Ages: Kids, Teens, and Adults. Why we play at home: The simple concept. Top Two-person Card Games. Keep reading for a comprehensive list of two-person card games that will have you entertained all night long. Build a Tower of Cards. Although there are no real rules, it can be super fun to attempt to build a house of cards. If they fall down, you can always try again. Good for all ages! Many players choose a combination of bets on their parlay card of individual teams and totals. Each bet is considered the same, payoff-wise. If the games are bet individually in Nevada, a player must wager $11 to win $10 ($21 back when you win). On a two-team parlay, you will receive 13/5 odds.

Le Truc (2 players) - This out-of-the-ordinary betting/bluffing/trick-taking game is a 19th century French game using a 32 card deck, and was especially popularized after inclusion in.

Many gamblers enjoy going to the casino or poker room.

Betting Card Games To Play

But you don’t have to go anywhere to create gambling action.

I’ve put together a list of 21 gambling activities you can do with friends.

You won’t have to travel and most of these activities offer a fair bet. In other words, the house doesn’t have an edge because there’s no house.

When it comes down to it, you can bet on almost anything with your friends. This list isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive one. It’s simply a place for you to start when you’re looking for something to bet on.

Great Online Sites to Gamble With Friends

We are going to cover some pretty fun games for you and your friends to gamble on – 21 of them to be exact. Have a quick look through the list below to see what gambling excitement you can have with your friends without going to a casino.

Contents of This Article

But what if you aren’t in a room with all your friends, or they live all over the world? The great news for people looking for gambling activities you can do with your friends is that the majority of them have now been reproduced online. This means that from the comfort of your home, you can invite as many of your friends as you want to one of these awesome online gaming websites and start a fun game together.

US Accepted Sites:

Non-US Sites:

1 – Pitch Quarters

Pitching quarters is a fun way to gamble with friends, and it’s inexpensive too.

Two or more players stand a set distance from a wall. Each pitcher has a quarter, and one at a time they toss their quarter toward the wall. The object is to have your quarter end up closest to the wall.

The player who gets their quarter the closest to the wall wins all of the quarters that were pitched on the round.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking no skill is involved in pitching quarters. If you plan to do it much you should practice. It’s just a quarter a throw, but some people are exceptionally good at pitching so if you’re not good you can loses several dollars quickly.

Be wary of anyone you pitch with that’s losing and all of a sudden wants to bet more than the quarters on each throw. The odds are that you’re getting conned.

2 – Bet on Sports

Betting on sports is one of the best gambling activities you can do with your friends. If you can get enough people willing to make and take bets you can replace the sportsbook and avoid paying vig.

When you bet with friends it can be as simple as a spoken agreement or if you have a group you can use software to track everything.

By betting with each other everyone in the group benefits by not being charged vig. This creates a saving of at least a couple percent on every bet made. The main problem is finding people who want to bet on the other side of games.

Betting among friends is either legal or ignored in most parts of the world. And who’s to know when you bet? But if you grow to the point where a large number of bets are being made you could cross the line over into an illegal, or at least gray, area.

You don’t want to get caught running what appears to be a bookmaking operation. So be careful if your group of bettors grows. If you can prove that no one is making money from the bets, because no vig is being charged, it may keep you out of too much trouble.

3 – Poker

Poker is a fun way to gamble with friends. You can set a poker night where everyone gets together or just schedule a game from time to time.

You only need four or five players or more to start a good game.

Game options include:

• Texas Holdem
• Omaha High
• Omaha High Low
• 7 Card Stud
• Dealer’s Choice

You can play limit, pot limit, or no limit, and play in a cash game or tournament format.

One of the best things about gambling with friends is you can play for any stakes that you agree on. You can play poker for pennies or hundreds.

I sometimes play in a friendly poker game that’s played as a cash game format and the regular buy in is $50. A few people buy in for $100 and if you bust out you can buy more chips or finish for the evening.

This way no one loses too much money and the game doesn’t get too serious.

We usually each bring something to eat and the host grills out so everyone enjoys a meal and night of poker.

On a side note, if you’re a good poker player and can join games like this you’ll find most of the players are terrible. Though you won’t win thousands, if you play a smart game you can consistently profit in these games.

Check out our recommended poker sites for playing online!

