We can't say we made the instructions, but we've made sure to find the best ones out there. Learn how to play the most popular casino games for your casino party using the links below. We have videos and written instructions. You can also share this with your guests so they can learn how to play too!

The Rules of Blackjack

The Basics:

The object of the blackjack game is to accumulate cards with point totals as close to 21 without going over. Face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are worth 10 points. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever is preferable. Other cards are represented by their number.

If player and the House tie, it is a push and no one wins. Ace and 10 (Blackjack) on the first two cards dealt is an automatic player win at 2 to 1, unless the house ties. A player may stand at any time.

Playing Blackjack:

To win you need to beat the dealer without busting. You’re only playing against the dealer, not the other players at the table. You bust when your cards total to more than 21 and you lose automatically. The winner is whoever has closest to a total of 21. You reach 21 by adding up the values of the cards.

The blackjack table seats about 7 players. Either four or six decks of cards are used and are shuffled together by the dealer and placed in a card dispensing box called ‘Shoe’.

Before receiving any cards players must place a wager. Then the players are dealt two cards face up. The dealer gets one face up, one face down. Each player in turn either stays or takes more cards to try and get closer to 21 without busting. Players who do not bust wait for the dealer’s turn. When all the players are done, the dealer turns up the down card. By rule, on counts of 17 or higher the dealer must stay; on counts of 16 or lower the dealer must draw.

If you make a total of 21 with the first two cards (a 10 or a face and an Ace), you win automatically. This is called ‘Blackjack’. If you have Blackjack, you will win two times your bet unless the dealer also has Blackjack, in which case it is a Push or a Tie (or a Stand-off) and you get your bet back.

The remaining players with a higher count than the dealer win an amount equal to their bet. Players with a lower count than the dealer lose their bet. If the dealer busts, all the remaining players win. There are other betting options namely Insurance, Surrender, Double Down, Even Money and Split.

Other Betting Options:

Insurance: side bet up to half the initial bet against the dealer having a natural 21 – allowed only when the dealer’s showing card is an Ace. If the dealer has a 10 face down and makes a blackjack, insurance pays at 2-1 odds, but loses if the dealer does not.

Double Down: double your initial bet following the initial two-card deal, but you can hit one card only. A good bet if the player is in a strong situation.

Even Money: cashing in your bet immediately at a 1:1 payout ratio when you are dealt a natural blackjack and the dealer’s showing card is an Ace.

Hard Hand: A hand without an Ace or with an Ace valued at 1 is said to be hard in that it can only be given one value, unlike a Soft Hand. (You can value an Ace 1 or 11 to suit you).

Soft Hand: A hand that contains an Ace counted as 11 is called a Soft Hand.

Splitting: split the initial two-card hand into two and play them separately – allowed only when the two first cards are of equal value. Use each card as the start to a separate hand and place a second bet equal to the first. Player put up another bet equal to his first one, draws to the first hand, and plays it out. He the draws to the second hand and plays that out. Pairs may be split up to 4 times.

The Rules of Craps

The Basics:

Craps is one of the most exciting casino games. It is common to hear yelling and shouting at a craps table. It is played on a purpose-built table and two dice are used. The dice are made after very strict standards and are routinely inspected for any damage. As a matter of course, the dice are replaced with new ones after about eight hours of use, and casinos have implemented rules in the way a player handles them.

Playing Blackjack:

The player must handle the dice with one hand only when throwing and the dice must hit the walls on the opposite end of the table. In the event that one or both dice are thrown off the table, they must be inspected (usually by the stickman) before putting them back into play.

The craps table can accommodate up to about 20 players, who each get a round of throws or at ’shooting’ the dice. If you don’t want to throw the dice, you can bet on the thrower. Several types of bets can be made on the table action. The casino crew consist of a stickman, boxman and two dealers.

The first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the Come Out roll – a new game in Craps begins with the Come Out roll. A Come Out roll can be made only when the previous shooter fails to make a winning roll, that is, fails to make the Point or seven out.

