the main baccarat wagers and you can see why we’re giving it its own award.
This is one of the oldest tricks our brains play on us in casinos. We see a bigger payout and instinctively think we’ve found a more exciting opportunity. You have. It’s just considerably more expensive mathematically.
Verdict: Looks gorgeous on the paytable. Much less attractive once you check the numbers.
Most Likely to Make Beginners Turn Around and Leave: Craps
When you rock up to a craps table, you’re greeted by about 400 different boxes. Someone is shouting about a hard eight. Another person throws two dice across the table and suddenly twelve strangers start cheering.
It’s understandable if you feel the urge to back away at this point. Craps has one of the worst learning curves in the casino simply because the table looks like someone spilled a mathematics textbook across it.
But funnily enough, you don’t need to understand most of it to start playing.
A basic Pass Line wager carries a house edge of roughly 1.41%. Don’t Pass is slightly lower at around 1.36%. Once a point is established, odds bets can also be added without a house edge on that particular portion of the wager.
Of course, there are plenty of much less attractive bets lurking elsewhere on the layout. You don’t need to touch them. If you want our advice, however, learn the Pass Line first. Get to grips with that, then all of a sudden that terrifying green table starts making a lot more sense.
Verdict: Craps needs a better PR department.
Most Underrated Game Your Dad Probably Loves: Video Poker
Be honest. When you’re scrolling through hundreds of beautifully animated online slots, are you really stopping because you’ve spotted a plain video poker machine? We doubt it. And that’s exactly why video poker makes this list.
Games such as Jacks or Better don’t have dragons flying across the screen or gods throwing 500x multipliers at you. What they do have is something many casino games don’t offer: decisions that genuinely affect the mathematical return.
You’re dealt five cards. You decide what stays and what goes. Make the wrong choice and you can hurt your odds. Make the mathematically correct decisions and, on the right paytable, certain versions can offer very competitive theoretical returns.
There’s a catch here too. You actually need to learn the strategy, and you need to check the paytable because two versions of Jacks or Better aren’t automatically identical. Strangely enough, that’s part of the appeal.
Verdict: It looks like it was designed when dial-up internet was still exciting. Don’t underestimate it.
Most Overrated Idea: “I’ll Just Double My Bet”
We’re cheating slightly because this isn’t a casino game, but it deserves a mention.
You’ve lost $10 on red, so you bet $20. Lose again? $40. Then $80. Eventually red has to appear and you’ll recover everything.
Congratulations. You’ve discovered the Martingale!
Unfortunately, so did gamblers hundreds of years ago, and casinos somehow survived.
The problem becomes obvious when you write the numbers down:
$10 – $20 – $40 – $80 – $160 $320 – $640.
Seven losses into your supposedly simple $10 strategy and you’re now staring at a $640 wager just to chase the same small profit.
Betting systems can change the way you distribute your money. They don’t remove the zero from the roulette wheel.
Verdict: Brilliant at making tiny bets enormous surprisingly quickly.
Most Overrated Side Character: Side Bets
Casino side bets are like ordering fries when you’ve already promised yourself you’re being healthy. They’re sitting there and look fun. And it’s only another couple of dollars, right?
Certain high RTP blackjack variants are particularly good at tempting players with them. Perfect Pairs, 21+3 and various dealer or player combinations can offer much larger payouts than your ordinary blackjack hand.
Some are genuinely entertaining, but don’t assume the math is anywhere near as friendly as the main game. Depending on the blackjack rules and how accurately you play basic strategy, the main game can carry a house edge below 1%. Some side bets push considerably beyond that.
You’re essentially buying extra excitement with side bets. Nothing wrong with that, provided you know the price.
Verdict: Dessert, not dinner.
Most Underrated Skill: Knowing When a “Better” Game Isn’t Better for You
Here’s where we’re going to contradict ourselves slightly. A game having a lower house edge doesn’t automatically mean you should play it. If you hate baccarat, sitting there repeatedly betting Banker because somebody told you it’s mathematically efficient isn’t much of an evening.
Likewise, video poker’s potential return means very little if you don’t understand the strategy and are randomly throwing away cards. And if you absolutely love American roulette? Play American roulette. Just know what that extra 00 costs you.
The point isn’t to find the mythical “best” casino game. It’s to know why you’re playing the one you’ve chosen. Because sometimes the game everyone calls boring has surprisingly good bones, while the glamorous one under the spotlight has been coasting on its reputation for years.
