Poker vs Casino Games

Casino TableWhen comparing poker to other casino games, most often the discussion is reduced to skill vs luck debate. As a relatively successful poker player, I will not focus on that, as there is no doubt that poker is way more skill oriented (although I can't complain about my lifetime run at the casino tables either). Instead, this article will try to compare poker to some other popular casino games with regards to fun factors and short term profitability.

Playing in a live casino is often limited by where you live and sometimes options are not too hot (if any). Thankfully, modern Internet era enabled us to play anytime from basically anywhere online and the sites like http://www.top10bestonlinecasinos.co.uk offer a great value in terms of other perks you can get, like bonuses, freebies etc.

Poker vs Slots

Casino SlotsTo be fair, this is a little like comparing apples and oranges, but because these two being so different, they can be easily compared. In terms of skill, despite of some popular beliefs, slots require none. You can press the auto spin button and watch the reels turn and expect pretty much the same result as if you were franticly pressing buttons, trying to stop the scatters and joker symbols.

Despite of them being very simple, slots can be a lot of fun and adrenaline, with all the loud noises and colorful imagery, especially these days. Compared to a poker game, where you have to sit around, waiting for good cards and profitable spots, slots are way funnier.

As for short term profitability, if you happen to run good, you can easily win 10x the starting amount, and on a particularly good day, you could turn your $10 into $500 or even more (plus, there are jackpots). Of course, you will be losing money on slots long term (house always wins, remember?), but good luck on the slots can certainly bring much more in a fifteen minutes span than the same amount of time spent a poker table.

Poker vs Roulette

RouletteRoulette has a bit more skill to it than slots, but once you get the grasp of basics, it is pretty straightforward. Fun you are going to have (or not have) will not depend only on how good you run but also on the atmosphere at the table.

Much like poker, if you are playing primarily for fun, the other people at the table can make your day or ruin it just as easily. The important difference is that while poker tables will often be populated by grinders and semi-serious players who are there to make their hourly, roulette tables are usually visited by punters who are there to have fun. There is usually cheering and laughing and shenanigans; unless someone is stuck big, but that's understandable.

Although roulette is not paying out jackpots, you can run up some nice profit quickly if you happen to hit your number a few times in a row and don't mind "letting it rid". It is a gamble, of course, but that's what makes it fun, and as long as you are not playing with your case money, you can treat it as a money spent on entertainment.

Poker vs Caribbean Stud

Although Caribbean Stud doesn't really have much to do with actual poker, other than a fact that it uses poker hand rankings to determine a winner and payouts. However, it is a great fit if you are looking to play some "poker" but are not in a mood to wait for your seat and don't have time to grind.

It is way faster than regular poker and although it is inherently a game where the house has an edge, there is some skill involved. There are also jackpots for your big hands so you can get lucky and walk with pockets full of cash. Of course, you can decide not to pay the jackpot drop to reduce your variance, but what is fun in that?