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Table of Contents
Casino Card Games
What Are Card Games?
Card games include all table games you play using a deck of playing cards where the core goal is to secure a higher score than your opponent by mixing strategy and a bit of luck.
There’s lots of variety in gameplay, but the gist of all card games is that each comes with its own set of rules and involves both luck and a bit of brainpower.
Think poker, blackjack, and baccarat. You can’t entirely control the outcomes or the cards you’re dealt in either of those casino card games, but what you have a say in is reading your opponents or knowing when to double down.
Popular Casino Card Games
Some casino card games, such as blackjack, baccarat, and different poker variants, stand out as the top choice for players — and for a good reason. These card games are players’ go-to because they either have pretty decent odds or are simply easy to master.
Poker
Poker is one of those casino card games where players bet based on the strength of their hands (a.k.a. the cards they’re dealt with). You can either play poker at online poker sites or go old-school at a land-based casino.
Depending on the poker variant you’re playing, the game is built for anywhere from 2 to 10 players, and each person gets between 2 and 7 cards to use for betting, raising, or folding.
The goal of poker is to win by building the best hand or bluffing by making your opponents think you have it. The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush, while a high card sits at the bottom.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a casino card game that gained a serious fanbase thanks to its no-nonsense rules. You get two cards, and the main goal is to beat the dealer by getting a hand as close to 21 as possible without going over.
Each card has a different point value. For example, number cards from 2-10 are worth their face value, face cards (King, Queen, and Jack) bring you 10 points, and Aces can be either 1 or 11.
Due to blackjack’s easy-to-grasp gameplay, blackjack casinos are pretty widespread, so you can play it almost anywhere nowadays.

Baccarat
Baccarat is a casino card game where players bet on who’s going to get closest to 9 — the Banker or the Player. Each side gets dealt two hands of two cards, and every card has a different point value. The cards numbered 2 through 9 are worth their face value, Aces are worth 1, and 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth nothing.
Since baccarat is so simple to master that it can be considered a pick-up-and-play game, it’s usually a beginner’s favorite table game.
Three-Card Poker
Three-card poker is a card game where players essentially bet against the dealer, unlike traditional poker, where players play against each other. Each player (including the dealer) gets three cards, and the goal is to make a better three-card hand than the dealer.
Players place an Ante bet to play, then either fold or continue with a Play bet. If they continue, hands are exposed, and the best hand wins. Hands rank is pretty close to Texas Hold ’em (aside from the hand consisting of 3 cards) — the best hand is still Straight Flush, while the worst is High Card.
Video Poker
Video poker is one of the casino card games that’s commonly confused with slots, especially since you usually find video poker machines right next to slots in land-based casinos. But the truth is, video poker is basically just like good old 5-card draw poker, where the aim is to end up with the best hand possible. Also, since it requires some strategy and skill, video poker is not exactly comparable to slots, which you can play with little to no experience.
Card Games in Online Casinos vs Traditional Casinos
While it may not seem like it to someone who’s never played card games before, traditional casino and online casino card games differ in more than one way:
- Convenience & Accessibility — The very essence of online casinos lies in their play-from-anywhere setup. After all, you can load one of your preferred online casino card games from any corner of the world. Playing at traditional casinos, on the other hand, requires you to travel to a physical spot, and that takes extra time, money, and effort.
- Game Variety — You won’t find titles such as Lightning Blackjack or Speed Baccarat in any traditional casino, so online casinos definitely take the cake in terms of game variety.
- Social Interaction — While there’s at least some level of social interaction in both places, don’t expect to swap life stories when playing at online casinos since you’ll either have no option to communicate with other players or be limited to chat functions only. In traditional casinos, on the other hand, joking with your tablemates is part of the experience.
- Pace of Play — No crystal ball needed — things just go much faster when you’re playing online casino card games. Everything’s automated, and you don’t have to wait for other players to place bets. In traditional casinos, there’s lots of manual dealing and physical chip handling, which can take its sweet time.
- Bonuses & Promotions — The bonuses you’ll see at online and traditional casinos are like apples and oranges. Online casinos will throw you deposit matches, cashback, and free bets, while at land-based casinos, you’ll be limited to old-school promotions such as exclusive events, free drinks, or meal comps.
- Stakes & Betting Options — Online casinos typically hit you with much lower minimum bets (sometimes as low as $0.10) and more flexible stakes for card games than traditional casinos. This is mostly because land-based casinos have to cover substantially heftier running costs.