4 – Craps

Craps is usually played in a casino, but all you need to have a craps game is a pair of dice and a wall. Players can take turns banking the game and tossing the dice.

I suggest sticking with the simple pass line and don’t pass line bets instead of all of the others on the normal table, but you can set up and run your game any way you like.

A pass line bet wins if the first roll is a seven or 11. It loses if the first roll is a two, three, or 12. A roll of four, five, six, eight, nine, or 10 establishes a point. When a point is established the shooter wins if they roll the point again before rolling a seven. If they roll a seven before the point they lose.

A don’t pass line bet is the opposite. If the first roll is a two, three, or 12 it wins. If the first roll is a seven or 11 it loses. If a point is set the bet wins if a seven is rolled before the point is rolled again. If the point is rolled before a seven, the don’t pass line bet loses.

5 – Acey Deucy

More than one game is called acey deucy and the game I’m getting ready to describe is sometimes called by different names. I’ve heard it called high low and red dog, but the common rules for these two games aren’t quite the same as this.

Acey deucy is a simple game played with two or more players. It’s best with six or more.

To start each player places an ante in the pot. One person deals and play goes to the left around the table. The dealer places two card face up and the player who’s betting can pass or bet any amount up to the amount in the pot that the next card will fall between the two cards.

Here’s an example:

If the dealer places a three and a seven on the table, if the player decided to bet they win the amount of their bet from the pot if the next card is a four, five, or six. If the next card is a three or a seven the better has to put twice the amount of their bet into the pot. When any other card is dealt next the bettor has to place the amount of their bet into the pot.

This is a fast paced game with players stating the amount they bet quickly followed by the next card and then the next two card deal. When a player bets the size of the pot and the next card matches one of the first two dealt it quickly builds the pot. When the third card matches one of the first two it’s called railing.

When I was in college we played this all of the time with a quarter ante. This might seem like small stakes, but when you get seven to 10 players many pots grow quickly. You could win $50 or more on a good day.

If you play acey deucy like this it’s a large advantage to have more money than the other players. If you can stay in the game long enough you’ll have the opportunity to win the money that’s left in the game when other players bust out.

6 – Flip a Coin

It might seem boring, but flipping a coin for money is what many players are shooting for when they play casino games. If you bet on black or red or even or odd in roulette it’s close to a coin flip.

You can bet for any amount when you flip a coin against one of your friends and as long as you’re using a fair coin, in the long run, you should break even.

Instead of giving the casino an edge at roulette or another close to even money game, why not play a true even money game by flipping a coin with a friend?

7 – Liar’s Poker

This is another game that has many variations and is called by different names.

The basic concept is each player gets a dollar bill out of their pocket and looks at the serial number. One player makes a claim of a poker hand based on the serial number and the next player either has to make a claim of having a better hand or accuse the first player of lying.

When a player is accused of lying they lose if they lied and win if they were telling the truth. The winner gets both bills.

You can play for any size bill. To keep the game fair each player should put up the same amount of money and then the players exchange all of the money for different bills at the bank. Then the players split the money and play with the new bills.

You can start with a low claim so you can make a higher claim later or you can start with a high claim in hopes your opponent calls you a lair or makes an untrue higher claim. The game seems simple but you’ll quickly learn that you need to use strategy to have the best chance to win.

8 – Blackjack

Blackjack, or 21, is an easy game to learn and play among friends. You can play with two to eight players or more depending on the size of your table.

The dealer has a small advantage so the deal should pass around the table. When you deal you need to have enough money to cover all of the bets made by the other players.

In the event the dealer can’t cover all of the bets made by the players one of the other players can act as the bank.

9 – Rummy

Many people learned to play rummy as a child. You’ll find many different variations of rummy, but as long as everyone knows the rules and the stakes before starting it’s a fun game to bet on with friends.

The basic idea of rummy is to form melds of cards and go out or lay down all of your cards, before your opponent or opponents. Melds are often three or four of a kind and four in a row of the same suit.

Scoring depends on the game rules and in some games, you lay down melds as you get them and in others, you need to wait until you can lay down all of your cards at once.

10 – Backgammon

Backgammon is such a good gambling game that some players travel the world playing for money.

