The UK is home to some of the biggest online gambling companies in the world. Think of Microgaming, Playtech and Blueprint Gaming. These are three of the best-known software companies in the industry.
Then there are brand-name casinos, some of which are listed on the London Stock Exchange. In other words, there are numerous gambling providers in the country. But what casino games do casino players in the UK love the most?
1—Poker
Poker is one of the top three most popular casino card games worldwide. It is easy to see why. First, it’s a game that combines both luck and skill. Luck applies when being dealt cards.
Some players are lucky to receive strong cards, say a pair of Aces while others receive weak cards. All the same, you can use your skills to win a game of poker even if you don’t have the strongest hands.
Let’s say you’re an aggressive player in a table full of beginners. You can bluff to scare your opponents into folding. You could also raise blinds regularly, forcing reserved players to fold.
Now, poker comes in many versions. These are the most well-known variants in the UK:
- Texas Hold’em
- Omaha
- Omaha Hi & Hi/Lo
- 7-Card Stud
- 5-Card Draw
- Three Card Poker
In case you plan to get started with poker, learn how to play all the variants we’ve mentioned above. In doing so, you will identify where your strengths lie and capitalize on that version of poker.
2—Slot Machines
Slot machines are big money makers for online casinos in the UK. Some operators generate up to 80% of their profits from these games. Surprisingly, players in the UK love slots too.
The explanation is simple. Slots are easy to play. They’re exciting, and highly rewarding if you’re lucky. Slots also come in many types, most of which you can find at https://lottomart.com/en-gb/games.
Let’s start with video slots. More than half of all online slots are video slots. These games have beautiful graphics, attractive soundtracks, bonus features like wilds, scatters and multipliers.
What’s more, video slots feature all sorts of themes: sports, politics, TV shows, celebrities, wild animals and movies, to name a few. To add icing on top, video slots have much higher payout rates than progressive slots and classic slots.
Although video slots give you better chances to win, progressive slots have huge, progressive jackpots. Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune, for example, have pots that payout from €1 million.
3—Blackjack
Blackjack is one of a few games where the casino is your opponent. If you win, you take money away from the house. Casinos play through what is known as the dealer.
The objective of blackjack is simple. Beat the dealer at producing a hand close to or equal to 21. If you exceed 21, it’s called a bust—a loss. If you tie the dealer at 21, it’s a push—a draw.
At the start of the game, you’ll usually receive two cards. The dealer also gets two cards, one of which faces up. Depending on the values on your cards, you can:
- Hit for another card
- Stand
- Split Cards
- Double down
- Surrender
For clarity, cards 2-9 hold their face values. Kings, queens, jacks and 10s count as 10 while Ace cards can be one or 11. If you receive an ace card and a 10-value card, it’s a blackjack hand—a win.
But let’s say you get two 8-value cards. You can split one card into two. In doing so, you’ll receive an extra card to allow you to play two hands at the same time.
That said, the moves you make in blackjack depend on the version you’re playing. Learn the rules of classic 21, blackjack switch, perfect pairs and Spanish 21. Then choose the ideal version for you.
4—Roulette
Did you know roulette is also known as the devil’s game? It turns out the sum of all numbers on a roulette wheel add up to 666. And guess what? The number 666 is associated with the devil.
That said, you don’t need to be the devil’s advocate to win a roulette game. You need luck. The game has multiple bet types. But in nearly all cases, whether you win or lose boils down to chance.
You can pick a straight number from the wheel, one to 36, 0 or 00 depending on whether you’re playing European or American roulette. The difference is that American roulette has an extra slot occupied by 00 while European roulette does not.
This difference has implications in odds. European roulette has better odds and a lower house edge, 2.7% versus 5.2%. In light of that information, many experts recommend European over the American version of the game.
Straight number bets aside, you can also bet on black/red, odd/even, high/low, line bets, corner bets, dozens or double bets. Bet types where you have a 50/50 chance of winning, say black/red give you the best chances of winning in roulette.
5—Baccarat
Contrary to popular belief, baccarat is the most played casino card game in the world. That’s right. Baccarat has more fans than both poker and blackjack. The reason is simple: Asia.
While blackjack and poker are pretty popular in the UK, Baccarat is the most played game in Asian casinos, especially in Macau. Interestingly, baccarat has two hands—both of which you can bet on.
There’s the banker. Then there’s the player hand. For one hand to win, a hand of nine is required. Keep in mind you can’t use face cards like kings and queens. They count as zero. Instead, you have to rely on 2-9 cards. Aces count as one.
6—Bingo
Bingo is a culturally significant game in the UK. In fact, it’s so popular that some operators have websites dedicated to bingo games alone. The game has several variants:
- 30-ball
- 90-ball
- 75-ball
- 80-ball
With nearly all bingo variants, the goal is to match numbers horizontally, diagonally or vertically. If you match numbers on all lines, it’s the equivalent of hitting a jackpot.
