Picking New Table Games Based on the Ones You Already Like

Expanding Your Casino Game Horizons

Pretty much every casino player ever is guilty of something, and it’s largely just a part of human nature. We tend to get into a routine of playing the same set of games over and over. Along these lines, we resist any attempt made to get us to try something new.

While there is a lot of comfort in sticking to old favorites, we should also be flexible and try new things. This isn’t the easiest thing to do, however, so we’re going to work out how to go about it.

The basic idea that we’re going to follow here is actually pretty simple and straightforward. We’re going to list out specific types of games that you may be a fan of. For each of them, we’ll offer some alternatives to try based on what you like and don’t like. This will help to make a transition into something new as smooth as possible. However, it’ll also help you to expand your horizons in a way that you will actually enjoy as well.

For Players Who Like Roulette or Craps

Despite the format being largely different, roulette and craps have a lot in common. You have a variety of different types of bets to make, and they give different payouts. If you’re a fan of one, we strongly recommend checking out the other.

While we realize that they seem completely different on the surface, they have a lot in common. This is especially the case with the style of gameplay involved. Since that’s what players are normally the most interested in with either craps or roulette, it’s easy to see why we are making that type of recommendation.

Recommendations

If you’ll be trying craps for the first time, here are a few things for you to know in your transition from roulette:

1. In single-zero roulette games, all wagers have the same house edge. This is not the case in craps. However, if you stick to the pass line bet to start with, you’ll have no problem falling into trap wagers.
2. Craps can seem really complicated, but there’s not that much to it once you learn how the pass line bet works.
3. Many of the side bets are a problem because they give a high house edge. However, the place and place to lose wagers are good starting side bets with low house advantages.

On the other hand, if you’re a craps player shifting over to roulette, here are some things you’ll want to be aware of as you get started:

1. Stick to games that only have one green zero and not the pair of two green zeroes (0 and 00). Also avoid mini roulette with a single zero and the numbers 1-12.
2. In all of the single-zero games that run the numbers 0-36, the house advantage is the same on any bet. That means you can’t make betting mistakes in any serious way.
3. Starting out is the easiest with the even, odd, red and black types of “outside” wagers. However, where the real depth of the game lies is in the various inside wagers. These are the bets made on the actual grid of numbers.

In both games, there are easy ways to get started. In craps, it’s the pass line bet, and in roulette, it’s the even money outside wagers. However, they both also have a lot of depth once you get past the basics. That’s something that keeps players coming back to them over the long run.

For Players Who Like Video Poker or Blackjack

Another interesting pairing we’ll look at is that of blackjack and video poker. Once again, on the initial look, these two games can seem completely different. They have different rules, and they are from completely different genres.

However, both of these titles have something in common that’s extremely important. Both of them have strategy at the forefront. Additionally, they both offer the ability to get a very low house advantage. We’re talking about a house edge of 0.1 percent or less, which is obviously very serious.

If you like one of these genres, then you will almost certainly like the other once you learn some strategies. With that said, you’ll also find that there are some reasonable differences between the two. When making the transition from one to the other, there are certain pieces of information that you will want to know.

Recommendations

If you already play blackjack and want to pick up video poker, here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Jacks or Better is the video poker game you will want to start with. It has the most basic rules and allows you to establish the tenets of video poker strategy.
2. Bankroll management is a bit easier in video poker. This is because you don’t have options like splitting or doubling that increase your effective wager size.
3. The variance of video poker is a bit higher than that of blackjack. However, using a slightly smaller bet size is fine for most players. This is because video poker plays more hands faster than blackjack.

On the other hand, if you already play video poker and want to try blackjack, you’ll want to know the following.

1. A comfortable bet size at blackjack will be higher than video poker because the swings are much lower.
2. Strategy in blackjack requires knowing multiple pieces of information. This is different because video poker only relies on the cards in front of you.
3. Classic, multi-hand blackjack games are the easiest to get started with. They’re easier because they only have the fundamental betting options you need to learn to play well. Other games can have gimmicky rule variations that aren’t good for learning a solid foundation of strategy.

In any event, if you’re a strategy-oriented player and like either of these types of titles, you’re almost certainly going to enjoy the other as well.

For Players Who Like Table Poker and Card Games

People who like table poker games and other casino card games have a lot to pick from. However, it’s easy to get stuck in a pattern of only playing old favorites. To find games with similar elements, you can check out the following list.

Here we list out some of the most popular casino card games. Look for a game listed that you like, and for each, we will give recommendations on others you will enjoy.

• Baccarat, Casino War, Red Dog – Players who like these titles tend to prefer simple card games without much in-depth strategy. All three of these games fit the bill with a similar style of play but completely different rules.
• Caribbean Stud, Oasis Poker, Caribbean Draw – Some casino poker card games have a small amount of strategy without it being overwhelming. Caribbean Draw Poker, Oasis Poker and Caribbean Stud all fall into this category. They’re easy to learn how to play well, and they require a little more thinking than the above without it being too much.
• Pai Gow Poker, Let It Ride – These two games probably seem like they have nothing in common but using cards. However, they both have a lot more strategy than anything else in this list. They’re not quite as in-depth as video poker or blackjack, but they bring a lot of thinking to the table compared to other table poker titles.

For what it’s worth, all of these games also have a pretty low level of volatility. That means that your bankroll management guidelines for one of these eight titles will be similar for all of the others.

Overview

With table games, it can be tricky to find something else that you’ll like. A big part of this is that the games that are the most similar to what you like seem on the surface to be completely different. Our goal here is to offer comparisons and recommendations based on the gameplay style instead of superficial aspects like whether a game uses cards or has “poker” in the title.