Free vs Real Money Card Games
One difference between free and real money card games is obvious — the money involved. But it’s not all about cash; there are a whole lot more aspects in which free and real money card games differ.
For starters, there’s the learning aspect. If card games are uncharted territory for you, playing without having to wager actual money takes the pressure off and lets you focus on learning the ropes of each game. With real money card games, while there’s always some level of luck involved, you’ll need to understand the rules and at least some basic strategy if you’re in to make a bank.
Then there’s the game variety gap. Free card games often don’t exactly spoil you with choice. You’re usually stuck with limited versions of casino card games without side bets or let alone live dealers. With real money card games, there’s a broader range of options, including live casino and sometimes even progressive table games such as Caribbean Stud Poker or Let It Ride.
And, of course, the bonus landscape isn’t the same with free and real money card games either. With real money games, you can receive cashback, loyalty rewards, and all those perks, while free card games get you leaderboard rankings and virtual prizes at best.
Casino Card Games with Best Odds
Casino card games aren’t all built the same, especially when we’re talking about odds. These card games offer some of the best chances to win:
- Blackjack — With the house edge varying from 0.5% to 1%, blackjack gives you around a 49% shot at winning each hand. These odds basically mean that for every $100 you wager, the casino expects to make from $0,50 to $1.
- Baccarat — The house edge in Baccarat stands at 1.06%, while the winning hand probability is around 45%. With Baccarat, for every $100 you wager, the casino keeps $1.06.
- Three-card Poker — The house edge in Three-card poker can go as low as 2.32%, meaning that for every $100 you wager, the casino makes $2.32. The winning hand probability can go from 44.91% for the player and 55.03% for the dealer.
- Pai Gow Poker — With the house edge of 2.5%, the casino expects to keep $2.5 for every $100 you wager. The winning hand probability isn’t as high as with some other card games on this list, but depending on who wins, the likelihood can vary from 29.91% to 39.60%.
Where to Play Card Games Online
Not every online casino has the best intentions at heart, so you’ll need to keep your eyes wide open when choosing the place to play online casino card games.
Your entry point can always be our tell-it-like-it-is online casino reviews — each platform you’ll see there has been put through the wringer in our Casinomeister rating system. But, you’ve got to do your part, too, and watch out for plenty of details before committing to an online casino:
- Licensing & Regulation — Proper licensing is what separates a well-regulated casino from a shady or, knock on wood, rogue casino. If and when something goes downhill in a legit, fully-licensed casino, you can always file a complaint with their licensing authority.
- Game Variety — The more online casino card games a platform has on offer, the easier it will be for you to choose games with the best odds and lower house edge. It’s that simple.
- Bonuses & Promotions — Not every casino will give out promos for card games, so you’ll need to look closely for the ones that do if you’re on the hunt for hefty casino bonuses.
- User Experience — Before signing up at any platform, try to test drive it first. Run the demo versions of online casino card games on your phone or tablet, see how fast the customer support gets back to you, etc. It wouldn’t hurt to ask around, either. You can always head over to our Casinomeister forum to get the lowdown from real players about their unfiltered experience with every casino you can think of.
- Security — When money’s at stake, security’s never optional. Casinos where players leave their money and sensitive information must have strong SSL encryption, use RNGs, and be certified by independent testing agencies such as eCOGRA or iTech Labs.
FAQ
No, online card games are usually not rigged if you’re playing at a properly licensed casino that does things by the book and uses RNGs to ensure cards are distributed fairly. If you end up at a shady, unregulated casino, the online casino card games may not be as fair as they come.
Casinos don’t just use your typical playing cards from Target — they’re usually equipped with premium plastic cards that are durable enough to handle wear and tear. Some of the go-to brands you’ll find in land-based casinos are KEM, Copag, Bee Playing Cards, and Modiano Cards.
Getting the hang of casino card games isn’t something you could do just like that. But starting small with some quick-to-learn games such as blackjack or baccarat and referring to how-tos for a full walkthrough could help you make sure you aren’t going in blind.
Baccarat is one of the easiest casino card games to play because it’s simple to follow, doesn’t require much strategy, and has one of the lowest house edges around.
Texas Hold’em is one of the hardest card games because you can’t just jump in and hope for the best. With Texas Hold’em, it’s all about strategy — you’ve got to read your opponents, figure out the odds, and make smart choices all the time. At least if you’re in the game to cash out.
The oldest known gambling card game is Karnoffel, a title going back to 1428 Germany. Karnoffel was played with a 48-card deck, and the main goal was to win tricks by playing the highest-ranked card.