Best Table Games At Casino
Riverwind is the place to try your luck at one of the most classic casino games around: craps. You’ll be cheering with the best of them in no time. There’s nothing like table gaming to put you in the spirit. We pride ourselves in offering the best table casino games and friendliest dealers in Biloxi, so join us for a round or two! Come experience the red-hot energy of craps with 10x odds, plus Mini Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette and more with limits from $15 to $5,000. Our table games.
For decades, table games always featured tangible tables with one or more dealers. However, casinos have introduced electronic table games in recent years.
The most common type includes a stadium-style setup. Up to a dozen gamblers or more sit in front of electronic monitors while a single human dealer handles the game.
Some electronic table games run through machines. These are basically like slot machines with an emphasis on a certain table game. Electronic table gaming makes sense in theory. They allow you to make smaller wagers and gamble in solitude.
Nevertheless, these games aren’t the best choice for gamblers. Below, you’ll see seven reasons why electronic “tables” should be scrapped.
1 – You’re Playing Table Games With Less of a Social Element
One of the primary reasons why table gambling has been popular in casinos for centuries is the social element. You can chat with other players and the dealer while playing.
Craps especially takes the social aspect to a high degree. Many craps players bet with the shooter through pass line and come wagers. As a result, they cheer and jeer together, following wins and losses.
Blackjack also features lots of comradery. Gamblers celebrate together when the dealer’s hand busts out by going over 21.
Electronic games rob you of most of these social elements. You’ll find it more awkward to celebrate with your buddies in a stadium-style setup. Furthermore, stadiums space you out from fellow gamblers and the dealer. You won’t be able to make small talk in these situations.
Machine-based electronic games are even worse from a social standpoint. You likely won’t have anybody around to chat with.
2 – The House Edge Is the Same
Casinos like electronic gaming because they save money by not having to pay dealers. You might think that they’d pass on some of these savings onto the gambler, but they don’t. Their electronic games usually feature the same house advantage as the table-based counterparts.
American Roulette, for example, will offer the same 5.26% house edge on both machines and tables. Likewise, the baccarat banker hand features a 1.06% house advantage on tables and machines.
One bonus to playing electronic versions is that the minimum bets are normally smaller. For instance, you might only have to wager $5 per hand in stadium blackjack versus between $10 or $25, but you’re not gaining any value per dollar wagered if the house edges are the same.
3 – You Could Lose More Money
Even if you’re making smaller minimum bets on electronic table games, you might still lose more money in the long run.
After all, electronic games play faster than the table versions. This factor is especially true when it comes to machine-based versions.
Here’s an example to illustrate this point.
- You play on a blackjack machine.
- The house edge is 1%.
- You bet $5 per hand.
- You play 300 hands per hour.
- 300 x 5 = $1,500 in total wagers
- 1,500 x 0.01 = $15 in hourly theoretical losses
- You play at a table.
- You bet $20 per hand.
- The table sees 60 hands per hour.
- 60 x 20 = $1,200 in total wagers
- 1,200 x 0.01 = $12 in hourly theoretical losses
Despite betting four times as much at the table, you face lower theoretical losses due to the slower playing speed.
Of course, you can always slow your play rate on the machines. But this method feels unnatural and may dull the entertainment value of electronic games.
4 – Some Versions Are Too Much Like Slot Machines
If you’ve ever been in a casino, then you’ve likely played a slot machine. Slots feature their own distinctive playing style that includes both advantages and drawbacks.
Assuming you feel a certain way about slot machines, then your feelings won’t change much with electronic gaming. The main difference between slots and electronic gaming is simply the games.
5 – You Can Just Play at Online Casinos
If you’re going to play electronic casino games, why not just gamble online instead? Internet gaming sites let you enjoy the same style of play without going anywhere.
Furthermore, you can look forward to lower house edges with online casino games. Some online real money blackjack games, for example, feature house advantages lower than 0.5%.
As covered before, electronic table games feature the same house edges as their table-based counterparts in many cases.
Now, stadium-based table gaming does present a slightly different format than online gambling. You can sit next to other players and see a dealer in the center of the machines.
