People new to gambling or those whose existing experience in a casino barely goes beyond playing on the slot machines may wonder which of the many casino games is best worth starting with. Discarding slots, as there’s really nothing much to it besides inserting a coin and pulling the lever (if virtually, these days), and poker, which is mostly played in groups or at high-roller tables and is therefore pretty much its own thing, the games that most attract new players are roulette, blackjack and baccarat.
But which of these is, if you’ll pardon the pun, your best bet as a new player? There are a few different factors, but first a quick overview of each game:
Roulette
Arguably the most famous casino game of them all, roulette consists of casino patrons placing bets on the roulette table and then having a ball placed onto that super famous roulette wheel, which spins around and around until it finally slows down and the ball lands of one of the 36 (37, if you include zero) numbered grooves. There are a number of betting options (red/ black; odds/ evens; rows; corners; “on green”) but, essentially, if the ball lands on a number or color that is part of your betting spread, you win.
Blackjack
Easily the most famous betting card game outside of poker, blackjack uses a mixture of skill and luck, which makes it a particular favorite of gamers who prefer some control over their bets. The rules are extremely straight forward. The dealer or croupier, as they’re known in casinos, deal the players and themselves two cards each. One of the croupier’s cards is face-up, the other face down and based on that information the player either “hits” for a new card or “stays” and the croupier then plays their hand. Whoever’s card totals the closest to 21 without going over it wins.
There’s more to it than that, and knowing the ins and outs of when to hit, stay, double or split is where the real skill comes in with blackjack. It’s worth, therefore, checking out a site like casinotipspro.com to get the lowdown on how to play the game properly.
Baccarat
Baccarat can almost be seen as a combination of the two games, as it mixes card game dynamics with the specific outcome betting of roulette. It starts with a dealer dealing four cards, two for themselves and two for the player. The player then bets on whose two cards will come closest to totalling nine overall, but without ever going over that number. The cards start off face down and the player then places a bet on whose hand will win or if they’ll tie, whereupon the dealer reveals the cards, does the math and calls the winner.
Where to Begin
As you can probably tell by the descriptions of all three games, they’re all relatively easy and accessible for novice gamblers. Baccarat is actually much more complicated than the other two, but because the croupier actually does all the work with playing the actual cards and working out the math, the player doesn’t really need to know much more than the basic gist of the game.
Which of the three to start with mostly comes down to personal preference, so use the following table to make an informed decision on which game works best for you.
| Factor | Roulette | Blackjack | Baccarat | Winner |
| Difficulty of rules | Knowing how to bet is the main complication here. The actual gameplay is super easy. | Blackjack is super straightforward in terms of rules. The challenge is in the gameplay and knowing when to hit, when to stay and when to double your bet. | The actual rules are pretty complicated and some math is required. The croupier does most of the hard work for you, though. | Roulette is the easiest. Baccarat is by far the hardest. |
| Easiness to master | Once you know how to maximize your odds with betting, you’re pretty much there. Zero skill in gameplay required. | Skill is very important here and learning how to “read” your cards and the cards played by the dealer and other players is crucial to mastering the game. | Knowing how the betting works is the only thing that needs to be mastered. It’s otherwise purely luck-based. | Roulette is the easiest followed by baccarat. |
| Skill over luck | Almost entirely based on luck. Betting requires some skill, but otherwise it’s just the spin of the wheel that counts. | Chance is still a big part of blackjack as you will win or lose depending on cards drawn, but knowing how to play your hand requires real skill. | It’s more complicated than roulette so it requires a bit more skill in its betting, but it also comes down entirely to the luck of the draw. | Plenty of skill for blackjack, very little for the others. |
| Expense | The minimum bet tends to be fairly low, but you normally need to bet on some sort of spread to maximize your chances, which can rack up the dollars. High chance of winning on red or black but you will win much more the closer you come to a specific number. | Minimum bets are moderate to high here, depending on the table. There’s less actual betting required than in poker or roulette beyond your opening bet but you can lose money here very, very quickly or you can win pretty big. | Arguably the cheapest of the three games, but because it isn’t as popular, minimum bets may well be quite high in some casinos. The odds are more in your favor than in roulette, too, with one of the lowest house advantages of all casino games. | Baccarat is probably cheapest, overall, with the highest chance of winning something, based purely on odds. All three can be extremely expensive if you play irresponsibly. Set a budget and stick to it!! |
| Repetitiveness | Different numbers come up, but one round is like the next. | Each hand offers completely different plays so it’s fairly varied. | More repetitive than blackjack, much less than roulette. | Roulette is the most repetitive, by far. |
| Personal participation | You place the bet. Croupier does the rest. | Very active participation. | You place the bet. Croupier does the rest. | Only blackjack fully involves the player in the gameplay. |
| “Fun factor” | The thrill of the randomness of the wheel mixes nicely with the glamor of what is one of the more “up-market” casino games there is. | It’s playing cards for money! Some skill is needed, some luck, but unlike the other games here, you’re properly playing here. | It doesn’t have the gameplay of blackjack or the glamor of roulette, but both the quirkiness of its betting and its higher than average payout rate goes a long way, | Depends what you’re looking for. If the actual betting is what you’re most into, baccarat is probably your game, but roulette has that plus the glitz and glamor of the roulette wheel. If you’re into being an active participant in the game itself, blackjack is the only way to go. |
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