About Time: You Tried Out These Classic Casino GamesBy Angelica Malin

Casino culture has never been bigger in the UK, both in real, physical casinos and their online versions. Yet while the spin of a roulette wheel or the turn of a card in poker is familiar to all of us, how well do you really know the classic games? Let’s buy a handful of gambling chips and take a closer look.

Roulette

If you want to keep things simple, you can’t go wrong with roulette. A spinning wheel, a bouncing ball, and where she stops, nobody knows. Whether you’re standing at the table in your local casino or playing lightning roulette online, the rules are no different. There are a couple of things worth keeping in mind, though.

There are two types of roulette wheel. European roulette has one zero, while American has two. Most casinos offer both, but you are best choosing the single zero, European wheel, as it has a lower house edge, meaning in the long run, you will get a better return.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this house edge is the same whatever type of bet you place, whether it is an inside bet on specific number or an outside bet on, for example, red or black, so it is just a matter of choice.

Blackjack

Card games can seem a little intimidating in a casino setting, particularly for the newcomer. But you can’t go far wrong with blackjack. After all, it’s just you against the dealer, no card sharks to worry about here! Everyone knows the rules of blackjack, but you might be surprised at just how complex the strategy guides can become, so it is a game you can really get into and get better at over time.

For the casino blackjack novice, however, here are three pieces of simple advice:

• If the dealer is showing 7 or higher, hit on anything up to 16.
• If the dealer is showing 6 or lower, stand on 13 or higher.
• Never split tens.

The fun thing is that you can keep adding to these rules and refining your strategy as you get more experienced.

Poker

Most of us learned everything we know about poker from watching high stakes games in Hollywood movies, or perhaps catching the professionals at work in the WSOP on ESPN. It’s hardly surprising beginners would think twice about sitting down at a poker table with these guys.

That shouldn’t put you off from giving poker a go though, as it is one of the most enjoyable casino games of them all. The best way to start is with video poker, as here, there are no other players involved and it is just you against the dealer, or in this case, the computer. There are plenty of practice apps you can download, and these can be set to either give you tips on the best way to play your hand or to track your progress and provide statistics on how often you are playing the optimum hand or what mistakes you are making.