America’s taste in games is always changing. 212 million people in the U.S. are classed as gamers. This may be because they play rummy with friends, or it may be because they are professional esports gamers. Even in the modern world of high-definition graphics and massive online multiplayer games, the simple classics have their place.

The U.S. is such a big country that every state has its own different take, both in terms of the law and their favorite games. States are responsible for setting their own laws, separate from federate law. This means that in some states gambling is regulated and allowed, and in others, it is banned. That doesn’t mean these states can’t enjoy table and card games, they just can’t legally gamble on them at a casino.

Baccarat

Baccarat is thought to have come from Italy and was first played over 500 years ago, but historians tend to dispute the exact origin of the game. The specifics of the way the game was played would have been a little different back then too.

Go to a Macau casino and you will see that in some parts of the world, this is the most popular casino game of all. In the US, this isn’t the case. In a recent survey, Alaskans said that Baccarat was their favorite game, but elsewhere in the US, the other games were slightly more popular.

Baccarat is growing in the US, though. High rollers have loved the game for a long time and the fact it has quite a low house edge is helping to make it popular among the masses. It is now one of the best-known table games played at online casinos.

Another driving force behind this growth is the fact that baccarat is available to play live online with a real dealer in many parts of the US. Live dealer baccarat connects a player to a real human via a webcam. It gives much more of a realistic casino feel to it, and it is almost like interacting with a croupier in a Vegas casino.

Live dealer games are growing in popularity, and more of the US has stable internet, even in rural areas. Colorado is investing a lot of money in internet infrastructure and connectivity. So, people can play with less fear of getting cut off from the dealer. This is something that would happen at some casinos when live games first launched, but it has become infrequent now and helped some games grow.

Blackjack

Blackjack is another import from Europe, though it has had a lot of different names such as 21 and Pontoon. The first recorded playing of the game was made around the turn of the 17th Century, though the origins are disputed.

This is another game that casinos tend to offer with a live dealer, which means that in the age of online casinos players have a choice of how they want to play.

Blackjack is popular due to its simplicity. You can pick up the rules in a matter of minutes, and even start to think about a gaming strategy. Blackjack also has quite a few different variations and twists on the rules which help keep the game fresh.

In a survey by casinos.com, it was found that 46% of people said blackjack was the most “essential” casino game to learn.

Poker

More states listed poker as the most popular game than any of the other casino games. Specifically, Texas Hold’em is the most-played variety of the game but there are lots of options for poker players.

Whether playing in person or online, they can check out varieties like Five Card Draw or Seven-Card Stud. There is a huge professional poker scene in the US and around the world, too. The Poker Hall of Fame is made up of lots of American players including Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth.

Roulette

Roulette is a game of total chance, there’s no skill or strategy involved in the game but this is precisely what some people like. Roulette is another game with disputed origins, some think it was originally played in 1655 and some think it was even before that, with ancient monks rumoured to have played similar games to deal with the monotony of everyday life.

Today, pretty much every in-person or online casino has some way of playing roulette, and there are also variations such as “Mini Roulette” for people to try.

Conclusion

There are other popular card games played by Americans such as Rummy, Spades, and even Patience if you want a game to play on your own.

Poker is the most popular of the card games. It is part of American culture and millions of people even watch tournaments on television. Baccarat and Blackjack are more simple to get started with and don’t have the added dynamic of competing against other people, which means bluffing and a psychological side of the game.

With online casinos being so popular, there are always new ways to play and new varieties of some of the classic card games, or you may just want to stick to the classics.