A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current shooter does make his Point, the dice are returned to him and he then begins the new Come Out roll. This is a continuation of that shooter’s roll, although technically, the Come Out roll identifies a new game about to begin.

When the shooter fails to make his or her Point, the dice are then offered to the next player for a new Come Out roll and the game continues in the same manner. The new shooter will be the person directly next to the left of the previous shooter – so the game moves in a clockwise fashion around the craps table.

The dice are rolled across the craps table layout. The layout is divided into three areas – two side areas separated by a center one. Each side area is the mirror reflection of the other and contains the following: Pass and Don’t Pass line bets, Come and Don’t Come bets, Odds bet, Place bets and Field bets. The center area is shared by both side areas and contains the Proposition bets.

Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don’t bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don’t bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don’t bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the ‘Bar’ roll on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).

The Bets You Can Make in Craps:

Pass Line Bet: You win if the first roll is a natural (7, 11) and lose if it is craps (2, 3, 12). If a point is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) it must be repeated before a 7 is thrown in order to win. If 7 is rolled before the point you lose.

Odds on Pass Line Bet: After a point is rolled you can make this additional bet by taking odds. There are different payoffs for each point. A point of 4 or 10 will pay you 2:1; 5 or 9 pays 3:2; 6 or 8 pays 6:5. You only win if the point is rolled again before a 7.

Come Bet: It has the same rules as the Pass Line bet. The difference consists in the fact you can make this bet onlyafter the point on the pass line has been determined. After you place your bet the first dice roll will set the come point. You win if it is a natural (7, 11) and lose if it is craps (2, 3, 12). Other rolls will make you a winner if the come point is repeated before a 7 is rolled. If a 7 is rolled first you lose.

Odds on Come Bet: Exactly the same thing as the Odds on Pass Line bet except you take odds on the Come bet not the Pass Line bet.

Don't Pass Line Bet: This is the reversed Pass Line bet. If the first roll of a dice is a natural (7, 11) you lose and if it is a 2 or a 3 you win. A dice roll of 12 means you have a tie or push with the casino. If the roll is a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) a 7 must come out before that point is repeated to make you a winner. If the point is rolled again before the 7 you lose.

Don't Come Bet: The reversed Come Bet. After the come point has been established you win if it is a 2 or 3 and lose for 7 or 11. 12 is a tie and other dice rolls will make you win only if a 7 appears before them on the following throws.

Place Bets: This bet works only after the point has been determined. You can bet on a dice roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. You win if the number you placed your bet on is rolled before a 7. Otherwise you lose.

Odds on Place Bets: payoffs are different depending on the number you bet on. 4 or 10 will pay 9:5; 5 or 9 pays 7:5, and 6 or 8 pays 7:6. You can cancel this bet anytime you want to.

Field Bets: These bets are for one dice roll only. If a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 is rolled you win. A 5, 6, 7 and 8 make you lose. Field Bets have the following different payoffs: 2 pays double (2:1) while 12 pays 3:1. Other winning dice rollspays even (1:1). Big Six, Big Eight Bets – Placed at any roll of dice these bets win if a 6 or 8 comes out before a 7 is rolled. Big Six and Big Eight are even bets and are paid at 1:1.

Proposition Bets: These bets can be made at any time and, except for the hardways, they are all one roll bets:

• Any Craps:Wins if a 2, 3 or 12 is thrown. Payoff 8:1
• Any Seven:Wins if a 7 is rolled. Payoff 5:1
• Eleven:Wins if a 11 is thrown. Payoff 16:1
• Ace Duece:Wins if a 3 is rolled. Payoff 16:1
• Aces or Boxcars:Wins if a 2 or 12 is thrown. Payoff 30:1
• Horn Bet:It acts as the bets on 2, 3, 11 and 12 all at once. Wins if one of these numbers is rolled. Payoff is determined according to the number rolled. The other three bets are lost.
• Hardways:The bet on a hardway number wins if it’s thrown hard (sum of pairs: 1-1, 3-3, 4-4…) before it’s rolled easy and a 7 is thrown.
• Payoffs:Hard 4 and 10, 8:1; Hard 6 and 8, 10:1

