How casino games work — slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more
French roulette is a single-zero roulette variant with the same 37-pocket wheel as European roulette, but it includes additional rules — La Partage and En Prison — that reduce the house edge on even-money bets from 2.7% down to 1.35%. La Partage and En Prison La Partage means ‘sharing’ in French. When the ball lands…
S17 and H17 refer to the dealer’s rule on soft 17 — a hand with an ace counted as 11 totaling 17. S17 (stand on soft 17) means the dealer must stand. H17 (hit on soft 17) means the dealer hits and can improve their total. Why it matters for the house edge H17 adds…
Blackjack games vary significantly between casinos. Small rule changes can add or remove several tenths of a percent from the house edge. Knowing what to look for helps you find better games. Rules that favor the player S17 (dealer stands on soft 17) reduces the house edge by about 0.2%. Late surrender availability saves around…
Live blackjack is an online casino format where real cards are dealt by a human dealer on camera, streamed in real time to your device. You make decisions through an on-screen interface while watching the action unfold via live video feed. How live blackjack works A professional dealer operates from a purpose-built studio or a…
The payout on a natural blackjack (an ace plus any 10-value card on the opening deal) is one of the most important numbers on a blackjack table. The two most common payouts are 3:2 and 6:5, and the difference between them has a big impact on your expected return. How the payouts compare At 3:2,…
Pontoon is a British card game closely related to blackjack. The core goal is the same — get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over — but the terminology and some rules differ significantly from standard blackjack. Key differences from blackjack In Pontoon, both dealer cards are dealt face down (the dealer never…
Perfect Pairs is a blackjack side bet that pays when your first two cards form a pair. There are three tiers of pair with different payout rates depending on how closely the cards match. The three pair types A mixed pair (two cards of the same rank but different suit colors) pays the lowest, typically…
21+3 is a blackjack side bet that uses your two initial cards combined with the dealer’s upcard to form a three-card poker hand. If the combination produces a qualifying poker hand you win the side bet, regardless of the blackjack outcome. Qualifying hands A flush (all three cards same suit) typically pays 5:1. A straight…
Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant played with a Spanish deck — a standard 52-card deck with all four 10s removed, leaving 48 cards per deck. To compensate, the game offers enhanced payouts and more liberal rules that tilt some of the advantage back to the player. Key rule differences Player blackjack always beats dealer…
Blackjack Switch is a variant where you play two hands simultaneously and have the option to swap the top cards of each hand after the deal. This flexibility can dramatically improve otherwise weak starting hands. How the switch works You place equal bets on two hands. After being dealt two cards on each, you may…
Splitting means taking a pair of identical cards and separating them into two independent hands, each with its own equal bet. You then play each hand separately. It turns one possibly bad hand into two potentially better ones. When to split Basic strategy has clear rules. Always split aces — you get one card on…
Insurance is a side bet available when the dealer shows an ace as their upcard. It pays 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack. You can bet up to half your original wager on insurance. Why insurance is usually a bad bet Insurance loses money in the long run for most players. For insurance to…