Casino games

Games available in most casinos are commonly called casino games. In a casino game, the players gamble casino chips on various possible random outcomes or combinations of outcomes. Casino games are available in online casinos, where permitted by law. Casino games can also be played outside of casinos for entertainment purposes, some on machines that simulate gambling.

House advantage

Casino games generally provide a predictable long-term advantage to the casino, or “house”, while offering the player the possibility of a large short-term payout. Casino games often include an illusion of control, in which the player must make choices. However, in most cases it is not mathematically possible for a player to eliminate his or her inherent long-term disadvantage (the house advantage) in a casino game.

The player’s disadvantage is a result of the casino not paying winning wagers according to the game’s “true odds”, which are the payouts that would be expected considering the odds of a wager either winning or losing. For example, if a game is played by wagering on the number that would result from the roll of one die, true odds would be 6 times the amount wagered since there is a 1 in 6 chance of any single number appearing. However, the casino may only pay 5 times the amount wagered for a winning wager.

Categories of casino games

There are three general categories of casino games:

Table games

Table games are played on a large table covered with a printed felt layout and may contain seating locations for players, with a dealer and other casino employees located on one side of the table (known as the “pit”) and players located on the opposite side. Table games may be played with cards, dice, or other gaming equipment.

Gaming machines

Gaming machines, such as slot machines, are usually played by one player at a time and do not require the involvement of casino employees to play.

Random number games

Random number games are based upon the selection of random numbers, either from a computerized random number generator or from other gaming equipment. Random number games may be played at a table, such as Roulette, or through the purchase of paper tickets or cards, such as Keno or Bingo.

Common table games

Cards

Asian stud
Baccarat
Blackjack
Casino war
Caribbean Stud Poker
Chinese poker
Faro
Four card poker
Let It Ride
Mambo stud
Pai gow poker
Red dog
Spanish 21
Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker
Three card poker
Two-up

Dice / Tiles

Craps
Pai Gow
Sic bo
Chuck-a-luck

Random numbers

Big Six wheel
Roulette

Common random number games (non-table)

Bingo
Keno

Common gaming machines

Slot machine
Video Lottery Terminal
Video poker

Casino token

Casino tokens are small colored metal or plastic discs used in gambling establishments.

There are two main types of tokens used in casinos: multicolor tokens of various denominations called chips, used primarily in table games; and metal token coins, used primarily in slot machines. Some casinos also use gaming plaques for high stakes table games ($25,000 and above). Plaques differ from chips in that they are larger, usually rectangular in shape and contain serial numbers.

Money is exchanged for the token coins or chips in a casino at a cashier station (the cage), at the gaming tables, or at a slot machine. The tokens are interchangeable with money at the casino, but have no value outside of the establishment.

These tokens are employed for several reasons. They are more convenient to use than currency, and also make theft and counterfeiting more difficult. Because of the uniform size and regularity of stacks of chips, they are easier to count compared to paper currency when used on a table. This attribute also enables the pit boss or security to quickly verify the amount being paid, reducing the chance that a dealer might be overpaying a customer.

Furthermore, it is observed that consumers gamble more freely with replacement currencies than with cash.

Finally, the chips are considered to be an integral part of the casino environment, and replacing them with some alternate currency would be unpopular. However, many casinos are moving to paper receipts.

Casino tokens are collected as a part of numismatics, more specifically as specialized exonumia collecting.

 A set of injection molded ABS poker chips “hot-stamped” with denominations 100, 50, 25 & 10

Chip Denominations

Chips of the same denomination from different casinos tend to have similar colors. This increases familiarity with denominations.

The most common color scheme used in US casinos:

• $1.00: White (uncommon: blue, grey)
• $2.50: Pink
• $5.00: Red
• $25.00: Green
• $100.00: Black
• $500.00: Purple
• $1000.00: Orange (often oversized)

Official Chip Colors

Denomination	Color	Exceptions
$1	White	Unusual in Nevada; may be blue or gray or white.
$2.50	Pink	Blue (MO); North Dakota prescribes pink for $2 chips
$5	Red
$25	Green
$100	Black
$500	Purple
$1,000	Orange	Oversized; usually yellow in Nevada

 A standard 300 piece set of ABS plastic chips

History

After the increase in the value of silver stopped the circulation of silver dollar coins around 1964, casinos rushed to find a substitute, as most slot machines at that time used that particular coin. The Nevada Gaming Control Board consulted with the US Treasury, and casinos were soon allowed to start using their own tokens to operate their slot machines. The Franklin Mint was the main minter of tokens at that time.

In many jurisdictions, casinos are not permitted to use currency in slot machines, necessitating tokens for smaller denominations.

Tokens are being phased out of many casinos in favor of coinless machines which accept banknotes and print receipts for payout. (These receipts can also be inserted into the machines.)

Future

In certain casinos, such as the new Wynn Casino in Las Vegas, chips are embedded with RFID tags to help casinos keep better track of them, determine gamblers’ average bet sizes, and to make them harder for counterfeiters to reproduce. However, this technique is costly and considered by many to be unnecessary. Also, this technology provides minimal benefits in games with layouts that do not provide gamblers with their own designated betting areas, such as craps.

Cheating in casinos

Cheating in casinos refers to actions which are prohibited by a casino’s rules. Cheating is usually illegal but the exact sanctions will depend on the jurisdiction in which the casino operates. In Nevada, cheating in a casino is a felony under Nevada law. In most other jurisdictions, specific statutes do not exist but cheating in a casino would likely be considered fraud and dealt with as such by the authorities.

Methods of cheating

The methods for cheating in a casino are often specific to individual games and include:

Pastposting
After a bet is won, one replaces smaller denomination chips with chips of large denomination.
Hand Mucking
Palming desirable cards then switching them for less desirable cards that the gambler holds.
Marking Cards During Play
Various methods.
Introducing Previously Marked Decks Into Play
Usually involves “inside” help, i.e., the collusion of casino employees. There are many different way to mark decks of cards, some of them very difficult to detect.
False Deals
Ability to deal the second card from the top (used in conjunction with marked cards), or the ability to deal the bottom card of the deck (used in conjunction with placing desirable cards at the bottom of the deck.)
False Shuffles and Cuts
Ability to seemingly mix and cut the cards while retaining certain cards or the whole deck in a desired order.
Slot Machines
Methods exist for altering the outcome of slot machine games.
Collusion
In poker games, the practice of two partners signalling to each other the values of their cards; this can be very difficult to detect.
How casinos combat cheating

Proper Procedure
This means certain standardized ways of shuffling cards, dealing cards, storing, retrieving and opening new decks of cards.
Eyes in the Sky
Most casinos have an extensive array of cameras and recorders which monitor and record all the action in a casino. Some casinos use facial recognition software to detect known cheats or card counters/advantage players as they enter the casino.
Software
Casinos use software to analyze game play to uncover any unusual betting patterns or winning patterns and thus discern cheaters (as well as non-cheating card counters and “advantage players”).