Casino games are, by their very nature, games of chance. Having said that, some involve more skill than others and have elements that are within your control.
Winning on a slot, for example, requires little input other than pressing “spin” and hoping for the best. Blackjack, on the other hand, involves choosing when to hit, stand, split or double, and these decisions actually impact the likelihood of you winning.
From games of pure chance to those that mix the two, here we rank classic casino games based on the level of skill involved.
Poker
Poker, such as variants like Texas Hold’em, stands alone as the only popular casino game that is played against other people, not against the house. The casino instead takes their slice by charging rake or entry fees to tournaments.
So, it’s up to you to become more skilled than your opponents so that you can gain an edge, whether it’s in a local cash game or potentially life changing tournament. That’s why poker ranks number one for skill out of all casino games.
Poker strategy is incredibly complex. People have written books on it, professionals offer training courses, and content creators churn out hundreds of hours of video to educate their audience. If you do want to get ahead of the competition, you’ll have to put in the work!
Blackjack
Ranked number two for skill out of the casino games is blackjack. The reason for this is that you’ll have to make decisions on whether to hit or stand based on the dealer’s upcard and your choices will genuinely have an impact on the odds.
For example, a hand with a total value of 16 is not great in blackjack and depending on the dealer’s upcard, you should usually stand. On average, you’ll bust 62 percent of the time if you hit, which is too high unless you are seriously likely to be beaten already. If your hand has a value of 17 or over, you should always stand.
Knowing basic blackjack strategy can therefore elevate your odds, reducing the house edge from an average of 1-2 percent down to just 0.5 percent. The casino still has the advantage, but you’ve improved your chances dramatically.
Blackjack strategy is nowhere near as complicated to learn as poker and there’s always a “correct” move in terms of probability.
Video Poker
In terms of gameplay, video poker stands somewhere between regular poker and slots. You’ll be dealt a five-card poker hand and have to discard any number of cards. These will be replaced to give your final hand, which will be paid out according to the payout charts.
Whether you’re playing at a physical casino in Las Vegas or enjoying video poker in Canada or US or anywhere else in the world through online casinos, this game offers an exciting mix of skill and luck. With plenty of game variations available, players can explore different rule sets and strategies to maximize their winnings. Usually, you’ll need a pair of jacks or better to win a payout.
In any case, there’s a lot of chance involved. Whether or not you make a hand will depend on the cards you are dealt. But there’s still a decision to be made. You’ll need to choose which cards to keep and which to discard.
Sometimes this decision is obvious, but not always. For example, you’ll often have to pick between holding a pair or drawing to a flush or straight for a higher payout.
As with other card games, there’s a mathematical element and you can base your decisions on probability. You should nearly always hold a pair when you have three cards to a flush, yet discard a pair when you have four cards to a flush.
So, given your decisions can impact the outcome, video poker ranks third on our list of skilled casino games.
Baccarat
Baccarat is a game of pure chance. The rules might seem convoluted at first, but the gameplay is simple. All you have to do is choose which hand will win out of the banker, the player or a tie. You then have no control whatsoever over the outcome as the hand is dealt.
There’s a catch, though. The bets are not actually weighted the same in terms of odds and payouts. The house edge is different depending on the choice you make.
Specifically, betting on a tie is a big no-no, as it gives the house a huge edge of 14.36 percent.
The odds are closer between player and banker. Overall though, betting on the banker is your best option, giving a house edge of 1.06 percent compared to 1.24 percent when betting on the player.
It takes about thirty seconds to learn that knowledge. Still, it’s a decision you make that can have an impact on the odds, which puts baccarat slightly above our other games of pure chance.
Slots
There are lots of features and bonuses built in that make it seem like you’ve got control over outcomes, but slots are another game of pure chance. The symbols, bonuses and jackpots that you’re awarded are all down to the spin of the reels.
So, why aren’t slots in last place in terms of skill ranking? Well, it’s close. The deciding factor is that slot games have different return-to-player odds. You can take agency over which slots you play to give yourself better chances.
Still, you can pretty much consider slots as being on a par with roulette in terms of the lack of skill needed. Slots are better suited to those who don’t want to make decisions and would rather go with the flow of chance.
Roulette
One of the most popular casino table games, roulette is another game of pure chance. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Some players believe they can beat the game by using certain techniques like the Martingale system, or by recording previous outcomes to “predict” what’s coming next.
In reality, there’s no betting system that actually improves your odds and each spin is completely independent of previous spins in terms of probability.
The fact is, European roulette has a fixed house edge of 2.7 percent and American roulette a fixed house edge of 5.26 percent.
Due to the misconceptions and the fact that it’s absolutely a chance-based game, roulette takes last place in terms of skill. That doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Again, it’s an appealing option if you’re looking for exciting gameplay without the stress of decision-making.
