It used to be the only reason to go to Las Vegas was it was the only place you could legally gamble in the United States, and there wasn’t much else to do in Las Vegas anyway. Now, everything has changed, yet gambling is still the most popular activity in Las Vegas by far. Over 34 million people visited Las Vegas in 2007, and almost 90% of them gambled during their stay.
Slot machines
Decades ago these were there as much to decorate the Las Vegas casinos as they were there to make money, but they’ve long-ago passed table games as by far the biggest source of gaming revenue in the city, and now actually make up two-thirds of the total money won by casinos. They come in every imaginable shape and theme, and most no longer even have the handle on the side to activate the wheels spinning. The act of inserting and collecting coins is now mostly history too, as casinos realized this process takes up too much time, so they’ve now put most machines on credit and voucher systems.
Video poker
These games look like slot machines, but they involve some skill so they attract a different kind of player. They aren’t nearly as popular as their wheel-spinning brothers, but they are in every casino and are easy to find in large numbers.
Blackjack/Twenty-one – This is the largest in the table-games category by far. This is an easy game to learn and even master. Card-counting isn’t nearly as difficult as movies make it out to be, but winning consistently by doing so is nearly impossible anyway.
Roulette – This simple and historic game is easy to play because it’s impossible to be good or bad at it. Every spot on the table carries the same risk/return ratio. Casinos have installed boards that show all the recent numbers hit as a way to sucker naïve players who believe in streaks to bet even more.
Craps – Just behind roulette in popularity, this dice game is intimidating because it’s not easy to learn and the lingo can sound purposely confusing. This can be one of the most exciting of all table games since generally all the players win or lose together, unlike twenty-one or roulette.
Baccarat – This game isn’t found all over, and it’s almost always a high-minimum game in a special room when you do find it. Las Vegas casinos actually make more profit off baccarat than off craps and roulette combined, due to the high stakes.
Most casinos offer a few additional table games for people who like something new and different. The most popular ones are:
Several of these games are similar to other games you know, but with slightly different rules. Asians in particular seem drawn to Pai Gow and Pai Gow Poker, but in general these games tend to have high profit margins for casinos because most players don’t know proper strategy.
Sports books
In Nevada you can bet on nearly any event that is contested on a field of play that is outside of Nevada. Football and basketball are the big two, but betting on baseball, hockey, golf, tennis, and other sports is also available in season. In spite of many people’s misconception, you can’t bet on Academy Award winners or American Idol winners or anything else that isn’t contested on a “field of play.” A few casinos put up odds for entertainment purposes, but don’t try actually betting on these things.
Race books
This declining sport of thoroughbred horse racing still has legions of fans among Las Vegas visitors. Most large casinos have a big race book facility inside them, where players can bet on every race at large tracks in the country, and even some smaller tracks when the big ones aren’t running. You can also bet on quarter horses, harness horses, and greyhounds in Las Vegas, though those tend to be popular in evenings and during off hours.
Poker
This is the only of the table games where players aren’t playing against the house, but are rather playing against each other. You are probably aware of the huge resurgence in poker due to Texas Hold ‘Em being on every other cable TV channel for a few years. The enormous World Series of Poker still packs them in to the Rio off the strip, and most casinos have poker rooms now here sharp locals can earn a living by fleecing hopeful tourists who’ve never played in a live game. The poker explosion might be declining, but for now you’ll have no problem finding a poker table.
Keno
This bingo-type game is a terrible bet for players, but it’s found all over and they make it easy to play while eating in a casino restaurant so it remains reasonably popular.
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