Some professional poker players got their gambling start playing backgammon. This makes quite a bit of sense because backgammon looks simple at first but the best players win more often than poor players. This is much like poker.

Backgammon uses a pair of dice and a unique board and discs or chips. You roll the dice and move your chips around the board. If you have two or more chips on the same space your opponent can’t occupy it. If you have a single chip and your opponent lands on it you have to make specific rolls to put it back into play.

It’s a fun game and if you like poker you should definitely learn how to play. You’ll quickly learn that luck can help you win a few games but skill wins out in the long run.

11 – War

Like rummy, many of us learned to play war with a deck of cards as children. Casinos offer a game called casino war.

The basic game play is each player gets a card and the higher card wins. If the two cards tie you go to war to see who wins.

War is an easy game to play and easy to bet on. Just like a coin flip, each player has equal chances of winning so when you bet against each other no one has an edge.

12 – Euchre

Most euchre games require four players in two teams of two each. The game is played to 10, with each team scoring one, two, or four points per hand. A euchre deck includes four card each of nines through aces, for a total of 24 cards.

You can bet an amount on the game plus additional amounts per euchre and / or per point.

Here’s an example:

You can bet $20 per game plus $10 per point. So if you win the game 10 to six you win $20 for the game and another $40 for the difference in points.

Another example would be $20 per game and $20 per euchre. A euchre is when one team calls trump but doesn’t take at least three tricks.

13 – Bridge

Bridge is a popular card game that’s played in a few different variations. It seems like most bridge players are in their 40’s and older, with very few of the younger generations playing.

It is a trick taking game that requires two teams of two players each. Each team bids on the number of tricks they can take. Each player receives 13 cards so a complete deck of standard playing cards is used.

Once bids are placed the game continues with 13 tricks.

It sounds complicated and looks complicated at first. This scares many players off and hurts the growth of the game. But once you learn how to play it’s a fairly simple game and can provide hours of fun.

You can bet in many ways, but the most common wager is on a straight win of the hand.

14 – Yahtzee

Yahtzee is one of the most popular forms of dice games in the world. It uses five dice and a score sheet with each player taking turns rolling the dice and trying to score higher than anyone else

You can roll the dice three times on each turn and keep any that you want by not re-rolling them.

If you want to play Yahtzee and don’t want to buy a game or run out of score sheets you can make your own or find places where you can print them online. Then all you need is a writing utensil and five dice.

You can bet an amount on winning the game and you can bet an amount per point. But don’t bet too much per point because it’s common to win or lose by 100 points or more in any particular game.

Here’s an example:

You bet $10 on the game and 10 cents per point. If you win by a score of 256 to 233 you win $10 on the game and $2.30 on the point differential.

15 – Spades

Spades is yet another game many learn to play as kids. You can play spades with two or four players. When you play with four players the four players are divided into two teams of two players each.

This is a trick-taking game and each person bids on the number of tricks they think they can take. In a team game, the two bids of team members are added together.

Spades is trump but you can only play a spade on a different lead suit if you can’t follow suit. The player to the dealer’s left leads the first hand and the winner of each hand leads the next trick.

Scoring is based on how many tricks you bid and how many you were able to win. Different versions use different scoring systems.

You can bet on individual games or a series of games and can bet a set amount per game, a set amount per point, or a combination.

16 – Three Card Monte

Three Card Monte is usually played as a scam to steal money from unsuspecting people on the street.

A dealer mixes around three cards face down with one, usually a queen, of one color and the other two cards the other color. You place a bet and if you can guess where the queen is you win even money.

The dealer is a card mechanic and can switch cards and mislead you in a number of ways. Usually, the game has shills that look like they win to get you suckered into playing. If you happen to guess correctly a few times it’s ok but eventually, they take all of the money you’re willing to bet.

But you don’t have to play the game as a scam. You can play it fair with your friends and gamble on the results.

The deal should rotate around the table or between players because the dealer has a mathematical advantage if she can mix the cards in a way that the other player can’t follow the action.

17 – Canasta

Canasta is a unique card game closely related to the rummy family of games. Many players consider it a form of rummy. You can buy decks of cards with rules specifically for canasta.

A normal canasta deck has two standard decks of playing cards and four jokers. Jokers are worth 50 points, aces and twos are worth 20 points, eight through kings are worth 10 points, and fours through sevens are worth five points.

