What Are Skill-Based Casino Games?

By definition, casino games include wagering on risky outcomes in hopes of earning a profit. For most players, the risky wagering on the outcomes heavily relies on luck. Roulette, slots, and all games with dice belong to casino games based on chance. But there’s another category, equally as popular as this one – the skill-based casino game category. 

What are skill-based casino games? And why are they so popular? Let’s discuss. 

What Are Skill-Based Games?

Skill-based gambling games in which players use skills to achieve the desired result. The outcome of the game depends more on the players’ proficiency than luck. 

Of course, as they are still classified as casino games, there is still an element of fortune, i.e., a dose of unpredictability that cannot be affected. Nevertheless, players use their knowledge of the game and strategies to advance and reach their goal. 

In online terms, companies that produce such games come up with various side bets and game features to increase winning chances for skilled punters. As a result, if you are good at playing a skill-based casino game, you will have more chances to win a payout. 

In games of luck, including top-rated online video slot machines, the player is unable to influence the game or the outcome in any way. 

Most Popular Casino Games of Skill

Now that we figured out what precisely skill-based casino games are, let’s see which games fall under that category. The most famous one is undoubtedly blackjack, but other games rely on your prowess rather than good fortune. 

Blackjack

Blackjack, roulette, poker, and craps – and other table games – are classic casino games. At the mention of gambling, they are the first to come to mind. If you imagine a gambling lobby at a high-end establishment, you are more likely to think of craps and blackjack tables than slots, right? 

Table games, especially blackjack, are games that include strategies and tactics to reach a winning outcome. More specifically, in blackjack, the player has actions, which are options that will determine the course of the rest of the round. After the initial card draw, the dealer asks the players what they want to do – hit, stand, double down – and it is this particular element makes blackjack a skill-based gambling game. 

In the end, it all boils down to having a choice. Blackjack players decide how to proceed with the round by picking a move they think will get them closer to winning. You don’t get that in roulette or slots. 

Poker

Poker is another popular game of skill. Again, like blackjack, it gives you an opportunity to pick a strategy and decide on your next move. Granted, there’s less freedom to maneuver like in blackjack, but your behavior at the table can greatly influence the flow of the round. 

Bluffing, a favourite tactic used by proficient players entails fooling opponents into thinking you have a different hand than you truly have. Poker is a game of manipulation as well – and believe us when we say that bluffing is a great skill. Not many punters get to master the craft of bluffing at a poker table, which results in them being played by their adversaries.

Rummy

Indian Rummy is also a card game that entails the use of tactics to reach a certain goal. This traditional Indian game of skill is widespread in Asia, but modern online casino websites are slowly adding it to their lobbies. 

In Rummy, players receive a collection of 8-15 cards which they need to organize in clusters or mends. Mend consists of 3 or more cards with a matching suit or rank. The goal is to match all cards you get in the initial draw by taking cards you need from a stockpile and discarding the ones you don’t need. 

The rules may be simple, but the game involves a lot of thinking and strategizing to win. Luckily, luck plays an important role as you don’t control card dealing and drawing. But it is up to you to think ahead and see whether you’ll need a specific card or should it go onto the discard pile. 

The Basics of Skill-Based Gambling

Experienced gamblers have argued that, although skill-based games rely on ability rather than chance, there is a way to turn luck-based games into games of skill. How so when you have no control over the game? 

The answer lies in strategies. 

Strategies are there to increase your winning odds by decreasing the house edge. In baccarat, as well as roulette, craps, or any similar game of luck, you can use a strategy that can both protect you from losing too much and help you secure a win. 

For baccarat, it’s edge-sorting; for most other card games, it’s card counting. With dice games and roulette, you cannot count cards or trust previous outcomes to yield precise predictions. Instead, you have to come up with a reliable betting system that can help you protect your cash balance so that you don’t run out of money mid-game. 

Online slots are perhaps the only game that you cannot find a reliable strategy for. They are built on RNG (Random Number Generator) and employ completely random number sequences which cannot be cracked. 

Skill-Based Gaming Appeal

Why are games of skill popular? 

Some players love them because they require focus and work (as opposed to games of chance), others because they are the classic type of casino entertainment. There are also many risks, which many players find appealing. 

We could also say that control plays an important role as well. The feeling of being the one that’s responsible for winning is a favourite one for numerous players, and it keeps them coming back to the casino to play more. 

Granted, luck games also have a lot of appeal, especially video slots. They are outrageously fun as they don’t require any skills or strategies to play, so they are great as a diversion. 

However, the choice between luck and skill games ultimately belongs to the player. According to their tastes, players pick the type which suits them more. Be it luck or skill, the point lies in fun – and that’s the primary goal of every single casino player.