Rules of Roulette

Object of the Game:

To win at roulette the player needs to predict where the ball will land after each spin. This is by no means easy. In fact, luck plays an important part in this game. Some players go with the winning numbers calling them ‘hot’ numbers and therefore likely to come up more times. Others see which numbers did not come up for some time and bet on them believing that their turn is now due. Some players bet on many numbers to increase their chances of winning at every spin, but this way the payout is considerably reduced. Other methodical players use specific roulette systems or methods, money management systems, or both.

The Basics:

Players, usually between eight and fifteen, play against the house represented by the dealer, who spins the roulette wheel and handles the wagers and payouts. The wheel has 37 slots representing 36 numbers and one zero. In the USA most roulette wheels have two zeros and therefore 38 slots.

To play roulette, you place your bet or bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table had a chance to place their bets, the DEALER starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier says ‘no more bets’.

From that moment no one is allowed to place – or change – their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the croupier places the dolly on the winning number on the roulette table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the croupier pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.

The Payouts for Roulette:

The following list are the payoffs for each of the possible types of bets you can make in roulette:

• A bet on one number only, called a straight-up bet, pays 35 to 1.
• A two-number bet, called split bet, pays 17 to 1.
• A three-number bet, called street bet, pays 11 to 1.
• A four-number bet, called corner bet, pays 8 to 1.
• A six-number bet, pays 5 to 1.
• A bet on the outside dozen or column, pays 2 to 1.
• A bet on the outside even money bets, pays 1 to 1.

Rules of Texas Hold'em Poker

The Basics:

Texas Hold ‘Em (or Texas Holdem) is the primary version of poker played in many casinos, and it’s the version seen on television shows like the Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour and ESPN’s World Series of Poker.

The Shuffle, The Deal, and The Blinds:

The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck. In casinos and at your casino party, the dealer never plays. A round disc — known as a “dealer button” — moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer if the deal were advanced from player to player as the game went along.

Most Texas Hold ‘Em Poker games start with the two players to the left of the dealer (the button) putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, ensuring that there’s something to play for on every hand. This is called “posting the blinds.” Most often, the “first blind” — the player to the left of the dealer — puts up half the minimum bet, and the “second blind” puts up the full minimum bet.

Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These are known as the “hole cards.” A round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it’s their turn to bet.

The Flop

After the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card and is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the “flop.” NOTE: Eventually, a total of five community cards will be placed face up on the table. Players can use any combination of the community cards and their own two hole cards to form the best possible five-card Poker hand. After the flop, another round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it’s their turn to bet.

Fourth Street

The dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the “turn” or “Fourth Street.” The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins the third round of betting.

The River Card

The dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the “river” or “Fifth Street.”

Final Betting and The Winner

Players can now use any combination of seven cards — the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them — to form the best possible five-card Poker hand. The fourth and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.

Winning Poker Hands:

The following is a list of all the possible winning poker hands:

• Royal Flush: This is the best possible hand in standard five-card Poker. Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, all of the same suit.
• Straight Flush: Any five-card sequence in the same suit (e.g.: 8, 9, 10, Jack and Queen of clubs; or 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of diamonds).
• Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same value (e.g.: 8, 8, 8, 8; or Queen, Queen, Queen, Queen).
• Full House: Three of a kind combined with a pair (e.g.: 10, 10, 10 with 6, 6; or King, King, King with 5, 5).
• Flush: Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence (e.g.: 4, 5, 7, 10 and King of spades).
• Straight: Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit (e.g.: 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 9 of diamonds, 10 of spades and Jack of diamonds).
• Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same value (e.g.: 3, 3, 3; or Jack, Jack, Jack).
• Two Pair: Two separate pairs (e.g.: 2, 2, Queen, Queen).
• Pair: Two cards of the same value (e.g.: 7, 7).
• High Card: If a Poker hand contains none of the above combinations, it’s valued by the highest card in it.