Don’t let anyone talk you into believing that you have no effect on the outcome of your casino play. Too many sceptics would have you believe that online casino games are all pre-determined by the Random Number Generator and the Random Chip Generator. They claim that players have no control over game outcome, whether in land casinos or online casino parlours.

This may be partially true. Randomness is a key element in many casino games. But in every game there are “styles of play”, and any seasoned slots player or veteran craps shooter will tell you that a lot of whether you win or lose is determined by individual factors like patience, timing and bet distribution. A player’s behaviour and choices, perhaps more than actual skill, have a real outcome on the game and the effects of these choices varies depending on the game he/she plays.

You affect the outcome of every online casino game you play just by the amount of money you wager. There is no such thing as your destiny being determined by pure luck in online casino play.

High Degree of Skill Casino Games

• Blackjack – The card game of Blackjack, also known as “21”, involves the most strategy of any game in the casino. Players affect the outcome of a series of games by the amount of their bets and the strategies they employ in trying to get a higher card amount than the dealer. Scores of books have been written on Blackjack strategy based on mathematical probability. The skilful use of strategies will determine your outcome.
• Poker – There are a wide variety of Poker games and strategy is an important component in each of them. Poker variations, such as Jacks or Better, Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Five and Seven Card Studs, and Caribbean Poker, involve a high level of skill, which has a direct bearing on the outcome of the game. Skilled players exact a greater effect on the game’s outcome.
• Craps – The online casino game of Craps might appear to be simply a game of luck, completely dependent on the roll of two dice. However, the betting schemes involve a high degree of skill and eventually determine the outcome of your wager.
• Roulette – While the game is determined by a Random Chip Generator inside a computer chip, players still display skill in the arrangement and the amount of their various wheel wagers.

Lesser Degree of Skill Casino Games

• Pai Gow – Although it has the second best odds of any table game in the online casino parlour, Pai Gow Poker is determined by the seven cards the player is dealt. One must develop two hands, the first of five cards and the second of two. Once the cards have been dealt, there’s little skill involved. Players do, however, control their wagers.
• Baccarat – The game of Baccarat is quite simple in that players bet on either the dealer or the player to win the game. All other protocols associated with the game of Baccarat are ritualistic smoke and mirrors and have no bearing on the outcome of the game. Players control only betting—on whom they bet and how much.
• Sic Bo – The game of Sic Bo is a three-dice game. The object is for players to bet on which numbers will be rolled. Again, players have no control over the outcome but must know how and when to wager.
• Slots – Even the slot machine outcomes are determined by a computer chip and random numbers. However, players may choose the machine at which they play and the amount of time and money they invest in it. The outcome may be random but player behaviour is not.

The House has the advantage, but it doesn’t have to have control. While skill may not be a factor in your favourite game, player behaviour most definitely is. Get to know the rules of the game you are playing and you can influence its outcome in the one area you can control—your choices.