What is the best casino games for your party?
I’m a certified casino dealer, floor supervisor, and pit boss with 10+ years in the casino industry. I also have worked as an event planner for more than three decades. Elite Casino Events began as my vision to merge my two passions, casino games, and parties. This blog is to help you choose the best casino games for your casino party!
The Big 3
In the casino business, they call craps, roulette, and blackjack ‘The Big 3,‘ and that’s because these three casino games have endured the test of time. The Big 3 are played in nearly every casino in the world that jurisdictional provisions permit.
The oldest is craps, a dice game played on a sizable tub-shaped table where players wager on the outcomes of two dice. Roulette is a game where players wager on numbers against the house, and the spinning wheel and a ball called a pill would determine the winning numbers of each round of play. Blackjack is a card game where players wager against beating the dealer (or house); most think the game’s objective is to get to 21 – but it’s not. It’s more complicated than that, which I will explain later in this blog. But, of the three, blackjack is the most recognizable. Let’s begin with BJ, snapper, or 21; all are nicknames or acronyms for my favorite game, blackjack.
Blackjack is a winning choice.
In this game, the objective is for your hand to rank higher against the dealer’s hand, or better yet, force the dealer to draw a card ‘to bust,’ forcing them to go over twenty-one. The game’s rules declare that the dealer must draw on 16 and stand on 17 – or better. This rule has variations, such as the ‘dealer draws on soft 17‘ such as an ace and a 6. Every player gets two cards, and so does the dealer. Players have the opportunity to stay, draw a card, split those two cards, double down, and in some casinos ‘surrender.’ There is a mathematical probability that offers a .0367% advantage to the player if they play this game using this format, called ‘basic strategy.’ You can search it online; Elite Casino Events provides basic strategy cards for our guests for every event to help them learn how to play blackjack.
Variations of the game
Gameplay can be with a single deck, double deck, 4,6, or 8 decks, or a continuous shuffler! The odds paid will vary with the type of blackjack played, and there are more types of blackjack games than people in church on Sunday. For reference, the gameplay of ‘the dealer draws on 16, stands on 17‘ is the standard, and the version used by most casino party companies.
Everybody Wins!
My number one choice for casino games for your casino party is blackjack; here’s why. It’s a team sport in many ways; everyone is playing against the dealer or as a team to win. Everyone has their hand to play, but at some point, players will collaborate (either obviously or not) against the dealers hand. There are many noted versions, side bets and rules with blackjack. But the end game is ‘us’ against the ‘dealer’ in every round of play. This brings camaraderie to the table and makes strangers friends and co-workers – buddies. The game is relatively easy; you’ll get to know others while playing. Joy fills the table when the dealer busts and everyone wins! Most people will feel comfortable playing blackjack; in my opinion, it’s a must-have of casino games for your casino party! Be sure to book more blackjack games than anything!
Roulette is a numbers game.
Oh, how I love this game. I learned how to deal with it at Mountaineer Casino in Chester, W.V. in 2007. The roulette wheel was created by a master mathematician Blaise Pascal in France in the 17th century. Blaise Pascal did not intend to make a gambling game but a device to sustain perpetual motion, and roulette, or as the French refer to it, ‘little wheel’ was born.
Many ways to play it!
Roulette, just like blackjack, has many variations of the game and various interpretations of gameplay rules and odds paid. Roulette wheels and layouts can be different; some have two zeros, some have one zero, some do not have zeros at all! Most game layouts offer multiple ways to bet individual numbers 1 through 36, including betting single numbers, combinations of numbers, brackets of numbers, and outside bets of odd or even, black/red, and sections and columns of numbers. I tell most of my ‘newbie players’ to think of roulette as playing the lottery. Choose numbers that have meaning to you, birthdays, anniversaries, home address, your social or phone, lucky numbers – it’s as simple as that.
Roulette tips, facts, history.
