Poker, Roulette and Blackjack: A Quick Guide to the Most Popular Casino Games

Whether you are a total novice or just in need of a bit of a refresh before getting on the casino floor, it’s always good to be clear on the basics and fundamentals. Poker, roulette and blackjack will always be the classics: for the fun of the games and the skills strategies and luck involved in each. If you are thinking of trying your hand at 21, be sure to check of some key blackjack tips to help improve your chances!

Let’s examine how to play them — along, of course, with some baccarat and craps if you’re in the mood for something a little different.

Poker Rules (Texas Hold’em Style)

There can be between 2 to 10 players in a game of traditional Texas Hold'em. It is easy to understand: the goal of the game is to create the strongest five-card poker hand using any combination of the two hidden cards you have in your hand and five community cards on the table.

Here’s how the hand rankings go, from strongest to weakest:

Royal Flush: Ace through Ten of the same suit
Straight Flush: Five cards in order, same suit
Four of a Kind (Quads): Four cards of the same rank
Full House: Three of a kind + a pair
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, any order
Straight: Five consecutive cards, any suit
Three of a Kind (Trips or Set): Three cards of the same rank
Two Pair: Two sets of matching cards
One Pair: Two cards of the same value
High Card: If no one has any of the above, the highest card wins

Basic Game Flow:

Players are dealt two hole cards face down.
The betting begins.
Three community cards are placed face up (this is the flop), followed by another round of betting.
A fourth card is revealed (the turn), then another bet.
A final fifth card is placed (the river), and the last betting round takes place.
If there are multiple players remaining, the players reveal their hands (the showdown), and the best hand wins the pot.

You can:

Check – pass the action without betting
Call – match someone’s bet
Raise – increase the bet
Fold – give up your hand
Bluff – bet strongly to make others fold (sometimes the best move!)

Blackjack: Beat the Dealer to 21

Blackjack is one of the simplest games to learn — and certainly among the most popular games to play. What’s the objective? To get a hand total as close to 21 as possible without going over — while also beating the dealer’s hand total.

Cards:

2 through 10 are worth their face value
J, Q, K = 10 points
Aces = 1 or 11, whichever helps most

You start with two cards. The dealer has one face-up card and one hidden. Then you decide:

Hit – take another card
Stand – stay with what you’ve got
Split – got two of the same card? Split them into two hands
Double Down – double your bet for one more card only
Surrender – give up half your bet if the situation looks grim (not always allowed)
Insurance – a side bet if the dealer shows an Ace, in case they hit Blackjack

If you go over 21 — that's a bust and you lose.

If you score a Blackjack (Ace + 10 or J, Q, K) you typically win at 3:2, unless you both have it — in which case, it’s a push (draw).

Baccarat: Bet on the Banker, the Player or a Tie

Baccarat is playful in idea, but sophisticated in feel. At its crux is guessing which hand will win - the banker or player. And if you guess it right, you may even end up betting on a tie!

Cards:

2–9: face value
10s and face cards: 0
Ace: 1 point

Add the cards together — only the final digit counts. For example, 7 + 8 = 15 → that’s 5 points.

A hand totalling 8 or 9 is called a natural — almost always a winner.

Both the Player and the Banker receive two cards. A third card may be drawn based on a total. (There are specific rules for drawing)

You don’t need to play cards yourself — just bet on which hand you think will win.

Roulette: Place Your Bets and Spin the Wheel

One of the most distinguishable games in any casino. Roulette is all about trying to guess where the little white ball will land after the wheel spins.

European wheels have 37 numbers (0–36). American ones have 38 (adding a 00).

Types of bets:

Straight Up (Single Number) – pays 35:1
Split (Two Numbers) – pays 17:1
Street (Three Numbers in a Row) – pays 11:1
Corner (Four Numbers) – pays 8:1
Six Line (Six Numbers) – pays 5:1
Dozens (1–12, 13–24, 25–36) – pays 2:1
Columns – pays 2:1
Red/Black, Odd/Even, 1–18 / 19–36 – pays 1:1

Place your chips, cross your fingers, and let the wheel do its thing.

Craps: The Dice Game Full of Energy

Craps (yes, it is actually spelled that way) may seem to be mad chaos, but really, it is a dice game about which players bet on the outcome of rolls — mostly, the come-out roll (the first roll of a round).

You’ll hear these terms a lot:

Pass Line – bet the shooter will win (a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll)
Don’t Pass – bet against the shooter (2 or 3 wins, 12 is a push)
Come/Don’t Come – same as above, but made after the come-out
Field Bet – one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12
Point - if a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, that becomes the point; the shooter then keeps rolling until they hit that number before they roll a 7.

Fast-paced, noisy and exciting — craps is the ultimate team-table game.

Final Thoughts

Knowing the rules increases your odds of just having fun - or maybe even winning money - whether you are testing your luck or have a plan of attack.

Good luck at the tables!