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Solitaire – Why It’s The Root Of Virtually All Casino Games /

Solitaire – Why It’s The Root Of Virtually All Casino Games

Many gamblers who play either online or at a land-based casino are under the impression that they are somehow in competition with the other players sitting around them, or with the dealer. But in the vast majority of casino games, this simply isn't true. Playing blackjack, slots, video poker, craps, and many more, only involves a decision yourself, just like solitaire. Other players can't influence your results. Likewise, the dealer only represents the house and has to play by a set of rules.

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Why Most Gambling Games Are Really Solitaire Games

The title of this article may be rather provocative. But bare with us and we’ll prove to you that it’s true. Most gambling games, even those that you imagine as having multiple players, are in fact, nothing more than different versions of solitaire. If you look across the casino gaming floor or enter the games lobby of an online casino like 22Bet Casino, you’ll see that there are plenty of slot machines and video poker games. In truth, both of these are the very definition of solitaire games. After all, it’s just you and the machine. And let’s face it, the machine isn’t making the decisions here. That’s because both video games and slot machine games are pre-programmed with an algorithm. And they simply follow that. Accordingly, you, and only you, make your own decisions.

Like Solitaire, Yours Is The Only Decision That Counts

The only decisions to make when you’re playing a slot machine game are which game to play and how much money you wish to bet. In reality, both of these reasons are pretty much meaningless for the vast majority of slot machines. You may well come across a slot game where, by making a maximum bid, you can increase your jackpot winning chances. But this is a very rare scenario. For the most part, no necessity for decision-making whatsoever when you’re playing slot machines.

Alone With The Video Poker Machine

When it comes to video poker, there’s even more decision-making on the part of the player. After receiving 5 cards it’s your decision whether you wish to keep or replace each card. Essentially, that boils down to the fact that you have 32 different ways of playing every hand. A quick examination of the paytable on the particular machine you’re playing will show that only one of those 32 possibilities will provide you with the highest possible return. In other words, 31 of those decisions will be inferior. Because of this, many feel that video poker offers a level of strategy that’s unavailable for slot machine players.

You Simply Can’t Beat The House Edge

Unfortunately, almost all of the above is moot. At the end of the day, even if you play your video poker hands perfectly, you’ll still lose. That’s because you’re always in competition with the mathematical edge of the households. Eventually, it will wear down your bankroll until it’s fully depleted. Yes, we’ll admit there are very rare exceptions. But remember you would be needing to find a video poker game with an RTP over 100%. We don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.

Table Games Are Solitaire Games, Too, Even Though It’s Less Obvious

When you first look at games like roulette, craps, or blackjack, it seems obvious that they involve multiple players. But it’s important to understand that with these games, you’re not technically playing against the other players sitting at the same table. In reality, it’s just you playing against the dealer. But here’s the thing; casino dealers are not actually playing a game with you. They’re just following a prescribed set of rules. It’s as if you were playing a machine that’s been pre-programmed with an algorithm. Nothing more.

Live Dealer Blackjack Games

The bottom line is that the dealer has no decision-making capabilities or authority. They act according to a preset number of rules laid down by the house. Other players sitting around you at the same table get to make decisions. But whatever they decide has no effect on your outcome. To all intents and purposes, you could be sitting next to the best blackjack player in the world. But no matter how they play, it will have no influence on your expected return. Conversely, you could be sitting next to the world’s worst blackjack player. Likewise, as in the previous situation, this wouldn’t allow you to win or lose any less or any more.

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You’re Not Really Playing Other Players

When it comes to craps and roulette it’s the same story. In some ways, it could be argued that the rules of the game and the gameplay act as some sort of smoke and mirrors. They lead players to imagine they’re playing against other players. But the truth of the matter is, if you took away all the casino props, you might as well be sat at home playing solitaire at the kitchen table and trying to win the jackpot online.

What Are the Other Players Doing?

You have no control over the games you choose to play. And likewise, no matter how well or badly you play, you have no effect on the outcome of the game. For example, if you’re playing craps and you bet on the pass line. And the other player at the same craps table also bets on the pass line. Notice that at the end of the round you don’t have to split the payout with the other player. You each get paid off according to your own individual bets.

The bottom line is that, if the other player hadn’t been there at all, you would still reach the same result. Keep in mind that when a player shoots the dice he has no influence whatsoever on the outcome. It’s just down to luck. As an aside, you might have heard lots of talk about dice control. But you should ignore this. The bottom line is that it’s all rubbish and wishful thinking.

The Dealer Is Not Your Opponent Either

At the end of the day, whether you’re visiting casinos to win the jackpot or playing live games online at a casino like 22Bet Casino, you may think you’re playing with other players or against the dealer. Yet the hard truth of the matter is that you’re simply playing alone. When you think about it, even the dealer is replaceable with a machine. And this is actually a trend we’re seeing become more common as casinos are constantly looking to improve their bottom line.

Which Gambling Activities Involve Other Players?

If we step back and look at the vast majority of casino gambling games, it becomes obvious that there are only two activities that can’t be classed as solitaire games. They are poker and sports betting. In poker it’s obvious at the house has no role in the game whatsoever. They simply deal with and then collect the rake. You could almost view a typical casino poker table as a business, where the casino makes money by charging an hourly fee for each seat around the poker table.

Poker Isn’t Solitaire

It’s pretty obvious that when it comes to poker, every decision made by another player could possibly affect your own outcome. After all, if another bluffs and causes you to fold then that’s going to affect your outcome too. It could be said that video jackpot poker games don’t bluff and blackjack dealers don’t turn bluff either. In some ways, bluffing is an obvious example of how many countless others plays at the poker table are able to affect your overall outcome. Phil Hellmuth could be sitting next to you at the blackjack table. Yet it would have no effect whatsoever on your game results. But if he sits next to you at the poker table, then it’s a totally different kettle of fish.