Adults, teens, and children all learn to play roulette rather quickly. In this game, the player has no decision other than to choose what numbers or combinations of numbers to bet. This game has universal appeal, and unlike blackjack, the game is random without any specific strategy. Many may argue this point and say there are ‘sections’ of the roulette wheel you can play. Or they might say they have a ‘system’ for the outside. I’ve never seen anyone have an enormous win at a roulette table in my ten years in the casino. With blackjack, I’ve seen people win or lose the price of a house in 30 minutes.
Even the creator Blaise Pascal is rumored to have committed suicide because as a master of math, he couldn’t find a way to beat his own game. Rumor also states the term ‘Russian Roulette’ comes from his death. Here’s another bit of casino trivia, they call the Roulette wheel’ ‘the Devils’ wheel’ in the casino business because if you add up all the numbers on the layout – it equals 666. Shocking right? That said, roulette is an excellent choice for casino games for your casino party! It’s super easy to play, requires no strategic thinking, and makes lovely decor for your party! You should book at least (1) roulette table for 50 guests.
The King.
Craps is the king of games and has many variations of this fun, exciting dice game. “Craps is about two numbers, and only two numbers” – as my craps instructor Johnny Petrovich would say – “you just need to remove all the other probabilities from your mind – then it becomes an easy game.” He was right. You can only have one winner and one loser in craps; everything else is just noise. The fun for most is learning to understand that basic concept of – one winner and one loser so that they can dive in and learn to embrace and play ‘the noise’ of field bets, hardways, place bets, odds, lays, hops, crap checks, yo’s, horns, whirls and more! Yes – there is so much more!
Casino games Big Daddy!
Is craps a good choice for a casino night? My answer is – absolutely it is! However, you should consider a few things before booking a craps table. What’s the age group of your party? Is your party large or a small gathering? Are your players able to stand for a few hours to play? These questions are relevant as craps is a fast game and will require patience and excellent listening skills to learn it. It’s not a visual game, but a verbal one, and communicating with the dealer is essential to learn to play craps. I also think craps fairs well in smaller gatherings of 50 to 70 people. When this game is at a larger event, the ability to learn becomes more complex as season players dominate the game, making it more intimidating for newbies. I’d first consider your guest list and RSVPs, but craps is absolutely a fantastic choice for casino games for your casino party!
Yo! There is a new kid in town!
Elite Casino Events exclusively offers another casino party game similar to craps that is probably better suited for young people, kids, and the elderly or newbie players. It’s called Yo! This new game Yo!, is visual, not verbal, and has less ‘noise’ with fewer betting options. Players pick it up quickly with little or no instruction from the dealer as the layout is color-coordinated to be player intuitive. Yo! is perfect for newbie players or those who may be intimidated by all ‘the noise’ of a craps game. This game was created by Dawn & William Takacs Jr, owners of Elite Casino Events LLC and is now being installed and played at some of your favorite US casinos! The inspiration behind the game was 100% making a less intimidating dice game that was simple to learn, play, and super easy for casino dealers to deal! Learn more about Yo! the dice game!
So how to choose the perfect casino games for your casino party?
You cannot go wrong with ‘The BIG 3‘ casino games, yet you should carefully consider your guests before booking! While Texas Hold’em, poker is a favorite among young and older men, and they also enjoy craps – it may not be the best choice for a lady’s luncheon or a bat mitzvah! Women prefer blackjack, roulette, and quick-to-learn games like Yo! Anything that uses a wheel is great for kids, and teens love learning all poker variations and learn Yo! super fast! Think about your attendees, age, demographic, gender, and then sit down and work on your list carefully. There is nothing sadder than a casino party, and no one is playing because the casino games for your casino party are not the right mix. Be mindful of the sales pitch, block out that ‘noise’ then too – because many casino party companies will sell you games you don’t need. Carefully review your guest list, and then take my advice. Choose the best casino games for your casino party, matching what’s perfect for your guests, and you’ll host a winning event! I hope this helps you with your casino party plan! Elite Casino Events is here to help you host a 5-star party so that – everybody wins!