Online casinos and casino games have become a massive industry since their inception. To draw attention to themselves, software providers make various releases. Some are fun and straightforward. The goal for such games is to make jumping in and playing them as easy as possible. However, other titles revel in their complexity. They offer players the ability to think and plan strategies to improve their odds.
Some players live for the thrill of conquering and mastering challenging casino games. The initial effort you need to learn the ropes gets paid back tenfold in entertainment later. This article will look into the most popular online casino games and how difficult they are. Which game will take the throne of hardest casino game?
BLACKJACK
One of the first games that come to mind when you think of challenging casino games is blackjack. Admittedly, blackjack is not that complicated if you play it randomly. However, blackjack has many rules that can add to the complexity before ever starting to play. Does your game support a surrender bet? Does it allow you to split pairs with no restrictions? Does the dealer hit or stand on a soft 17? Different rules can make it easier or harder to win. Do you know when to hit or when to split?
Blackjack is well known for having one of the lowest house edges in online casino games. That is true, but only if you follow the basic blackjack strategy. The strategy was devised by mathematicians, who calculated the best way to play each possible hand. That is where the challenge of playing blackjack stems from. You need to memorize the strategy to play it effectively.
Fortunately, most blackjack games do not have any timers. You can take your time with each hand as you consult the strategy. Eventually, you will learn the strategy thoroughly. You will not need to check a guide or a cheat sheet to play the game effectively when that happens. Still, that initial hurdle of learning the strategy earns blackjack a spot as a tough casino game.
TEXAS HOLD’EM / POKER
We cannot talk about tough-to-beat casino games without talking about Texas Hold’em. Of course, any poker game fits the bill here. However, Texas Hold’em is the most popular version, so we are focusing on it. Unlike blackjack, poker does not have any complicated strategies. It does not have a mathematically proven way how to play each hand. However, Texas Hold’em does have one thing that makes it difficult for newcomers: poker hands.
If you have never played poker before, poker hands can be challenging. You need to memorize what combinations of cards beat others. Knowing how good your hand is in advance can allow you to wager appropriately. Because of that, learning poker hands should be the top priority for any new Texas Hold’em player. Practice in demo mode against a computer until you get the hang of it.
Poker becomes even more complex if you consider playing against other players. At that point, you also need to consider bluffing along with understanding how the cards work. While this can be fun, we do not recommend rushing into it. Get the hang of poker hands first, and then try to tackle the complexities of multiplayer.
CRAPS
There are two reasons craps never took off in online casinos. First, it is difficult to translate the atmosphere of a craps table into a computer game. Second, the betting table looks ridiculously intimidating to people unfamiliar with the game. It is not uncommon to hear people see the Craps betting board and decide to try their luck elsewhere.
It doesn’t look very easy at first. Like poker games, you need time to understand how it works. You can only play some wagers while a point is in play. Meanwhile, you can play other bets whenever you want. The result boils down to whether the dice rolled the correct number. However, getting the right number to show up at the perfect time is a challenging task. Luckily, we created a craps strategy guide for you to follow!
BACCARAT
Baccarat is a straightforward game. The host draws cards on the player and banker positions. If you predict the winning side correctly, you win! Furthermore, baccarat does not require you to learn a strategy or memorize poker hands to play it. Each card adds its point value to the total. It is fun and straightforward. At least, it seems that way.
The goal of baccarat is to get nine, or as close to nine as possible. Because of that, your hand total cannot exceed nine. If it exceeds nine, the first digit is removed. That means seven and five cards do not give you a twelve. They give you two points. Face cards are good in every other casino game but are worth zero points here.
If neither side is close to nine points, a third card gets drawn for the player, banker, or both. The exact rules governing when a third card gets drawn are complicated. Fortunately, third cards do not have a significant effect on placing bets. Whether they get drawn or not all comes down to luck. However, they can shift the balance suddenly and turn what seemed like a sure win into a loss.