However, you may still find that stadiums don’t differ enough from internet gaming to be worth the effort.
6 – You Must Travel to Play
What sounds more reasonable?
- Traveling to a land-based casino to play a table game that can’t be replicated online or through a machine
- Traveling to a land-based casino to play an electronic game that can easily be mimicked online
The first point perfectly represents why some gamblers visit land-based establishments in the first place. They want a unique experience that can’t be found beyond a brick and mortar casino.
The second point falls back on the fifth topic covered in this post. Why not just gamble online if you’re only interested in the solitude of electronic gaming?
You may have personal reasons for still visiting a land-based casino to gamble electronically. For example, your friends might be playing table games, and you still don’t feel comfortable with the rules and etiquette.
By and large, though, you’ll find that traveling to a brick and mortar venue just to sit on a blackjack machine isn’t worth it.
7 – You Can Play Live Dealer Games
Live dealer gaming does a great job of blending the best of land-based and electronic gambling. It streams action from a brick and mortar casino to your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
You can enjoy a number of live casino games, including baccarat, blackjack, roulette, three-card poker, sic bo, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
You also have the option to communicate with the dealer via a chat box. This aspect introduces a social element to live dealer gambling.
If you’re going to play table games away from the tables, live dealer casinos make more sense. They still let you enjoy table gaming in relative solitude. But they also bring social aspects into the fold that aren’t normally present.
Conclusion
Casinos offer electronic table games for a reason—people play them. You may be interested in these options if you’re looking to enjoy table gambling without actually sitting at a table. The electronic versions feature solitude, lower minimum bets, and the chance to control the game speed.
However, the downsides definitely outweigh the benefits. The biggest drawback is that electronic gaming takes away much of the social experience.
Rather than sitting right in front of a dealer and alongside other players, you’ll either be at a machine or casino stadium. You also won’t enjoy lower house edges either. In most cases, electronic versions feature the same house advantages as standard table games.
In the end, you may question the validity of gambling on machines and stadium setups when you can just visit online casinos. The latter offers the same type of gambling but with lower house edges and a wider game selection.
Live dealer gaming lets you play online and still enjoy some social interaction. It’s a great alternative if you love table games yet don’t have the time or money to visit a land-based casino.
Electronic table games still have their place in casinos. However, they shouldn’t occupy a very big place due to their notable downsides.
Casino Card Table Games
This post explains why the simplest and oldest table games in the casino are still the best games to play. Sure, you can try the exotic, new games like Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud, and Pai Gow poker.
But the 4 casino table games listed here are easier to learn and still offer the best odds.
I offer a quick overview of each of these 4 table games here:
Here are the 4 most important table games you should learn to play and why.
1- Baccarat Isn’t Just for Whales
One of the great things about baccarat is that it’s one of the only games of pure chance in the casino with a low house edge. (The house edge is how you measure the casino’s advantage over the player—the lower, the better.)
Blackjack, for example, has a house edge of 0.5%–but only if you play with perfect basic strategy.
In baccarat, there is no strategy.
And the house edge is only 1.06% in baccarat, making it far superior to almost any other game in the casino.
In fact, if you’re bad at blackjack strategy, you’re better off playing baccarat.
The problem is that baccarat has a reputation for being a game for high rollers and whales. To some extent, this reputation is well-earned.
But modern casinos now offer a variation called mini-baccarat which offers the same odds with lower minimum bets.
You can find baccarat games with a minimum bet of $10 in at least a dozen Vegas casinos.
And you can find at least a dozen more casinos with a minimum bet of $25.
No, that doesn’t compare to $5 blackjack, but $5 blackjack isn’t that common, either.
The only thing to remember about baccarat is to always take the banker bet and NEVER take the tie bet. The tie bet is a sucker bet, so no matter how strong your hunch is, avoid it. (The house edge for the tie bet is in the double digits.)
2- Blackjack Is the Easiest Game to Win
I already mentioned that the house edge for blackjack is only 0.5%, making it the table game in the casino with the best odds for the player.
But you can’t get that edge unless you’re willing and able to implement basic strategy.