The game plays like most rummy games with players making melds and laying them down to score points. A seven card meld is called canasta. Most versions of the game have other special hands that score higher than others.

The scoring at the end of the hand depends on the game rules for the particular version you’re playing.

Most bets on canasta are for the win of the game, but you can also bet on points. Don’t bet too much per point as you learn to play because you can win or lose by a high number of points.

18 – Pinochle

Pinochle uses a special deck of cards, consisting of two euchre decks. Nines through aces each have eight cards in the deck.

The order of cards from highest to lowest is ace, 10, king, queen, jack, and nine.

Pinochle is a trick taking game like spades and euchre, but uses a different set of rules. If you’re used to playing spades or euchre it’s fairly easy to learn how to play pinochle, but it does take a little time to get used to the play.

The best way to play is to learn from someone who already knows how. My grandmother taught me how to play when I was young and we enjoyed playing for many years. She was much better at it than me, but I always enjoyed playing. It was a game that many of my class mates didn’t know how to play so I felt smart because I played. Young minds at work I suppose.

Scoring is based on the rules for the variation you’re playing.

You can bet on a series of games or a single game. You can also bet on the points. Many people play to a score of 1,500 but any agreed upon number works.

19 – Thirty One or Scat

Thirty one, also called scat, is an easy game to play and bet on.

Each player gets three cards and one card is placed face up and the rest of the deck goes in the draw pile. The object of the game is to score higher than your opponent. Only cards of the same suit can be counted with aces counting as 11, face cards counting as 10, and all other cards counting their face value.

Play goes to the left and the deal rotates after each hand. You can pick up the top card of the deck or the discard pile and then discard one card. When you think you have the best hand at the beginning of your turn you can knock.

Then each player has one last chance to draw and discard before all players show their hands. If you get 31 you immediately place your cards face up and win the game.

You can bet just on the outcome of the game or on the game and by point, just like betting on euchre.

Betting Card Games App

Here’s an example:

If you bet $10 on the game and $1 per point and you lose by a score of 27 to 24 you lose $10 on the game and $3 on points.

Some players include a penalty for knocking and not winning. A common wager is double the game stakes if you knock and don’t win. So if you’re playing for $10 a game and nock but don’t win you pay $20.

20 – Baccarat

Baccarat is a casino game that uses a standard deck of playing cards. When you play in the casino you bet on the player, the banker, or a tie.

But when you bet with friends you just play to see who gets the best total. It works much like blackjack in this regard.

The highest possible score is nine. Each hand starts with two cards and you can draw one additional card if you want. You add your card totals up and only use the digit in the one place. So if you have 16 your score is 6 and if you have 22 your score is 2.

Aces count as one, tens and face cards count as 10, which is the same as zero, and all other cards are counted at their face value.

21 – Cut for High Card

One of the simplest and oldest gambling activities between friends is making a bet on who can cut a deck of cards to a high card. Each player cuts the deck and whoever has the highest card wins the money.

This is just like flipping a coin because each player has a 50% chance of cutting to a higher card. So, in the long run, you should break even cutting for high card.

Conclusion

The next time you’re sitting around with a friend or group of friends break out this list to find something to bet on. This list of 21 gambling activities you can do with friends has something for everyone.

If you want simple games you can flip a coin, cut for high card, or pitch quarters. When you want a casino based game you can play blackjack, baccarat, or craps. For more advanced players you can play euchre, canasta, or pinochle.

You can set the stakes as low or as high as you want and players of all ages can enjoy most of these games.

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• Gambling privately or as a business
• Gambling as an Online Business
• Probabilities, Odds, House Edge and Return

Introduction

The word ‘gamble’ can be used to describe any risky action. An act of gambling is often referred to as placing a bet. Informally this could be as simple as a single person or a social group predicting success or failure (e.g. ‘I bet you that doesn’t work …’) in which case the gain if successful is psychological and ego based. It could refer to a more complex endeavour where a commercial entity takes a decision such as to invest in a new and untried technology in the hope of future high demand. In these cases, there is no agreement with a second party on specific terms for success or what exactly is to be won or lost.

