Online Casino Games for US Players
Online casino games are what make or break a casino. It doesn’t matter is a site offer big welcome bonuses and all the right banking methods if the games aren’t fun. We provide reviews of the best online casinos, but we also discuss online casino games in great detail.
When it comes to online casino game reviews, our slots section provides a huge list of online slot reviews. Our table games section provides how-to guides and strategy advice for blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, and table poker. Our video poker section offers similar analysis of the many video poker variations.
How We Review Online Casino Games
Over the years, we’ve covered all of the major online casino games. Our game reviews focus on return to play, rules, playability, and compatibility. In our reviews, you’ll find analysis of odds and gaming tips, at least when the online casino game has strategy elements.
Keep in mind that mobile casino games offer the same games, but for Android and iOS devices instead of desktop computers. Also, some online casinos offer live dealer games, which are livestreamed versions of traditional casino games. For now, we focus on simulated version of land-based casino games and lottery games.
This guide starts with an overview of online casino games, which describes all the many online casino game options you’ll find in a typical casino site. Each game has its own unique rules and odds, so each game review is different. Our games guide is divided into the four main types of online casino games: online slots, table games, video poker, and specialty games.
Best Online Slots Features
Players might wonder what the best online slots features are, so we provide a quick introduction below. When you choose an online casino, click on the slots icon and the game opens for easy play.
- Wild Symbols: Wild symbols substitute for any other symbol on the reel, except scatter symbols. These complete winning paylines and increase your chances of winning.
- Scatter Symbols: These can appear anywhere on the reels and either trigger bonuses or unlock bonus games.
- Bonus Games: Interactive bonus games have cut scenes and the opportunity to win big jackpots. Many offer free spins and multipliers.
- Free Spins: Also called “free games”, players receive chances to win big without risking their bankroll.
- Multipliers: Often found in bonus games, this multiplies the money you win. Multipliers usually range from 2x to 100x the usual windfall.
- Expanded Wilds: These expand across multiple reels, offering better chances of winning money.
- Stacked Wilds: These expand up-and-down a single reels, also offering better chances of winning money.
- Gamble Feature: If you win a prize, it’s a chance to go double-or-nothing on the winnings.
Best Online Slots Providers
We review a lot of online slots providers as we review online casino games sites. Here’s our list of the best online slots providers.
Aristocrat Slots
Aristocrat launched in the 1950s as Australia’s top pokies provider. It now provides online casino games for commercial, tribal, and online casinos around the world.
Aristocrat launched in the 1950s as Australia’s top pokies provider. It now provides online casino games for commercial, tribal, and online casinos around the world.
IGT Slots
International Game Technology (IGT) created the first electronic slot machine in the 70s, then invented progressive slots in the 80s. It’s the largest slot designer in the world.
International Game Technology (IGT) created the first electronic slot machine in the 70s, then invented progressive slots in the 80s. It’s the largest slot designer in the world.
RTG Slots
RealTime Gaming provides online casino games to many US, Australian, and Canadian online casinos. RTG is the most popular slots provider for US online casinos.
RealTime Gaming provides online casino games to many US, Australian, and Canadian online casinos. RTG is the most popular slots provider for US online casinos.
Bally Slots
Produces famous slots like Triple Cash Wheel, Dragon Spin, and Wonder Woman Gold. Bally Technologies started as a pinball machine designer in 1932 and became an online casino games designer in the decades since. It was purchased by Scientific Games in 2014.
Produces famous slots like Triple Cash Wheel, Dragon Spin, and Wonder Woman Gold. Bally Technologies started as a pinball machine designer in 1932 and became an online casino games designer in the decades since. It was purchased by Scientific Games in 2014.
WMS Slots
WMS began in 1943 as a pinball machine company. It later produced video games, but now produces online casino games like The Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Clue (Cluedo), Men in Black, and The Lord of the Rings.
WMS began in 1943 as a pinball machine company. It later produced video games, but now produces online casino games like The Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Clue (Cluedo), Men in Black, and The Lord of the Rings.
Microgaming Slots
Microgaming is the oldest online slots developer in the world (1994). Microgaming provides online casino games to famous casino sites like Jackpot City and Spin Palace Casino.
Microgaming is the oldest online slots developer in the world (1994). Microgaming provides online casino games to famous casino sites like Jackpot City and Spin Palace Casino.
Playtech Slots
Playtech vies with Microgaming as the most popular online casino games provider in the world. Playtech slots are playable at great online casinos like 888 Casino, Bet365 Casino, Casino.com, and Mansion Casino.
Playtech vies with Microgaming as the most popular online casino games provider in the world. Playtech slots are playable at great online casinos like 888 Casino, Bet365 Casino, Casino.com, and Mansion Casino.
Rival Slots
Rival Gaming produces online casino games software for US and international online casinos. Rival produces popular slots like Lion’s Roar, Metal Detector, Money Magic, and For Love and Money.
Rival Gaming produces online casino games software for US and international online casinos. Rival produces popular slots like Lion’s Roar, Metal Detector, Money Magic, and For Love and Money.
Best Table Games
You’ll find the most variety among online casino games in the table games section. Besides slots, this section also features the most popular and famous online casino games: baccarat, roulette, craps, and baccarat.
- Blackjack: The table game with the lowest house edge. You’ll have to learn basic strategy to optimize your results.
- Roulette: A spinning wheel game that offers a wide range of payouts, even-money bets, and no strategy requirements.
- Baccarat: The table game that requires no strategy. In fact, it’s the non-strategy table games with the lowest house edge. Baccarat is the most popular game in Asian casinos.
- Craps: A dice rolling game with odds comparable to baccarat. Craps has a huge range of bets, but no strategy component.
