​These Casino Games Are Reeling in Players at Bitcoin Casinos

The crypto casino boom got off to a flying start since Bitcoin was created in 2009. Over the space of a few years, this industry has blossomed into a viable alternative to established online casinos.

For many years, this digital currency flew under the radar; it was barely trading at $1 until February 2011. It's hard to believe that in just 10 years, the price of Bitcoin managed to hit $60,000 per BTC before retracing towards $35,000 – $40,000 in mid-2021.

With increased interest in Bitcoin trading, investing, and blockchain-based technology, many parallel industries have come into their own. The Bitcoin casino industry is one such example. Rumor has it that the first such casino opened in May 2013, and generated $15 million in just 3 months of operation. Since then, many established operators have come into their own, offering players thousands of games across multiple categories. Increased adoption of Bitcoin for transactions processing, retail activity, and leisure-related purposes has fueled strong growth across the board.

What Are the Most Popular Bitcoin Casino Games?

Source: RTP Slots Blackjack Basic Strategy

Blackjack

Casino enthusiasts are casino enthusiasts, regardless of whether they're playing at Bitcoin Casinos, traditional online casinos, or bricks and mortar casinos. True to form, the cryptocurrency player is incredibly tech savvy, and likely has a mathematical bent. This explains why industry feedback tends towards games like blackjack, video poker, baccarat, roulette, and slots. 

The proof of the pudding is in the numbers. Games with a high RTP (Return to Player) tend to be the darlings of Bitcoin casino players.  Among them, blackjack stands out. This card game is played between players and dealers, and the objective is to form the ranking hand. Contrary to popular opinion, blackjack isn't about formulating a 21-value hand; your objective is simply to beat the dealer’s and total without exceeding 21.

Blackjack purists tend to apply all manner of tactics and strategies to gain a slight advantage in the game. It is one of the few casino games where the house edge can almost be eliminated, provided perfect blackjack strategy is employed by the player. In this vein, blackjack strategy charts, blackjack odds calculators, and perfect blackjack strategy must be employed at all times. Over the long-run, it is entirely possible to break even in blackjack. 

Typically, the RTP on blackjack games varies between 99.27% with Blackjack Switch, 99.60% with Multi-Hand Blackjack, 99.75% with Single Deck Blackjack, and 99.60% with European Blackjack. Blackjack Surrender has an RTP of 99.62%, while Pontoon has an RTP of 99.64%. In all cases, the RTP on Blackjack games hovers between 99.00% and 100%. 

Many players get a start in blackjack by practicing card counting with the rudimentary 1, 0, -1 system. This technique assigns a value of -1 to high value cards such as 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. Low-value cards such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are given a value of +1, and medium-value cards such as 7, 8, 9 are assigned a value of 0. Every time cards are dealt on the table; the blackjack card counter tallies up the totals.  

If the running is high count (net positive value) it means that plenty of low-value cards have been dealt and the next card to come up is more likely to be a high-value card. So, the player would raise the stakes. Actually, the number of decks used has an impact on the value of the running count. If you play with a single deck of cards with a high positive value, there is a big chance that the next card will be a 10-value card.

By contrast, when the running count is negative, such as -4, -5, -6 et cetera, you certainly don't want to bet big with a single deck of cards in play. The reason is clear: the dealer benefits from low-value cards being dealt. This is when you reduce the size of your bets. It's really important to implement effective blackjack bankroll management techniques to guard against over betting, or making poor decisions.

Baccarat

Baccarat is perceived as a high roller favorite. This centuries-old casino game likely originated in Italy back in the 1400s. A gentleman by the name of Felix Falguiere created a game known as Baccara which is Italian for 0. In Baccarat, all the 10-value cards, including 10, Jack, Queen, and King have a value of 0. It's different to blackjack in the sense that players can never go bust in Baccarat. The objective of Baccarat is to form a hand total of 8, or 9 known as naturals. Any hand total greater than 9 automatically has the tens digit removed.

Bitcoin casinos are often populated with many different baccarat games, such as Mini Baccarat, Chemin de Fer, Punto Banco, and Baccarat Banque. While there are slight variations between the games, the essence of Baccarat is the same: pick the dealer hand or the banker hand in pursuit of 8, or 9. This casino card game is interesting in the sense that a player doesn't need to bet on the Player hand, and the dealer doesn't need to bet on the Banker hand – you can choose either hand or even a Tie.

The payouts in Baccarat are plenty generous. In fact, Las Vegas casinos generate a huge chunk of their take from wealthy Asian players who exclusively fly into sin city to play Baccarat high roller games. The odds tell the story. The banker odds of winning are 45.86%, and the player odds of winning are 44.62%. An unlikely tie is 9.52%. The reason there is an improved percentage for the banker hand is because the banker’s hand is completed last. As a rule, Baccarat enthusiasts recommend betting on the banker hand all the time.  The house edge in Baccarat is often listed at 1.06%, but this can drop to as low as 0.5% when special playing conditions are in effect.

Roulette

Roulette is another high-value casino game at Bitcoin casinos. But it's not just any roulette game that players tend towards; it's French Roulette. Similar in style and gameplay to European Roulette, French Roulette has the added advantage of two unique rules. These include En Prison and La Partage. These rules are really exciting in the sense that if a player places an even money bet and 0 lands, the house edge can be reduced to as low as 1.35%, from 2.70%. This makes French Roulette a prized attraction at Bitcoin casinos.

Slots

 Slot machine games are the moneymakers for casinos all over the world. It doesn't matter whether it's a traditional casino, an online casino, or a Bitcoin casino. There is something inherently attractive about the ‘spin & win’ appeal of slot machine games. Players cannot alter the house edge in slots, but it’s entirely possible to carefully select slots based on RTP. As a rule of thumb, classic slots with few in-game bonus features, 3D animation, and additional rounds of play tend to have better RTPs than video slots and progressive jackpot slots. Feature-rich slots have to compensate for their many in-game bonuses by way of a lower RTP. 

These are the most popular broad categories of casino games at Bitcoin Casinos. The focus is on the numbers, with the goal of reducing the house edge to negligible or manageable levels.