Asia is synonymous with gambling and casinos. Card games and bets have been taking place in clubhouses and backyard dining halls for hundreds of years.
Nowadays, the gambling industry is increasing at a swift rate – table and casino games have shown great success. In the past, citizens of Asian countries had to travel to the US to gamble, nowadays American-owned casinos are opening casinos around Asia – in fact, there are more casinos in Asia currently than there are in America. Macau is one of Asia’s largest cities that gamble, and it is only getting bigger every year.
We must not forget the booming industry that is online casinos. With a worldwide pandemic, people are turning to their laptops and mobile devices to get their enjoyment and entertainment.
Popular casino games in the US are available on the Asian gambling scene but are not as popular as the games Asian bettors love. They are all available in the US, but not played very often and some are only available at certain casinos, like Andar Bahar and Teen Patti.
Here’s a look at the top 4 favorites.
4. Pai Gow
A centuries-old Chinese game, Pai Gow’s rough translation is ‘to make nine.’ It has been and will remain a popular game in casinos based in Asia.
The game consists of eight stacks of Chinese dominoes, each stack having four dominoes that face down. Once shuffled, the dealer will ask you to place your bets.
Once bets have been made, each player is given one stack composed of four tiles, which the player needs to make two hands out of. These two hands must be higher than that of the dealers’. If it’s not, then you lose.
In a tie, the winner is decided by whoever has a hand with the highest value. It is one of the more complex games, but many Asian players love the strategy and careful thought that goes into this game.
3. Sic Bo
An ancient Chinese game, this one is purely based on luck. Players have fifty different wagering options to pick from and some high-paying bets have great odds like 180:1. Unlike Pai Gow, this is an exhilarating ride, but you need to work out the table first or it can really confuse you.
The aim is to foretell how the dice will land. You can bet on dice 1, 2 or 3 or even all depending on where you place your chips on the table. Once you place your bets, the dice is rolled and if it displays any of the numbers you chose, you win.
Ultimately, there is no strategy you can employ in Sic Bo, everything depends on luck and the roll of the dice. The fun part is that there are many ways to bet on a dice roll, and each one pays out differently.
2. Keno
Keno came about to raise money and some stories say it was used to help with funds to build the Great Wall of China.
Similar to Bingo or the lottery, players are given number cards that start with one and end with eighty. You can choose any amount of numbers up to twenty.
There are multiple wagering options, such as a combo, king, or straight ticket. The straight-ticket is probably the simplest choice for any beginner – this is when you bet a single wager on all your chosen numbers.
Most casinos will allow you to place a bet at any time for Keno, as draws occur throughout the day.
Baccarat
A decidedly easier game to play with a reasonably decent house edge. A strategy is required, but that can be learned. This game is popular in the Asian market.
There is a dealer, a banker, and the player. The banker and player are given two cards face up. Whichever hand is closest to nine is the winner. Betting on the player’s hand will yield double of what you bet if that is the winner, and betting on the banker’s hand will give you almost 100 percent of your bet back (95% to be exact).
If the two cards surpass the value of nine, the first digit is dropped to get the total amount.