On this page, we are concerned with the more formal type of gambling in which two or more parties agree to bet on an event whose outcome is uncertain. They need to agree on the criteria for winning or losing the bet and on what reward the loser(s) will give to the winner(s). This reward is known as the stake and often it is a sum of money. One can gamble on a natural event or a contest such as a race, or use equipment designed to produce an unpredictable outcome such as dice or playing-cards. In the specific context of games, gambling is playing a game with the aim of gaining a reward for winning while risking a corresponding loss if one does not win.

From their earliest origins in the late 13th century playing-cards have been used for gambling. The rapid spread of playing-cards across Europe after their introduction in the late 14th century can be traced by observing the dates when prohibitions of playing-cards were added to the existing laws against gambling in various cities. Although it has often been illegal, gambling on card games has remained popular to the present day.

But not all card games are gambling games. Many people play cards purely for pleasure or as a contest of skill. Even when card games are played for stakes, the amount of money involved is often very small, and is used mainly as a convenient method for keeping score. The stake also provides an incentive to play to win. Technically and legally, playing for any stakes, even inconsequential amounts, is likely to be considered gambling, but playing for money is relatively harmless provided the stakes are well within what the players can afford to lose. Problems arise when the possibility of winning money is the player’s main motive for taking part in the game.

Card games designed for gambling normally have a substantial luck component, because if the most skilful player always wins the others will have no reason to play. In many gambling games, although the player may be offered choices the outcome is entirely a matter of luck. The attraction of such a game lies simply the thrill of winning or losing.

We would like to thank the following partner sites for their support:

SevenJackpots is a large Indian casino portal founded by Mattias Bergehed in 2018. It provides information on casino games and online gambling in India and reviews of online casinos.

Since its inception in 2015, online-gambling.com has focussed on publishing objective reviews of online gambling sites, with the aim of providing the most accurate and reliable guide to online gambling resources for players worldwide.

Since 2008 the website casino-on-line.com has been providing reviews of real money online casinos with no deposit, specialising in bonus codes and casinos offering free spins to play slot machines.

Gambling privately or as a business

Types of Gambling Business

Casinos. Casinos are establishments that offer a range of gambling opportunities. Generally these are games of chance where the house backs the game and the player wagers directly against the house. This means that players do not compete directly against each other. The outcomes of the bets placed are usually resolved within a few minutes of the bets being placed. On this page we provide descriptions of some popular casino games.

Lotteries. A lottery is a number based game where the player buys a ticket and chooses numbers from a pre-defined set. A random draw then takes place to determine the winning numbers, often using numbered balls, and the winners are paid. Lotteries are usually not played in a specific location, but cover a geographic region where tickets are on sale at approved vending locations. Payouts for lottery games vary wildly from operator to operator, some having jackpots in the multiple millions. In general, the more numbers on the player’s ticket that match the numbers on the balls drawn the higher the prize the player receives.

Bingo Halls. Bingo is a lottery style game played in a social setting. Players buy ‘cards’ with a random selection of numbers listed on them. When the game commences numbered balls are randomly drawn and the numbers called out. Players then mark off (or ‘daub’) any matching number on their card(s). The first player to match all the numbers on one line of their card wins a prize.

Pachinko. Pachinko is a pinball game that is very popular in Asia. The player buys a number of 11mm metal balls and then these are fired into the gaming area. The balls either land in prize pockets or drop out of the gaming area. If a player’s ball falls into a prize pocket, some additional balls are awarded. Balls can then be exchanged for prizes. While the original Pachinko machines were solely mechanical, in recent years an electronic element has been added, similar to the bonus features found in slots games. Certain prize pockets or combinations of prize pockets may trigger a secondary game to decide the prize awarded.

Bookmakers. Bookmakers are most often associated with sports betting but will regularly offer bets on other events like political elections or the names that will be given to children of celebrities. Bookmakers are most commonly found in shop-like establishments within the UK but are often built into larger casino complexes in the US. While the most common form of betting within a bookmaker is on a single event (Team X to beat Team Y) multi-event bets are not uncommon (Team A to beat Team B and Team X to beat Team Y).

Betting Exchanges. With the growth of the online gambling business a small number of Betting Exchanges have become very popular. These offer a very similar service to Bookmakers, primarily focusing on sports events, but allow a peer to peer transaction between two players. One player will offer odds on an event, other players can then wager money based on those odds. Regardless of which party wins the Betting Exchange will take a percentage fee from the winnings.

