The world’s most skill-based casino games

Some games are all about luck. Take slots, for example. You toss some money in a machine, press a button, and hope for the best. The same goes for Casino War. It’s high card wins, so it’s pretty much brainless.

One could argue that Craps is just as mindless. It’s completely determined by luck, though there are some betting strategies you can employ to improve your chances of making big gains (but that’s an article for another day).

But among all these luck-based casino games, there are a number of games you’ll find at a casino that is entirely dependent on skill (or that at least involves some ounce of skill). Today, we’re going to cover off the big ones.

Blackjack

Many people who play Blackjack online and off assume that the outcome of every bet is determined by luck. But that belief couldn’t be more wrong. The truth is Blackjack is a skill-based game that you could potentially excel at if you know what you’re doing. Take the MIT students who singlehandedly beat the house in so many casinos all over the world by counting cards. They were so good that they were eventually banned from a number of casinos all over the planet. They worked together to count cards, a system that helped them know when a table was hit and would likely yield them a win.

But you don’t need to be a card counting genius to win at Blackjack. Remember, if you follow basic strategy that tells you when to hit and when to stand, you’re employing a level of skill that isn’t available in other games.

Poker

There’s no other casino card game that is more skill-based than poker. After all, it’s the only game where you can hold the worst hand and end up winning. That’s because in poker, you don’t play against the house. Instead, you’re playing against other players who are seated at the same table as you. The house takes a cut for hosting the game, but they don’t care whether you win or lose. They have zero vested interest in your success.

The game is all about the players. Poker also involves elements of bluffing. Player A could hold three of a kind and lose the hand against a player who has absolutely nothing because Player B happened to be good at bluffing. Not all casinos offer poker. In fact, you can’t play peer-to-peer poker at Silver Oak Casino, but you can play video poker, which could help you improve your skills.

Roulette

You might not think that Roulette involves much skill. After all, you place a bet on a number and hope that the ball lands on that number. It’s basically Wheel of Fortune in casino form, right? Well, the truth is that it does involve some skill to win. There are some betting strategies you can employ to improve your chances of winning. This includes betting on multiple things at the same time. For example, betting on four splits and two columns could help you make bigger games. Start by betting $5 on any two columns. Then place four split bets of $1 each on numbers in the column you haven’t yet bet on. When a column wins, you’ll make $1 profit. If your split hits, you’ll make a $4 profit. You’ll only lose if you hit a number not covered by your split in the non-covered column, or if you hit zero or double zero.

New to casino games? Become a skilled player
At Silver Oak Casino, we invite you to hone your skills for free. Just create an account and you can enjoy all the free casino games you can handle, no deposit required. Once you’ve improved your skills, feel free to play for real and turn your newfound skills into cash.