Online casinos offer numerous game options. In many casinos, you will likely find hundreds or at least dozens of games to choose from. How do you choose the right game to play? What factors should be considered? Even if you are going over a list of the best casino games to choose from, there are still things you need to take into account to pick the right game for you.
Choose What You Enjoy
The first criterion to have when choosing a game to play at online casinos is arguably your preference. You can’t enjoy something you don’t like. If you want to play a game, it has to be a game you are interested in. It has to be something you consider fun and worth spending your time on.
The game choices in online casinos usually include slots, table games, video poker, and specialty games. Specialty games are usually casual games such as bingo or keno, scratch cards, minesweeper, dice. The hundreds of games you find in online casinos are usually limited to these groups of games. Sometimes, you have the option to play live dealer games or play in live poker rooms.
You may notice that the games have a wide range of variants. Slots, in particular, usually account for around half of all the games in an online casino. They have dozens of variants. What makes these numerous slots games differ from each other, however, is their aesthetic features. They can be distinguished from each other as they feature different themes such as movies, cartoon characters, sports, or pop culture symbols. These aesthetic variations will likely be one of the major factors you will consider when choosing a game.
Sometimes, games can have functional differences. The scoring system, for example, may be different. There could also be differences in the game mechanics. As you choose a game, pay attention to these differences. You might have the wrong presumption about the game rules.
Pick Games with a Low House Edge
Another important detail to consider is the house edge. This is basically the built-in advantage of a casino. It is technically defined as the ratio of the average loss to the initial bet. Basically, it is a percentage of all the bets (placed by players) that goes directly to the casino. It is the guaranteed revenue for the casino, regardless of whether players win or lose.
Different casino games have different house edges. The ones with the lower house edge are preferable. The following are some of the games considered to have the lowest house edge: backgammon (4.82% to 4.39%), Caribbean stud poker (5%), Pai Gow Poker (2.5%), Single Zero Roulette (2.5%), slots (2% to 10%), video poker (0.5% to 5%), three-card poker (1.5%), Baccarat (1.5%), craps (1.4% to 5%), and single deck blackjack (1.5%).
Games you may want to avoid because of their very high house edge are keno (25% to 29%), $2 Big Six (16.67%), $5 Big Six (22.22%), $10 Big Six (18.52%), $20 Big Six (22.22%), Joker/Logo Big Six (24.07%), Casino War – Bet on Tie (18.65%), and Bonus Six with Insurance (23.83%).
Examine the Game Providers
The games in online casinos usually come from various providers. One casino can carry games from 7 or more providers. If you are looking for a casino game to play and have no favorite provider (or you are not aware of the different providers), it would be advisable to limit your options to the most reputable and popular ones.
One of the most highly regarded casino game providers is NetEnt. The company is almost like a staple in most online casinos and has already processed over 21.4 billion gaming transactions, making its track record as a reliable game provider indubitable.
Another noteworthy casino game provider is Playtech. It stands out for its emphasis on operating only in regulated jurisdictions (in countries where online gambling is legal). It is known for its fully scalable casino and gaming solutions. It is also a provider of mobile gaming, sports betting, live casino, and lottery games.
Other reputable names in casino games are Novomatic, which is regarded as the top casino game provider in Europe; Dragonfish, the business-to-business software development arm of 888; Evolution Gaming, a renowned provider of live casino games; Microgaming, a global casino game software provider with more than 850 titles; and Realtime Gaming, one of the pioneers in casino gaming known for its highly responsive games.
Give Preference to Provably Fair Games
Provably fair is a tag used for games whose outcomes can be independently verified for fairness. Games that are considered provably fair provide means for anyone to check if the game results are really fair and not manipulated or influenced by something introduced in the middle of the game.
If you are looking for a truly fair game, it has to have a reliable random number generator. However, it may not be enough to consider a game fair if a casino shows that a certificate asserts that the games have verified random number generators. To make sure that a game is fair, the best test to do is a provably fair test.
Casinos that are confident in the fairness of the games they usually offer readily provide the tools necessary for doing a provably fair test. They may readily provide the hash code and the online tools (or links to these tools) for verifying the fairness of the game results.
It is not an essential requirement for online casino games to be provably fair, but it would reassure players if the games they are playing are provably fair.
Test the Games
Lastly, it’s important to do a test run with the games. Many online casinos provide “play for fun” or “free play” versions of their games to allow new players to test them. Be sure to evaluate the games before playing to make sure that they are responsive and there are no bugs that may ruin your gaming experience. Also, it is preferable to have games that are created to be mobile-friendly, preferably developed with HTML5. Some games don’t work well on smartphones and tablets.
Consider examining your options with the points discussed above as your guide in choosing games at online casinos. Find a game you find exciting and enjoyable, and make sure it has a low house edge and that it is fair, responsive, and preferably fair.
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