What is it that makes online casino games popular? Is it the odds? The graphics? Or is it the real money online casinos offer?
Several considerations go into choosing your favorite way to play. Any seasoned online gambler can tell you- choosing the right game, at the right site, will help to shape your entire experience with online gambling. Using online casinos for the first time seems to go one of two ways: Either you click on the first pop-up tab you see, start enjoying your no-deposit bonus, starting play with real money, then when it comes time to withdraw winnings- problems start, oftentimes destroying your will to ever play online again.
The other way these encounters seem to go is when a player finds a reliable online casino review site like Casino Genie, spends a good few minutes figuring out which online casinos have their favorite games, great bonuses, decent payouts, and easy withdrawal systems. They then head to the best of the bunch, have an excellent time, and have now created a system that they are both familiar and comfortable with. Sure, there are probably a number of other outcomes when considering how people respond to online casinos, but these are the ones we most often hear about.
So choosing your online casino is just as important as choosing which game you should play. But choosing which game you should play can often be a much more difficult query to answer. This is because different players have different motivations for heading to the casino in the first place. This begs the question- do you stay home and find a good spot online? Or do you go to the live casino nearest you?
Should You Stay or Should You Go?
Making the choice to do your playing online can sometimes be a tough decision. While on the one hand, brick and mortar casinos have so much more to offer than just great games. They have incredible food and beverage options, a wonderful social scene, and there’s something special about being there with your favorite dealer. On the other hand- were still in the middle of a pandemic. And more than that, online casinos offer real money, without all the hassle of leaving your house or planning a trip. You can easily fit online gaming into your normal schedule and can play all your favorite games from the comfort of your own home.
Not to mention the fact that most online casinos offer the games you know and love, with great odds and fantastic bonuses! Real money casino games are exciting, no matter whether you’re playing from home, or your favorite live casino. But if you’re going to play, you’re going to want to know the odds, no matter where you choose to drop your chips. Here are the five most popular real money casino games online. Not just because they’re fun to play- but because they are fun to win.
Video Poker
Online video poker can be an excellent way to play one of your favorite games at home. Playing 9/6 Jacks or Better will always offer a 99.54% return to player advantage, representing a 0.46% house edge. While Jacks or Better will be the only game you’ll be able to find these types of odds at in the real world, online video poker has many options with odds that are just as good, or in some cases even better. Like Microgaming’s All Aces (a staggering 99.92% return to player, and 0.08% house edge), or RTG’s 7/5 Aces & Eights (99.63% return to player, with a 0.37% house edge).
One major thing to keep in mind with online video poker is you need to know your strategy. While there isn’t much strategy in how you play the game, how you bet can become a huge advantage to you later, especially if you’re looking to take advantage of those super-low house edges. If you’re not super comfortable with a strategy of your own or aren’t wanting to spend the money necessary to build one, there are Video Poker training programs online that will let you adjust pay tables to better familiarize yourself with how the games will payout and how to bet based on the house edge odds.
Blackjack
Blackjack, whether online or sidled up to a table at your go-to venue, has long been a fan favorite when it comes to games with an exceptionally low house edge. Another defining factor of what makes this game so popular is that there is a mathematically sound strategy that can be employed. While blackjack may be fun at your local brick and mortar, many live houses have added extra rules to increase their edge- something software developers haven’t. Some live casinos have bumped their edge to nearly 2%, which is way too high to be enjoyable.
Online blackjack is the best friend of any blackjack aficionado. This is because overhead costs are so much lower for online casinos, they lack the big electricity bills, staff costs, food and beverage bills, and some other expenses that brick and mortar shops have. This means that they don’t depend on a house edge as much. So oftentimes, odds are better online, because the player doesn’t have to support the establishment. Most blackjack, real money, online casinos use only a single deck and have a more natural 3:2 payoff.
Online Slots
Slots, whether online or in a live casino, will always remain a fan favorite. And often, this has little to do with actual payouts or odds. Many people gravitate towards slots for a number of reasons, but it’s hard to deny that cheerful graphics and gratifying sounds are definitely a part of it. Slots are also a fast paraded game that often features interactive bonus rounds, that are just as fun to play as they are to win. Several fun online slots do offer enticing odds though, sometimes even better than those you can find at your local casino.
In fact, some slots at online casinos (real money, of course) can offer players odds that rival those of baccarat or even blackjack. This may be because online casinos know that slots have always been a fan favorite, and the best way to gain customer loyalty is to pay! While the return to player percentages aren’t perfect, they are usually upwards of 98%, which means that for every dollar bet, a player can expect a $0.97 payout. But always keep in mind, that with slots you will almost always lose more money than you gain because slots have one of the fastest play rates of all casino games, which means you bet more, more often.