Card games have been popular for thousands of years, and there are hundreds of different ones to choose from. Most of those games are for fun only, such as Go Fish or War. Others, however, are serious games and people have gained – and lost – millions by playing them. It is interesting how a simple set of 52 cards could have given rise to so many different games, ranging from Pinochle to Pai Gow, and from Speed to Barbu!
The games are so popular, in fact, that they are also the staple element of casinos and even casino hotels. The Bicycle Casino Hotel, known as The Bike, focuses almost exclusively on card table games, for instance. The same is true for the huge casinos on the Las Vegas strip. So what are some of the games that you are likely to play if you go to a casino hotel like The Biker?
1. Texas Hold’em Poker
Everybody has at least heard of Texas Hold’em, even if they don’t know how to play it. This is a form of poker that has a long and rich history, some of which came from the spaghetti westerns of the 60s and 70s. Essentially, it is a drawing and betting game that was first developed by the Texas’ poker sharks, which is where it gets its name from. It is the most widely played version of Texas and no other game in the world is bringing in as many new players each year as this one.
2. Blackjack
Blackjack is a game of some skill. It is also the game with the best odds for the player in casinos. If you can manage to get a 21, then you could earn a substantial amount of money. Although it is a game of math and strategy, it is also easy to understand, which makes it very popular all over the world. The goal of the game is to ask for more cards until you get to 21 points, while never exceeding 21 and getting more than the dealer. In a game of blackjack, you play against the house only, who stops drawing once they hit 17 points or more. Did you know that there is a hall of fame of blackjack players? That just shows how popular this game is.
3. Baccarat
Baccarat is offered mainly in the Monte Carlo casinos, and it is said to be the favorite game of superspy James Bond. It is a reasonably simple game to play. Essentially, you bet on an outcome: the player wins, the bank wins, they tie. While this may seem very easy, a lot of skill is actually involved in Baccarat. Interestingly, the worst hand someone could possibly draw is called “a baccarat”, which is ironic considering it is also the name of the game.
There are many more card games available, some of which are offered by casinos and some of which are not, and more games are also regularly developed and added to the offerings.
