Last year, Canada made one step closer to becoming one of the best countries for online gambling.
We are talking about the federal government’s decision to legal single-event sports betting. The new law means Canadians can bet on single hockey, basketball, football, tennis, and rugby games. In the past, you had to place parlay bets by law.
In the casino space, Canada is yet to legalize online casinos at a federal level. But since its iGaming laws are ambiguous, many Canadians gamble at offshore online casinos. Below is a list of the most played gambling games in the country.
Slot Machines. Slot machines are the arcade-style, colorful and noisy games littered across every casino in North America. On the Internet, games don’t come with gigantic machines.
Instead, online slots feature video screens with an interface for betting and a section to display winning symbols. Slots come in several types, and each type has its pros and cons:
- Classic Slots
- Video Slots
- Progressive Slots
- Megaways slots
Many experts recommend video slots to beginners. These games are beautifully designed. They have impressive payout rates, meaning you can win regularly. And they’re loaded with bonus features.
Video slots aside, progressive slots are also popular in Canada. Although they have lower payout rates than video slots, they have huge jackpots. A few Canadians have won millions of dollars playing these games.
Blackjack. If you love card games, consider playing blackjack. This is a game you can find at virtually every good Canadian online casino. And you don’t need to contact your friends to help you play.
If you join a live blackjack casino, you can play the game against a human dealer. You need fast Internet and a clear camera to play live blackjack beautifully. But it’s worth the effort.
At its core, blackjack is a simple game. You receive two cards at the start of a game. If they add up to 21, you win and get paid 3:2. Otherwise, the next step is to look at the dealer’s card facing up.
Then you can hit for another card and get closer to 21. Or you could stand to avoid exceeding 21 points, which is a loss. If you receive an ace or 10-value card at the start of a game, you could also double down.
Doubling down lets you receive an extra card. But you also have to add more money. Another move you could make is to split your cards, say you receive two 8-value cards.
When you split cards, you receive an extra card. In turn, you play two hands through two different bets. With that in mind, there are several types of blackjack games in Canada. Learn more about each of them:
- Classic blackjack
- Blackjack switch
- Spanish 21
- Perfect Pairs
- Vegas Strip Blackjack
Poker. The game of poker needs no introduction. It’s arguably the most popular card game in the country. The reason for its popularity is simple. Unlike other games, this is a skill-based game.
If you comprehend the basics of poker, you can win consistently. And who doesn’t like to win regularly? Now, poker being a game of skill is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
It’s an advantage in that good skills get rewarded all the time. On the downside, there’s always someone better than you out there. When you book a seat at a poker table, everyone is determined to use their skills. If you’re not the best player at a poker table, the chances of winning are low.
All the same, poker comes in several types. As such, you can play a few of the games to assess your strengths. Texas Hold’em is the most played version of the game. It attracts tons of competition, meaning more chances to win. But it’s also crowded with A-list players.
Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo are two other popular variations of the game. Then there’s 7-Card Stud, 5-Card Draw, HORSE, and Caribbean poker. Each game has unique rules.
Roulette. Earlier on, we said slots are the most popular games in Canada. The reason for their popularity is the same reason roulette is famous: chance. When you bet on roulette, there’s nothing you can do to influence the outcome.
You sit unnervingly and watch as the wheel spin round and round. If it stops at the number you predicted, you get paid. Now, there are many ways to make money from roulette.
You can pick a specific number where you think the roulette wheel will stop spinning. If you’re correct, the pay is 35 to 1.
You could also predict the color of the slot in which the wheel stops spinning. Other bet types include odd/even, low/high, corner bets, dozens, and doubles.
Like many of the games we’ve already mentioned, there’s more than one type of roulette. There’s European roulette. This is the most recommended version of the game.
It has 37 numbers on its wheel, 0-36. Its biggest advantage is its low house edge of 2.7%. By comparison, American roulette has 38 numbers, all the numbers in European roulette plus an extra slot containing two zeroes.
Other versions of roulette include French, Lightning, and progressive roulette. In the usual style, learn the benefits and risks of playing every variant before you risk your money.
Baccarat. Baccarat might not be the most popular card game in Canada. But guess what? It’s the most popular casino card game in the world. Sure, James Bond helped popularize it through Bond movies.
But the main reason for Baccarat’s global dominance is China. In Macau, baccarat is the most played game, more popular than slots. So, how does it work? You can bet on three outcomes: banker, player, or a tie.
Video Poker. Video poker is one of those overlooked casino games everyone should give a shot at. It might be a game of luck. But it also includes some elements of skills. Basically, you place a bet and hit play.
The game’s video screen reveals five random poker cards. Next, you can keep a few of the cards and discard the rest. The screen runs and reveals more cards. If all the cards on the screen form a true poker hand, you get paid up to 5000x your bet.