My Favorite Games

28 December 2021

By Frank Scoblete

QUESTION: You write about all the games but what are your favorites? We can skip over the machines as to me the machine games are not as attractive as the table games. I don’t mean to offend slot players but those machines are just not my thing.

You can put them in order of how you like them or just give them to me one after another but not based on their order in your mind. You decide.

Make your top six! And tell me why you think so.

FRANK RESPONDS: While I will write about most games, I do have my favorites. I’m no different than any other player. I gravitate to the games I like the best even though I do check in on other games as a part of my gaming writing.

I will put them in alphabetical order as opposed to which I like first, second, etc. Some days I like one or another better than the other or another. I’m guessing that’s no different than most other players.

Baccarat (mini-baccarat): I enjoy the big baccarat game, the traditional one in the high-roller rooms of days gone by. You won’t find many of these games anymore except in the top-end casinos. Even then mini-baccarat has taken over for baccarat in such places as well.

Baccarat, on two of its three bets, has an extremely low house edge, lower even than the best bets at craps. The high-roller room game is leisurely and the players actually get to deal the cards. It is a sophisticated game – at least it seems to be. Male and female dealers dressed to the nines running the game. It was terrific.

Mini-Baccarat is the same game except the dealer deals the cards and this version of the game is fast, faster and fastest. Could be the fastest table-game in the casino coming in with maybe 150 decisions per hour or so. It has low betting minimums but the speed of the game is dangerous to players’ bankrolls. I play it on occasion but it is not anywhere close to the traditional version.

Blackjack: The very first game I ever played in a casino. End of the 1980s. The games in those days, even in Atlantic City which was considered tougher than Vegas in terms of number of decks and so forth, had good games. Four decks with great rules.

So, this game set the stage for my casino gaming career and my casino games writing career. The very first article I ever had published was “Emotional Blackjack” for Win Magazine. I throw out a thank you to Cecil Suzuki, my editor for that magazine, who took a chance with this brand-new gaming writer.

Craps: Yes, it is the most exciting game in the casino, taught to me by the late Atlantic City legend, the Captain. There are only a few bets worth making and very few players only make those few bets but it is their money.

I’ve written several books about craps, the Captain’s way, and these I think have had a great impact on the game. The Captain was the best casino thinker I have ever met.

Pai Gow Poker: I do love this game and I am amazed that it hasn’t become a challenger to blackjack in popularity. Your playing decisions have an impact on the casino edge and the house edge is reasonable, especially since this is a leisurely game.

It has a new version that I played at the Ocean Casino in Atlantic City, Face-Up Pai Gow Poker, which is an even better game than the original. If you have never played Pai Gow Poker, give it a try!

Roulette: This old standby has withstood the test of time. If James Bond can play this game so can I. It is generally tied with craps in terms of popularity in the casinos. Around the world, it could be number one.

Okay, there are my favorite games for your consideration.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s web site is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books and at bookstores.