Casino games

Where I'd start

Start with house edge and RTP. They are the same number seen from two sides: the house edge is what the casino keeps from every dollar you bet over time, and the return to player is what comes back to you. Every other page here leans on them, and I'd read both before you read about a single game.

A sportsbook and a casino make their money the same way, by charging you a little on every bet and waiting. The book has to set a line and hope the money splits. The casino doesn't hope. The edge is built into the payouts, and the dice don't read the newspaper.

The table games

Then the tables, where the rules are printed and the arithmetic is open. Blackjack is the one where your decisions change the price, so it rewards the hour it takes to learn. Baccarat asks no decisions of you at all and still deals one of the cheapest bets in the building. Roulette is simple to price, and the number of zeros on the wheel tells you nearly everything. Craps has some of the best bets and some of the worst on the same felt.

Machines, jackpots and screens

Video poker prints its price on the glass, in the pay table, if you know how to read it. Slots don't, and that is the main thing to understand about them. Jackpots explains where the big prize money comes from (you, mostly), and live dealers covers the tables you play through a camera.

Whether you can play any of this online, and who is allowed to offer it, depends on the state you live in. I don't give legal advice, and these pages don't recommend a casino.

One thing holds across every game in this section. Over enough bets, the casino gets its edge and you pay it. I'd pick the games where that cost is small, decide before you walk in what the night is worth to you, and read responsible gambling if that decision has stopped being easy.