- Sic Bo: An Asian dice rolling game that online casino game players play if they can’t find craps. It’s house edge isn’t as good, but it has an entertaining set of bets.
- Table Poker: A wide range of online casino games that provide poker game mechanics with easy-to-learn rules. Includes Pai Gow Poker, Red Dog, Three-Card Poker, and Let It Ride.
- Let It Ride: A table poker game with easy rules and a progressive side bet. Called “Let ‘Em Ride” in RTG casinos.
- Caribbean Stud: A table game based on Stud Poker, it also has a progressive jackpot side bet. Often combines its pot with Caribbean Draw and Caribbean Holdem poker.
- War: Sometimes called “Casino War”, this game is based on the kids’ card game “War”. It has simple rules and a surprisingly low house edge.
Video Poker Variant List
Video poker is another popular online casino game – this time cased on draw poker. Because land-based video poker machines look like slots, they can be overlooked in a brick-and-mortar casino. Wise online casino game players don’t make that mistake, so online casinos usually have a video poker section.
- Jacks or Better: The original version of video poker, it offers a payout if you receive a pair of jacks or better with a five-card hand (and a single redraw).
- Joker Poker: Also called Jokers Wild, it adds 2 more cards to the deck (jokers) and makes them wild.
- Deuces Wild: This version makes the 2-cards wild, increasing your chances of building a high-ranking hand.
- Loose Deuces: A popular version of Deuces Wild with advantageous rules. If you find the full-pay version, it’s one of the best video poker games you can play.
- Bonus Draw Poker: Also called Bonus Poker, this game offers a second big payout, but has lower payouts for lesser hands.
- Aces & Eights: This variant makes the ace cards and 8-cards wild.
- All American: A version of Jacks or Better that offers special payouts for the Royal Flush.
- Multi-Hand Video Poker: Allows you to play multiple hands at once. 3-hand, 10-hand, and 52-hand video poker are most common.
- Pyramid Poker: A game by IGT with a 3-dimensional pyramid of cards. The bottom rung of the pyramid plays like Jacks or Better, but the upper levels allow multipliers and bonus wins.
Guide to Specialty Games
Specialty games are a catch-all among online casino games which includes many lottery and raffle-style, as well as arcade games/skill games. Here’s a quick list of online casino games you’ll find in a Specialty Games section of a site.
- Keno: Chinese 80-ball lottery game. Online casinos that don’t offer Keno sometimes offer 80-ball bingo that’s similar.
- Scratchcards: Online scratch card games — called scratchies by Australians — are fast-paced online casino games with big prizes.
- Online Bingo: Includes many variations, including 30-ball, 75-ball, 80-ball, and 90-ball bingo.
- Virtual Racing: Some online casino games sites offer simulations of horse racing like Virtual Racebook.
- Sudoku: A few sites offer online Sudoku for real money.
- Skill Games: RTG casinos offer skill games like Fish Catch, which plays like an arcade game.
Online Casino Games FAQ
You’ll win the most money at one time playing online casino games with progressive jackpots. These can pay out 4-8 figure sums within on turn. The only requirements is that you bet the maximum amount, or pay into the side bet.
That said, chances are that you’ll never hit a progressive jackpot. The odds are too high.
Most progressive jackpot games are online slots. Table poker games like Let It Ride and Caribbean Stud have a progressive side bet.
So my second answer is to play an online casino game where you can create an edge for yourself. A couple of examples include blackjack, sports betting or poker. You may not make millions (most people won’t, anyway), but you can make good money if you take the time to learn the basic strategies and always push to improve. Luck will play a small role, too.
The games with the best house odds include blackjack and variations (less than 1 percent), followed by video poker, baccarat and pai gow poker (between 1-2 percent).
The game with the worst house odds is keno (between 25-30 percent house edge). While Keno supposedly has a lottery-sized payout, most online keno games top out with $100,000. Some RTG casinos offer online keno for $1 million prizes, though.
Small is relative. The answer depends on how much money you have. A person with $20 should play different games than someone with $100.
My recommendation is this – if you have less than $100, you should stick to machine-based games. This includes slots and video poker. The reason being is that the stakes are as low as .01 to .10 per turn, depending on the game, machine and casino. That way, you can stretch your bankroll and get some adequate playing time.
If your bankroll is $100 or more, however, you have more options. You can consider playing table / card games. Most of these games have a minimum of $1, which gives you 100 turns (assuming you lose them all, which you won’t), or a couple of hours of play time.
All of them can be in theory, but whether or not you can play them on your Android or iOS device depends on the casino.
You shouldn’t have a problem finding slots, blackjack, roulette or craps, though. Simple to play online casino games like Baccarat and Casino War make good mobile games, but aren’t found as often.
Mobile slots, like their web counterparts, will make up the majority of any casino’s mobile game library. Games you won’t see too much of include live dealer games, less popular variations, and table games like pai gow poker or baccarat. Especially for US players.
I expect this to change in the future, though. Mobile is growing, so casino game selection should only be expected to grow in the future, too.
The most profitable online casinos games are games you can beat. That includes blackjack and video poker on casino sites, along with poker and sports betting on other gaming sites.
Other casino games can be beaten in the short term, due to their low house edge. That assumes you use basic strategy (when applicable) and luck runs in your favor. The most beatable online casino games are video poker, baccarat, pai gow poker, and any other game with a 1-2 percent house edge.
Most casinos offer a no download option. What games are available will depend on the casino and software they use.
At the very least you’ll be able to play the basics, such as slots, video poker, craps, roulette and blackjack. What may not be readily available are variations, like Spanish 21 or French roulette. Any game that isn’t as popular, really.