Casino gamers are often advised to stay away from slots, lotteries and specialty games if they want to enjoy the best odds. Casino games with the lowest house edge, gamers are told, include traditional table games where specific, optimal strategies can boost the player's chances of success.
However, if you're looking for a game that offers you the chance to kick back and enjoy a non-pressured, fun-filled gaming session, check out one of the Grande Vegas casino easy-to-play specialty games.
Specialty Game Advantages
You might decide to play one of the casino's specialty games or lotteries even though the house edge isn't as low as games like Blackjack or Poker because you might be prioritizing jackpot potential or low mental effort over long-term mathematical viability. Winning cash prizes is always rewarding but so are opportunities for enjoying pure fun.
One of the biggest reasons that people head to the specialty section of the games lobby is that lotteries and specialty games offer the best chance to achieve a high reward while the risk is low. Games like Keno or Banana Jones offer payouts that can reach astronomical heights, even though the triggering wager was relatively low. When playing one of these games you can dream about the possibility of achieving a life-changing payout based on a tiny stake.
Specialty games involve "fantasy bets". Table game payouts are generally low while high-edge games cater to the player who is betting on the fantasy of hitting a huge jackpot prize. That player accepts the probability of losing in exchange for enjoying the adrenaline rush that comes with the chance of achieving the impossible.
Wins for specialty games are sporadic and unpredictable. Such possibilities are psychologically powerful. They are more effective in creating a compelling atmosphere of excitement and anticipation that encourages continued play than low-payout games.
Simplicity
Lotteries and other specialty games are popular because they're easy to play. No strategy is required to lower the house edge – specialty and lottery games are based purely on chance and require absolutely no strategic decisions.
They're appealing to players who want to turn their brains off for a little while and participate while simply flipping a lever, pushing a button, marking a card or watching a ball fall. The results are posted within minutes. They're the perfect activity to enjoy while eating, watching a show, riding the train or participating in other types of activities.
Specialty games are also visually appealing and have a game-show feel that draws you into an environment of light-hearted fun, so the house edge becomes secondary to the gaming event.
Time and Budget
Specialty games are perfect for budget gamers who want to stretch their playtime. Even though the house edge is high, it's possible to play for an extended period of time by making low bets which reduces the cost per game. Even if you have a small bankroll, you can feel like you're getting many chances to hit the jackpot without risking large sums, as you might with single table game bets.
House Edges
What are the house edges of specialty games and lotteries? Some of the most popular casino specialty games include:
Plinko
Plinko involves coins that are dropped through a pyramid that's filled with pegs. As the coins make they way down the maze, they bounce off the pegs. When a coin reaches the bottom of the maze, it will fall into a pocket. The win is determined by the pocket that the coin lands into. Each pocket has its own multiplier so the higher the multiplier of the pocket into which the coin lands, the higher your payout.
The house edge for Plinko is considered to be one of the more favorable games for players, with the house edge typically falling at 3% to give it a Return-to-Player ratio of 97% to 99%. That makes it one of the casino's highest RTPs, comparable to games like poker and blackjack, where player skill is a factor.
In Plinko, much of the risk factor is determined by the player's choices – you can play a low-risk game where the wins are smaller and more frequent (lower house edge) or a high-risk game where the wins are more infrequent but the payouts are higher (marginally higher house edge). Also, if you select (and bet on) more rows (more pegs) you have a higher probability of hitting the high-multiplier slots on the edges but you'll be betting more.
Roulette
The house edge of roulette is dependent on which roulette variation you're playing. The house edge for European Roulette is 2.70%, a low house advantage for a game of pure chance. If you play American Roulette, the house edge jumps to 5.26%. The reason is that in European roulette, there are 36 numbered/colored pockets plus one zero pocket. The casino's edge comes from the presence of that single '0' because, while there are 37 pockets, the casino only pays out 35-to-1 for a winning single-number bet (with all other bets paid proportionally).
The house edge on American Roulette is 5.26%. Understanding the difference will allow you to get more out of your roulette adventure by simply choosing the correct game variation.
The increased house edge is due to the wheel's design. In an American Roulette wheel, there are 38 Pockets – 36 numbered colored pockets plus TWO zero pockets, a single zero and a double zero. So instead of a 1 in 37 possible hit, your bet has a 1 in 38 possible hit which increases the house edge significantly.
Keno
Keno is one of the world's oldest gambling games. It's a lottery whose house edge is among the highest in the casino. The odds are high, and the payouts are low, but the game's popularity, which has kept it at the forefront of gambling options for thousands of years, is undisputable.
You play Keno by selecting numbers that you believe may be selected from a spinning wheel. If your number comes up, your payout is huge. However, the chances that your numbers will be chosen are low which makes Keno one of the most problematic bets at the casino.
It is, however, favored by many lottery enthusiasts which makes it one of the casino's most popular.
You can play a more staid casino game with a lower house edge but if you're a thrill-seeker you can choose European Roulette, Keno or Plinko for a better chance to achieve a specialty game's massive payoff.