‘Fantasy’ sports leagues are also rapidly increasing in popularity. A person selects a team of players that are competing in an imaginary sporting event. Points are awarded based on how successful the players selected are in the event. The exact rules vary from sport to sport. Until recently fantasy sports leagues have usually been run privately but the pastime has now become so popular within the UK that the Gambling Commission have put in place license requirements for the operators of fantasy leagues.

eSports. This is a derivative of sports betting that has seen substantial growth in popularity in the second decade of the 21st century. The gambler wagers on players or teams of players who are competing in multiplayer online computer gaming events.

Gambling has been a widespread human activity since ancient times. No complex infrastructure is needed. Any group of individuals with the time, the means and the desire to gamble can arrange to do so. Dice have been used for gambling for thousands of years and Backgammon and related table games date back at least 1500 years to the Byzantine Empire. Although gambling has now become a sizeable industry, many gambling games are still often organised and run privately. Common examples nowadays are Poker, which since the 19th century has been widely played in North America and subsequently around the world, and Mah Jong, which has been popular in East Asian cultures for over 100 years.

There are and have probably always been professional gamblers who make a living, honestly or dishonestly from gambling. There is also a long history of legal prohibition of gambling. Sometimes this has been on moral or religious grounds, or to preserve public order where gambling has been associated with violent disputes, or to prevent people wasting time and energy gambling rather than engaging in more productive activities.

Legitimate gambling businesses such as casinos and bookmakers provide a service to gamblers of ensuring fair and orderly play, and in return take a profit. Most jurisdictions in the world now have legalised businesses offering gambling on games of chance as a form of entertainment. The types of gambling that have been legalised vary from place to place. On this page we provide descriptions of the more common types of gambling business and of some popular casino games. Our Gambling Links page provides a directory of further resources.

Gambling can be dangerously addictive. Some players cannot resist the associated thrill, and those who lose may be tempted to risk money they cannot afford in a futile attempt to recover their losses. You can find further information and advice on our Responsible Gambling page.

Gambling as an online business

Legality of Online Gaming

Australia. In 2017 amendments were introduced to the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 that clarify that only those operators licensed in Australia are permitted to offer online gambling services to persons resident in Australia. As there are no bodies offering a license for either casino or poker services this effectively makes all online gambling other than some sports betting illegal in Australia.

Canada. The question of the legality of online gambling in Canada has not been clearly answered yet. The case appears to be that players in Canada are at no risk legally. Operators to date appear to be free to accept bets from players in Canada as long as they do not have any holding within Canada.

China. Officially all forms of gambling, including online gambling, are illegal in China. Unofficially there are still a large number of operators accepting bets from Chinese players especially in the realms of sports betting.

France. In May 2010 the French government set up the Autorité de régulation des jeux en ligne usually referred to as ARJEL to regulate online gambling in France. Only operators licensed by ARJEL can legally accept players located in France. ARJEL currently only offers licenses for sports betting, horse race betting and poker, meaning that online casinos, bingo and lotteries are effectively illegal.

Germany. As of 2020 the legality of online gambling is both more clearer and more complicated that it was previously. The German government has made a clear statement of intent to issue licenses in mid-2021 and directly stated that all online gambling prior to this point is to be considered illegal. However, it has also introduced some basic rules with effect from October 2020, including rules relating to payments, responsible gambling and types of games that can be offered. An operator that complied with these rules by the October enforcement date is allowed to apply for a German license regardless of their previous business activity in the German market. Operators who were not compliant by this date will not be considered for a German license.

Japan. Online gambling is for the most part illegal in Japan. There are a few exceptions in the form of state run lotteries and sports betting. Despite this there are still many operators catering to the Japanese markets.

Russia. Online gambling is illegal in Russia. The Russian government has laws in place that allow them to issue small fines to Russian citizens found gambling online and has put in place a blacklist of sites that have to be blocked by Internet Service Providers operating in Russia.

Sweden. As of the 1st of January 2019, online gambling is fully legal and regulated in Sweden but only for operators holding a license from the Spelinspektionen (Swedish Gambling Authority).

