All you need to have a bit of fun is a deck of cards and a competitive spirit. Not every game is meant to be truly competitive, but some require a little bit something extra. When you throw a buck or two down on each hand, the stakes get raised and the next card becomes more important than it could have ever been before.
Card games have been a staple of not only physical and online casinos but in homes across the world for centuries. All you need is a deck of cards, the right game, and a few stakes to make any evening as interesting as possible. The key is to know which games are worth checking out most.
There are dozens of card games to choose from but not all of them were meant to have a gambling aspect to them. Though games like Go Fish or Uno are quite popular, we inherently come back to the ones that you can risk a little bit of cash on. Those, after all, create the most memorable hands ever.
List of Gambling Card Games
Compiling the list of the best card games is tougher than it looks. There are a few staples that everyone would agree make the list. Then, there are others that garner some discussion. Depending on where you go, some of these games will be a must-play while others may not be quite as common as they should be.
1.) Blackjack
The king of card games. Go to any casino and you will find a blackjack table somewhere. The simplicity of the game is part of the appeal, but things get kicked up to a whole new level when you start introducing stakes – usually in the form of casino chips – into the mix.
Blackjack is simple: get as close to 21 as possible without going over while also beating the dealer. Other players at the table are achieving the same goal even if they aren’t directly in competition with one another. How you get to 21 can be done in myriad ways but the dealer is always there to stand in the way.
There are additional aspects of blackjack to consider – insurance, doubling down, splitting pairs, etc. – and it takes some time to feel like you know what you are doing. That said, anyone can sit down and understand the basic concept of getting as close to 21 as possible, making it an easy game and a popular one around the globe.
2.) Texas Hold ‘Em
If you want a high-stakes game, Texas Hold ‘Em may be the best option. Once referred to as the “Cadillac of poker” by the legendary Doyle Brunson, Hold ‘Em takes the basic concepts of five-card draw and elevates them to a new level.
The hand begins by dealing out a pair of cards face-down to each player at the table. After a round of betting action, all those players remaining in the hand see the flop – three community cards that players use to make the best five-card hand. Another round of betting follows, then a fourth community card comes in the form of the turn. Another round of betting, and the river – a fifth community card – arrives to provide the final move. A last round of betting and players see where they stand.
The possibilities are endless in Hold ‘Em. The fortunes of every player can change with the flipping of each community card, and anyone can be alive until the river has been dealt. Tournaments are held featuring Texas Hold ‘Em, including the famous World Series of Poker Main Event.
3.) 5- or 7-Card Draw
One of the simplest games out there yet it remains a popular option in both casinos and home games. It functions on a very similar basis to Hold ‘Em in that you are trying to put together the best five-card hand. Depending on the variation – five- or seven-card – you can arrive there in different ways.
The process is relatively quick and easy. Each player is dealt either five or seven cards by the dealer, all face-down. After reviewing their hands, players go through a round of betting until the action has been settled. From there, it is time for the wild portion of the game.
Depending on the rules, players can draw anywhere from 1-5 cards to create the best hand possible. After discarding their old cards and making a new hand, another round of betting follows. If there are more than two players remaining, everyone reveals their hand, and the best five-card hand wins the pot.
4.) Omaha
Omaha is similar in almost every way to the more famous Texas Hold ‘Em, but there is one key difference: four cards to start. That’s right, rather than getting the standard two face-down “hole” cards that you would get in Hold ‘Em, you get an additional two cards to work with. It creates virtually limitless pre-flop possibilities.
From there, the game works in the same vein as Hold ‘Em. A round of betting takes place and then the flop comes. Players check their hands and weigh the odds of achieving a better one, going through a round of betting after the first three community cards come up. The turn and the river are the same as they are in Hold ‘Em as well.
What makes Omaha fun is that you can increase your odds of hitting a big hand simply by having two more cards to work with. There is also a common twist on Omaha called Hi-Lo, where not only the best hand wins, but the worst one does as well. It’s a fun twist on a classic.
