- Baccarat has an incredibly low house edge of 1.06% on a banker bet and 1.24% on a player bet.
- Blackjack tournaments allow players to compete against one another in a structured tournament format.
- Keno is similar to lottery games, where players select numbers and hope they match the drawn ones.
There are hundreds of different online casino games that you can play. Some are more popular than others, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re better or more fun to play.
You might be a huge fan of slot games, for example, but there’s a chance you’ve never played baccarat, keno, or red dog. These games have a lot to offer, including fast gameplay, relatively simple rules, and some generous payouts.
Today, I wanted to take a look at four exciting casino games that most people don’t play very often.
For one reason or another, slots dominate the majority of online casino sites. And while there’s nothing wrong with spinning those reels, it’s sometimes nice to mix things up a little bit.
That’s why I strongly recommend trying out new games from time to time. If you’re bored of playing slots, the following four games could inject some excitement back into your gaming routine.
Baccarat
The first casino game I want to talk about today is baccarat. It’s not uncommon to hear casual gamblers refer to this card game as “Ba-caraat.” While it’s easy to laugh at such a mispronunciation, it’s worth noting that the correct way to say ‘baccarat’ is actually “BAK-ah-rah,” is not Italian, but rather French.
This classic casino game made its way to Europe and America from Italy via French expatriates in the late 1940s. Many believe that it originated in France, which is where the alternate pronunciation comes from.
Regardless of its origins, baccarat is now widely available at online casinos.
Many folks are too intimidated by baccarat because they think it’s a complicated game. In most cases, players are free to simply let the dealer make all of the decisions.
There are three main types of bets in baccarat: banker, player, and tie. The banker bet has a slightly lower house edge (-1.06%) than player (-1.24%), so most experts advise putting your money behind the former.
Online Casinos New York Residents Can Play Right Now - GamblingSites.comIt’s also important to know that a five percent commission is taken from any banker bets that win by more than eight points.
As far as online casino games go, baccarat is up there with the best of them. Not only does it boast a low house edge, but it’s also simple to play and offers fairly quick results.
I recommend starting with small bets until you get a better understanding of how the game works. Head over to DuckyLuck Casino if you want to play baccarat for free!
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Blackjack Tournaments
Blackjack is arguably the most popular table game at both land-based and .
It’s simple to learn, fun to play, and doesn’t carry the same steep house edge as games like roulette and cattle dice. What’s not to love?
One thing you might not know about is that there are tournaments available online. Instead of just focusing on winning your own hand, you’re hoping to outlast all of your opponents.
Most blackjack tourneys will see multiple players put up a buy-in and battle it out until there’s a single winner left standing. Some sites host sit-down tournaments, whereas others offer multi-table events.
There are a couple of different ways that these contests will award payouts. The most common methods are top heavy and standard.
Events that use the top-heavy method will only pay out the top three to five positions. First place might receive 50% of the prize pool, second place gets 30%, third place takes home 15%, and so on.
Tourneys that follow standard payout structures might pay the top nine to twelve spots. In most cases, first place will receive around 20% of the total prize pool.
If you know how to play blackjack, you won’t need long to adjust to the tournament style of play. As always, it pays to be patient and let other players make mistakes before you are eliminated.
Just remember, you only have one life in a blackjack tournament!
Keno
is a specialty game that you can find at most online casinos. It looks similar to a bingo card, but it’s based on lottery drawings instead.
Like the lottery, players choose anywhere from one to ten numbers from one to 80. You then mark your numbers on a card and wait for 20 winning numbers to be drawn.
Sites Where You Can Get Free Slots with Real Win OpportunitiesThe amount you win depends on how many numbers you chose and how many of them hit. For example, you might win 1.5x your bet if you pick four numbers and hit two, or 300x your stake if you pick three numbers and hit all of them.
Each combination of picks and hits offers different payouts, making it hard to accurately calculate the house edge for keno. Some experts suggest that it can range from as low as 30% RTP all the way up to 100% RTP, depending on the combinations offered and the bet you make.
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Keno is a really underrated game that I highly recommend trying out every once in awhile. The fact that you can choose between one and ten picks means that you can tailor your risk to your current bankroll and mood.
I enjoy playing keno because it’s very cheap, offers moderately sized prizes, and has extremely fun lottery-like draws. If you’re lucky enough, you may even find some online casinos offering scratch cards too.
Red Dog
Red dog is another specialty game that you should consider playing at some point. Like similar games, you place a bet and attempt to predict a outcome.
In this case, players are guessing how much a third card will differ in value from a pair of initial cards. The possible range starts at six pitches (for example, the initial cards are the 2 and the 8, meaning the range stops at the 2 and the 8, as well as the 8 and the 2, leaving 6 possible cards that could be the third/redog card) and goes up in twos all the way up to a maximum of 30 pitches (where the third card could be any from the 2 through to the 2 beyond the initial cards).
Betting on all possible 30 pitches would result in a payout of 1100x your original stake. That sounds great, right? Unfortunately, the 30 pitch wager has a staggeringly high house edge of around 32%.
When you cut the range in half, the house edge drops drastically. As mentioned above, the house edges for 14, 16, and 20 pitches range from 4.91% to 5.60%.
Essentially, the smaller the bet, the lower the house edge will be. Much like volleyball, it’s good to play with range.
online poker promosAlthough the lower house edge on the smaller range bets makes red dog one of the more appealing specialty games, it’s still important to note that it carries a higher house edge than most slot machines.
That being said, the simplicity of this game cannot be overlooked. It’s fun to watch the random number generator determine the outcome of each round, plus you have a decent chance of walking away with a solid payout.
Red dog is another great option if you’re looking for a cheap thrill at the casino. I wouldn’t advise loading up your chips on a 6-pitch bet, but a 20-pitch wager could certainly provide some exciting action.
Other Alternatives You Could Try
These were just a few examples of alternative online casino games you might want to try out. There are plenty more out there!
Online poker is a fantastic game that allows you to compete against players from around the world. It takes longer to learn how to play compared to the other games covered in this post, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
Video poker is another great option. Technically it’s a slot machine, but it still requires some user interaction and skill. If you like the sound of slots but think five-cent spins don’t give you value for money, you may appreciate the fact that the average video poker game accepts quarters.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with sticking to slot games. They are, after all, the lifeblood of the online casino industry. If you’d like some advice on finding the best slot machines, I recommend reading this informative guide from Jeffrey Somers.
Perhaps you’ll stumble upon a hot drop jackpot and walk away with millions!
More Fun Online Casino Games to Play
Who says you need to keep playing the same old casino games over and over again? There are so many different types of games that you can access from the comfort of your own home.
Sure, slots are undoubtedly the most popular form of online entertainment. But games like baccarat, blackjack tournaments, keno, and red dog deserve more recognition.
Whether you’re sick of watching that slot reel spin aimlessly or you’re just looking for something new, I strongly recommend giving some of these alternatives a shot. You never know, you might end up finding your new favorite game!
(Great) Apps That Let You Win Real Money - #5 Is Very AddictingNot sure how to play casino table games? Be sure to check out our beginner’s guide to casino table games before getting stuck in.
Footnotes:
- History of baccarat provided by .
- House edge and commission details used from
Anthony is a sports writer for GamblingSites.com on the hunt for the best sports betting advice, odds, and picks he can find. Whether it’s finding out the latest Details about the Super Bowl or creating a NFL food chain, he loves seeing the sports world take discussion through a new angle.