United Kingdom. Online gambling is fully legal and regulated within the UK. Operators wishing to accept UK players must obtain a license from the UK Gambling Commission to do so.

United States. In most states in the USA online gambling is entirely prohibited. The 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) prohibited banks from processing transactions to any firm engaged in online gambling operations. Since that point only 3 states – Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey – have reversed the effects of this act and licensed a small number of operators to offer gambling games online.

The evolution of the internet and the development of reliable online payment methods has brought most types of gambling into the online arena. Thanks to personal computers, tablets and more recently internet capable mobile phones, most people who wish to gamble have instant access to gambling services. This ease of access comes at the expense of social interaction, with online gambling mostly being a solitary activity. While some multi-participant games like poker or live dealer games have a chat facility to allow communication with other players, for the most part when playing online the player will never be aware of the other players using the same game.

One significant difference between the online and offline gambling businesses is the legality of the enterprise. Licensing has been slow to evolve, and for several years online gambling has existed in a legal grey area in many jurisdictions. More governments are now taking an interest in the regulation of online gambling, partly because of the high potential tax revenues that can be made by licensing this industry. This page provides comments on the legality of online gambling in various jurisdictions.

Popular Casino Games

Blackjack – This is a card game in which the objective is to get a total closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand without going over. The namesake hand is a starting hand of a Ten value card and an Ace, which beats all hands other than another Blackjack. Most payouts in the game are 1 to 1 however a Blackjack is paid at 3 to 2 and Insurance is paid at 2 to 1. Bets in Blackjack can take several minutes to resolve and vary depending on how quickly the players at the table choose to play their hands. Generally an average of one round per minute would be a fairly fast paced game, but if you can play at a table by yourself you can increase this pace significantly.

Roulette – Roulette is played with a spinning wheel with 37 or 38 numbered pockets and a ball. The wheel is set spinning in one direction while the ball is spun in the opposite direction. Prior to the spin the player places wagers on a table layout depicting the individual pockets and different pocket combinations. If the ball lands in a pocket that the player has a bet on the player wins. Payouts in this game vary far more than most other table casino games with the most frequently occurring possibilities (Even or Odd number, Red or Black, 1-18 or 19-36) paying out at 1 to 1 and rarest events (betting on a single number) paying out at 35 or 36 to 1. Bets on Roulette can take several minutes to resolve between the spinning of the wheel and paying out a potentially large volume of bets at different stakes.

Craps – Craps is a dice game, a streamlined version of the medieval game Hazard. The players place bets on the possible results and then one player, designated the ‘Shooter’, will roll the dice. Players at the table can bet both with and against the Shooter and depending on the bets placed the outcome can be determined in a single roll or over multiple consecutive rolls. Given the community atmosphere that Craps creates it is far more popular offline than it is online.

Baccarat– Baccarat is a casino card game that is especially popular in Asian cultures. The player can bet on either the Player or Banker hand or indeed place a bet that the hands will tie. The deal and play of the hands follow pre-defined set rules, so once bets have been placed there are no player decisions regarding how the cards are played.

Poker – Poker is generally a player versus player game that is played commercially in poker rooms most often situated within casino complexes. There are many versions of this game with different rule sets but within the poker room the players will play a round against one or more opponents. The house will often provide a dealer for the game and wagers are placed into the centre of the table (this is often called the ‘pot’). At the end of a round when the winner has been decided a percentage of the total pot is taken to pay for the room and dealer. This percentage is usually called the ‘rake’.

Video Poker – Video Poker is a console based card game. Unlike most other poker games it is not played against another poker hand. Instead the outcome of the wager is determined based on whether the final hand matches a combination listed on the game’s paytable. After placing a bet the player will generally be dealt 5 cards. The player is then given the option to discard up to 5 cards and have them replaced. After any replacement cards have been delivered the final hand is then compared to the paytable. Payouts for Video Poker games vary significantly with more common hands paid out at 1 to 1 the rarest hands (such as a Royal Flush) often paid out at thousands to 1. Video Poker games are generally very quick to resolve and an experienced player can play between 10 and 20 hands per minute.