5.) Caribbean Stud
In a great many brick-and-mortar and online casinos, you will find Caribbean Stud Poker. Like blackjack, there is no need to beat the other players at the table, just the dealer. There is also no variance in the size of bets, the stakes clearly stated before the hand begins.
To start, each player puts an ante in the “ante” area. Most of the time, casinos will allow for an additional bet to be placed on an optional ‘jackpot’ bet. The dealer and each player will then be dealt five cards. Each of the player’s cards is dealt face-up while the dealer only shows one of theirs.
Players can then fold, call, or raise (double their ante). At that point, all the cards are shown. If the dealer doesn’t have Ace-King or better, they don’t qualify, and bets are paid out at even money. If the dealer qualifies and has a better hand, player bets have been lost. It’s a simple, fun way to enjoy poker without ramping up the stakes like Texas Hold ‘Em does.
6.) Baccarat
Baccarat has an exciting feel to it, partially because it features in James Bond movies. That said, it is a simple game that has become a staple in both virtual and physical casinos around the globe.
Start by knowing that you can either bet on the banker or the player. Place your bets and wait for the cards to be dealt. The hands are dealt in their corresponding boxes, and each gets two cards. From there, the point totals for both will be announced. A winning bet is on the one that lands closer to nine.
There are little variants, and it takes a minute to get the hang of the scoring system, but Baccarat is a fun way to spend a little money at the casino. It might not have the action that some of the other games do, but baccarat remains a staple on the level of roulette and blackjack at virtually all casinos.
7.) Gin Rummy
If you want to see a game get out of hand quickly, gin rummy could be the one for you. The stakes can be whatever you want them to be – as low as $0.01 per point – but if one player gets on a run, things can really start to go south for whoever is on the losing end.
On each hand, players are dealt seven cards. The goal is to make as many three- and four-of-a-kinds, as well as three- and four-card straights or flushes as possible. When you make a combination, lay them down and continue to build off of them as you go. The first person to discard all of their cards wins the hand. Play up to a certain point marker and watch the action unfold.
8.) Pai Gow Poker
Another staple at many casinos, Pai Gow Poker is a seven-card game. Players get their cards and can arrange them to make two hands: a two-card hand and a five-card hand. The latter must always rank higher than the two-card hand.
The dealer then shakes up a cup of dice to see who gets the first hand. Cards are dealt counterclockwise, and each player must attempt to beat the dealer in either the five- or two-card hand. Winning one each is a push, and no one wins the round. The rules can be a touch confusing but it is a fun way to play that isn’t one of the more traditional forms of poker.
9.) Hearts
Hearts is generally best with four players, but you can use anywhere from 3-7 players to get a game going. Harts is a trick-taking game where players avoid the cards and the player with the lowest score at the end of it all wins.
Cards are dealt based on the number of players, but every card gets dealt. The dealer starts with a card and the next player must match that suit. If they can’t, they play the next card of choice. A trick is claimed when the highest card of that suit is played. Some have their own version of hearts but it is a classic and relatively simple to play.
10.) War
War is as simple a game as it gets. There are anywhere from 2-4 players and the goal is simple: have the best single card. Each turn, players flip up one card and the one with the highest value takes it. There are no strategies or alternate bets to be aware of.
Betting is simple as it is on a per-hand basis. In a one-on-one situation, wins can and will be traded with regularity. It is a simple, fun way to enjoy cards without some of the complicated rules that some of these games have.
A Game for Everyone
The beautiful thing about playing cards is that you can break out any game you want at any time. So long as you have the right number of players, you can bounce from gin rummy to Texas Hold ‘Em to five-card poker in just a few minutes.
Learning the rules of each game can get a bit complicated, especially if you have never played cards. But once you become familiar, it creates endless possibilities. Besides, there is nothing quite like winning a chunk of cash by playing your favorite card games.