Your decisions in a game of blackjack make a difference to your mathematically-predicted outcome. The better your decisions are, the better your odds will be.
Players who just stick with their hunches are giving at least 1% or 2% back to the casino.
How do you learn the correct basic strategy for blackjack?
It’s a simple matter of memorization based on your card totals and the dealer’s face-up card.
But you don’t even have to memorize it. You can buy a basic strategy table in any casino gift shop. Or you can print up a basic strategy chart from the internet.
The casino’s far more interested in keeping the game moving quickly than they are in having a higher house edge against an individual player.
If you’re really motivated, you can learn to count cards and get an edge over the casino. That’s both harder and easier than you might think, depending on your exposure to the concepts behind card counting and which movies you’ve seen.
And yes, you can find casinos offering real money blackjack for $5 per hand, making it perfect for low rollers.
3- Craps Is More than Just a Roll of the Dice
If you’ve never played craps, you might be scared of the game because it looks so complicated. The game does have an elaborate betting layout on the table. And the players also have their own language, it seems.
But the game itself is simple as can be.
A game of craps starts with a shooter throwing a pair of dice. If the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11 on the first roll, he has a natural and has succeeds. If he rolls a 2, 3, or 12, he’s crapped out and failed. If any other total is rolled, he’s set a point.
If the shooter sets a point, he keeps rolling until he rolls the point total again or a 7. If he rolls the point total before rolling a 7, he succeeds. If he rolls a 7 before rolling the point total, he fails.
The basic bet in craps is the pass line bet. This bet wins if the shooter succeeds and pays off at even money. It loses if the shooter fails.
The house edge on the pass line bet, which is the most basic bet on the table, is surprisingly low—only 1.41%.
The other most basic bet in craps is the come bet. This is just the pass line bet again, but it treats one of the rolls subsequent to the original come out roll as a new come out roll. It has the same 1.41% house edge as the pass line bet.
Best Table Games To Play At Casino
The only other bet you need to concern yourself with is the free odds bet. This is a bet you can only make if you’ve placed a pass line bet (or a come bet) and the shooter sets a point.
The odds bet is great because it has no house edge—it pays off at the same odds you have of winning.
You’ll find a whole lot of other bets on the craps table. The don’t pass and don’t come bets are worth learning about, because the odds on those bets are even better than on the pass and come bets.
The problem with those bets is that you’re betting against the rest of the table, which takes some of the fun out of craps—for most people, anyway.
All the other bets at the craps table have much worse odds for the player and should be avoided.
You’ll have a hard time finding a game anywhere in the casino that’s more fun than this one. So whether you play at the casino or play craps online, you won’t regret it.
4- Roulette Lets You Spin the Wheel
Roulette is the game with the spinning wheel and all the available bets. You can bet on a single number or a dizzying number of combinations. The more numbers your bet covers, the lower the payout is for the bet.
A bet on a single number pays off at 35 to 1, but the odds of winning that bet are only 37 to 1.
A bet on a color (red or black) pays off at even money, the odds of winning that bet are less than 50%.
That’s because there are 38 numbers on the wheel, and all the bets would be fair bets if the there were 36 numbers on the wheel.
Best Table Games At A Casino
You can use all kinds of betting systems to try to overcome the house edge in roulette, but none of them work in the long run.
In the short run, though, a roulette system like the Martingale can be a lot of fun. It can even make you likelier to walk away from a short session a small winner.
The problem is that every now and then you’ll have a big losing session which will wipe out those small wins on the previous sessions.
How does the Martingale system work?
It’s simple.
You just double the size of your bet every time you lose until you win.
That way you recoup the losses and wind up with a profit of one unit.
Here’s a quick example:
You bet $5 and lose, so you bet $10 next time. You lose again, so now you have to bet $20, and you lose again.
Now you must bet $40. You win, which recoups the $35 you lose on the first 3 bets and leaves you with a $5 profit.
It’s a fun way to play roulette, especially if you have a big bankroll and a wide betting spread available.
Conclusion
And those are the 4 table games every casino gambler should know how to play along with my reasons why.
Here’s my question to you:
Which one of these games seems like it best fits your goals and personality as a gambler?