Las Vegas is back in business. Hotels are full as thousands of tourists flock to the attractions of Sin City. There’s so much to see and do in Nevada’s entertainment mecca: Shopping, shows, fine dining, theme parks, nature, and, of course, gambling. Popular casino hotels like the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay are offering unrestricted access to their gaming floors, with a broad range of casino table games and slots on tap for your enjoyment. A new generation of gamers is discovering the appeal of these engaging and satisfying games, which combine chance and skill to varying degrees.
Prepare for your next outing with this list of casino games to play in America’s playground: Las Vegas.
Blackjack
Kickstarting the list of Vegas table games is blackjack. For several reasons, Blackjack is a card game widely regarded as one of the best games to play at a casino. It’s easy to learn the basics (especially when you have a guide to all the casino table lingo you need to know). Simply try to build a hand closer to 21 than the dealer’s without going over 21. At the same time, blackjack is challenging enough to keep the most experienced player entertained. That’s thanks to the various intriguing betting actions you can perform. The ability to split, double down, and take insurance makes the game much more fun.
Best of all, from a player’s perspective, blackjack has a low house edge (1–2%), making it one of the casino table games with the best odds. If you apply flawless basic blackjack strategy, you stand a good chance of minimizing your losses and maximizing your wins. The only potential downside is that playing blackjack takes some skill and focus, so it’s not always the most relaxing of games.
Baccarat
One of Asia’s most popular casino table games also has the advantage of a low house edge and is easy to learn. It’s a game where gamblers bet on the success of a single player and a dealer.
The game begins when the dealer deals out two cards from a baccarat shoe of six or eight decks of cards. One card goes to the “dealer” position on the table, and the other goes to the “player” position. You, the player, bet on whether the player hand or dealer hand will score higher, to a maximum of nine, or whether it’ll be a tie.
Baccarat has a special scoring system where 10s and royal cards are worth zero. A third card is dealt if either the player’s or banker’s hands total five or less. Player hand and dealer hand wins pay out even odds, while a tie pays out 8:1. Baccarat doesn’t take much skill to play because it’s basically pure gambling, which is why it’s the best casino game for many high rollers. That said, the house edge is reasonably favorable at 1.5%. Play for fun, but never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Craps
What symbolizes chance better than a pair of dice? The opportunity to bet on the outcomes of a dice throw is what the game of craps boils down to. But there’s much more to it than rolling the bones over and over again. As a matter of fact, craps is a tremendously social casino table game with a culture and jargon all its own. You must learn about the different kinds of bets and the names of the various rolls, like Big Red, Little Joe, boxcars, hi-lo-yo, and many more. This takes some getting used to, but it’s worth it.
There’s typically a positive energy of camaraderie around a craps table as players cheer each others’ wins against the house (the house edge varies depending on what bet you take, from nearly 14% for “snake eyes” to 1.4% for a “don’t pass” bet). Take the time to learn the game, and craps can be a tremendously enjoyable experience.
Roulette
What says “casino” better than the last entry in this list of physical table games in Vegas you’ll want to know how to play — a game of roulette? Dating back to the 1700s, the formula of this classic casino table game strikes a perfect balance between simplicity and sophistication. Zero skill is required to play this easy game of chance. You simply have to bet on which colored, numbered pocket the little ball will land in after the croupier spins the roulette wheel.
Roulette betting options, on the other hand, are not so simple. You can make an entire range of bets, all with different odds. For example, you can predict that the ball will land on a specific number (1–36), that it will land on one of a range of numbers (e.g., numbers 1–12), or just that it will come to rest in a red or black pocket, without specifying a number.
Every spin of the wheel brings a moment of suspense as players wait to find out if they’ve won. If you’re headed for Vegas, roulette’s definitely worth a spin.
Online Casino Games
Blackjack, baccarat, craps, and roulette have remained essentially unchanged for many years, but these days there are many ways to play that don’t even need a gambling table. Online casino games, for example, allow you to play from any location at any time. There’s a wide variety of casino table games you can play online, ranging from incredibly realistic RNG-based games to live dealer casino games that connect you with professional operators dealing real cards and spinning actual roulette wheels at a table in a casino studio.
If you’re in Vegas and would rather play away from the crowds and noise, you may enjoy the online casino alternative. You could even play them in the desert or the Grand Canyon — if you can get a cellular signal. At the very least, you won’t have to struggle to find a place at a gaming table.
Experience Vegas Virtually at BetMGM
You don’t have to wait until you’re in Vegas, tearing it up at the best bars and clubs, to play the best casino games from this casino table games list. Simply register at BetMGM for a broad range of premium casino games to play online.
All the table games you can think of are here to enjoy, backed up by a generous array of feature-rich, fun-packed online video slots. You can also enjoy variety games, virtual sports, live dealer games, and more. BetMGM’s online casino games are 100% mobile compatible, bringing Vegas into your home or anywhere you choose to play.
