Which Casino Games Are the Most Popular in 2022?

There’s no denying that going to the brick-and-mortar casinos or playing in the online ones is a favorite pastime for many people. Truthfully, this hasn’t changed much as this was already the case decades ago (maybe not the online casinos part). However, what changed are people’s choices when it comes to the casino games they are playing.

In this article, we will go through the most popular casino games in 2022. We will try to briefly explain the rules, as well as dive deeper into why these games are actually so commonly played. So, if you want to find out more, just keep on reading.

Blackjack

The first game on our list is blackjack. Also known as twenty-one, it’s been part of the most popular casino games list for decades, if not centuries, now. The first traces of this card game that can be considered a precursor of blackjack can be dated back to the XVII century and a writer called Miguel de Cervantes.

Contrary to most casino games in which the players compete against each other, in this particular one, each person plays only against the dealer. As the name twenty-one might suggest, the goal of blackjack is obtaining a hand as close to 21 as possible without going over it. While we won’t give you a detailed explanation of how you play it, we will provide you with a shortened version with the most important vocabulary.

Firstly, we need to talk about the card values, as they determine who the winner is. As you probably know, a deck of cards contains 13 ranks. The ace is worth either 1 or 11 points, depending on which one is more convenient for you. The cards between 2 and 10 are worth as much as their point value, so if, for example, you hold a 6, then you have 6 points. Finally, the face cards, so the Jack, the Queen and the King are worth 10 points.

As we already mentioned, you only play against the dealer. No matter how many players there are at the table, there are only two hands – the dealer’s hand and the player’s hand. The winning hand is the one that is higher – if you’re lucky enough, you might even get blackjack, which is a 2 card hand that equals 21. If your hand is higher than 21, then you are automatically out of the game, no matter what is the total of the dealer’s hand. What’s more, if your hand is one point short of the dealer’s hand, it is also a losing hand.

The round starts with everyone placing their bets. Once that is done, the dealer deals the cards – two for each of the players, including the dealer. They can be dealt either face down or face up – the only exception are the dealer’s cards, as those are always dealt with one of them facing up and one facing down. When everyone has their cards, the dealer checks whether they got a blackjack. If not, the players can choose one of the five ways to proceed. They can:

• Stand – they keep the cards they’ve been dealt.
• Hit – they receive an additional card.
• Split – only possible in case they have two cards of the same rank. The player receives two additional cards, one for each of the cards they’ve previously been dealt. They pay a side bet and continue the round with two independent hands.
• Double down – they place an additional bet, and they receive an additional card to their original hand.
• Surrender – depending on the casino, no matter if it’s an online casino or a land-based one, the player can either surrender before the dealer checks their cards, or after. The player who surrenders gives up half of the bet and walks away with the rest.

Poker

The first traces of poker can be found back in XVI century Germany, to the card game called “Pochen,” but it wasn’t until the 1830s that it was refined and became known as poker.

Usually, poker is played with one deck of cards. However, with the rise of video poker, as well as other variations of online poker, many platforms and games use two decks to make the game faster.

Poker is actually quite a complicated game, especially since there are many variations, all of which have slightly different rules, which is why we won’t go into much detail. However, here’s a short and very brief explanation of how to play the currently most popular type of poker game – Texas Holdem:

• The game starts with the dealer distributing two cards to each player.
• Small and big blinds are placed.
• The first round of betting occurs – in most cases, the more confident in their hand the player is, the more they are willing to bet.
• The dealer deals three ‘community cards,’ all of which face up.
• The second round of betting occurs.
• The dealer distributes the fourth ‘community card,’ which is also known as the turn.
• The third round of betting occurs.
• The dealer distributes the fifth ‘community card,’ which is also known as the river.
• The final round of betting occurs.
• If more than two players haven’t folded by the end, all remaining players need to show their cards.
• The player who has the best hand according to the poker hand rankings is named the winner.

Slot Games

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that slot games made an appearance on our list. Ever since they were introduced to the public in the XX century, they’ve been one of the most common ways in which people spend time – especially now that slots have moved online, and access to them is easier than ever.

Once people saw that slots casino games were gaining popularity, they decided to create their own versions. This is why there are so many slots games available today – as long as there’s demand among casino players, new ones will emerge. Truth be told, there’s probably a slot game for anyone at this point. Do you like Peaky Blinders? There’s a slot game inspired by them. Do you like football? There’s definitely more than one game for you.

The concept of a slot machine is very simple – you press a button or pull the lever attached to one side of the machine. The reels spin and land on a random combination that determines whether you win a prize or not. In online slot machines, there are also bonus features available, such as bonus spins, that make the game even more entertaining.

Roulette

The next game on our list is roulette – another classic table game that, despite being almost 300 years old, continues to steal the hearts of casino players from all over the world. The first traces of roulette as we know it today can be dated back to the XVIII century France – specifically to a novel titled La Roulette, ou le Jour by Jaques Lablee.

Just like with the casino games that we already listed above, we will not go into too much detail because, if we’re honest, that will make this article too long, especially since most of them have different variations that have slightly different rules. However, we will briefly explain how you play roulette.

Each game starts with the players making bets, which, in the simplest way, can be divided into inside and outside bets. The inside bets are made on the numbers, while the outside bets are made on things like color (red or black), whether the number will be even or odd, etc. Every bet has a different house edge.

Once the bets are placed, the dealer throws the ball into the roulette wheel and the wheel spins. At this point, it is still possible to place bets – until the dealer announces ‘No more bets.’ The ball lands on one of the numbers on the wheel – if someone places a successful bet, they will receive their winnings, which are calculated according to the betting odds.

The Bottom Line

Casino games have been popular for a few centuries now – however, their popularity especially peaked once online casinos were introduced. Suddenly people from all over the world could live through an unforgettable casino experience without even leaving the comfort of their own home. However, as you could see, there are some casino games that hold their position on the popularity ladder.

Whether you enjoy card games, such as poker or blackjack, or you prefer other table games, such as roulette, you are bound to find something for yourself in either land-based or online casinos. However, before you decide, take into consideration a few things.

First of all, the house advantage. Different casino games have different house edges. Generally speaking, the lower the house edge, the better. Secondly, if you are playing in one of the online casinos, check what kind of bonuses it offers – are there any bonus spins when playing slots? Is there a deposit bonus? Bonuses make the game more interesting and usually give you more opportunities to win some real money. Last but not least, pick a game that you will actually enjoy so that your gaming experience will be as good as it could possibly get. Good luck and have fun!