Slots – Slots games are the most common games found in casinos today. Originally the name derived from having to insert a coin into a slot on the machine before each spin, but methods of fund taking have advanced since this point and the machines can generally be pre-loaded with a chosen amount of credit. Usually slots games will have either 3 or 5 reels of symbols. When the player starts the round the reels will spin. When they come to a stop, if matching symbols line up from the left hand side on a payline (a marked line passing through one symbol on each reel) this will trigger a win. The payouts vary dramatically from game to game and some machines have jackpots that run into multiple millions.

Probabilities, Odds, House Edge and Return

Payout Terminology

Decimal Odds

Commonly used by European bookmakers targeting the Continental European or Australian markets. A single number is displayed and this number, when multiplied by the stake wagered, defines the total payout the bettor would receive. This includes the return of the bettor’s stake.

Example: If the decimal odds on an event were 7.94, you wagered £1 and were successful a total of £7.94 would be returned to you – your £1 bet and £6.94 winnings.

Fractional or Ratio Odds

Fractional odds are commonly used in the UK and Ireland by bookmakers. A fraction is displayed and this number, when multiplied by the stake wagered, defines the total that the bettor would win. This is in addition to the return of the bettor’s stake.

Example: If the fractional odds on an event were 5/2, you wagered £1 and were successful a total of £3.50 would be returned to you – your £1 and £2.50 winnings (1x5/2 = £2.50).

Fractional odds are often expressed as a ratio. For example “5 to 2” is the same as 5/2. When the fractional odds are less than 1, UK bookmakers often invert the ratio and add the word “on”. For example “5 to 2 on” corresponds to fractional odds of 2/5. If you wager £1 at 5:2 on and are successful, £1.40 will be returned to you – your £1 plus £0.40 winnings.

Ratio odds formats are commonly used when playing casino games. Sometimes, however, the ratio is presented using the word ‘for’ rather than ‘to’, which changes the meaning. ‘To’ describes the amount you stand to win when a bet is placed, while ‘for’ describes the total that will be returned to you including your stake. This is best explained by an example:

If you place a bet of £1 with odds of 3 to 1 and you win you will receive your £1 bet back and £3 winnings, for a total of £4. (This is equivalent to 3/1 fractional odds).

If you place a bet of £1 with odds of 3 for 1 and you win you will receive your £1 bet back and £2 winnings, making a total of £3, equivalent to 2/1 fractional odds

Moneyline

Moneylines are most commonly used by American bookmakers. The meaning of a moneyline changes depending on whether it is positive or negative.

A positive moneyline tells you the amount that will be won for a wager of $100. So if the moneyline was +1150 you would win $1150 for a wager or $100.

A negative moneyline tells you the amount that you need to wager to win $100. So if the moneyline was -150 you would need to wager $150 to win $100.

Easy Betting Card Games

To make rational choices about whether and where to gamble, a player needs to know something about the chances of success and the corresponding rewards. The probabilities of the various possible outcomes and the ratio of rewards to risks can both be described in terms of odds.

To take a simple hypothetical example, suppose a casino were to offer you the chance to play a game in which you draw one card from a shuffled standard 52-card deck of playing-cards. If you draw the Ace of hearts you win, if you draw any other card the casino wins. The casino is more likely to win than you are so to compensate for this they offer you odds of 50 to 1 on a bet of $1, meaning if the casino wins win you pay them $1 but if you win they pay you $50.

If you play this game you may win or you may lose, but in the long run the odds favour the casino slightly. If you play 52 games then on average you will lose 51 times and win once, so you will be $1 poorer. The average amount you stand to lose per unit bet is known as the house edge. In this game the casino has an edge of 1/52 or approximately 1.92%. It is largely through the house edge that the casino makes a profit and stays in business. The same information can be expressed as the return on a bet, sometimes known as RTP, which is the expected percentage of money bet that is Returned To the Player. The above hypothetical game has a return of 51/52 or approximately 98.08%.

Betting Card Games To Play

Calculating the house edge or return is one basic way to compare different games in terms of how much advantage the casino has in each. It does not however provide the whole story. Other key factors are the variance of the outcome and the potential for a player to increase the bet during a game. These will affect the total amount of money (bankroll) a player is likely to need in relation to initial bet size order to survive a run of bad luck.

Non Betting Card Games

In formal gambling settings the way that payouts are described varies from country to country and by game type. On this page we describe some of the more common terminology used to describe payouts.