The Irish love competition and a good game of chance. There is a reason, after all, that “the Luck of the Irish” is a well-known phrase all throughout the world. With the popularization and legalization of online casinos in Ireland, more and more people have become interested in gambling – which has brought up the question; what are the most popular games in Irish casinos? In this article, we’d like to look at the top five most popular casino games in the Emerald Isles.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a staple of Irish casinos. The card game has endured as a popular casino game in Europe, the United States, and certain parts of Asia for centuries. It now stands atop as the most popular gambling card game in the world, and it is no different for Ireland.
Of course, land-based casinos are not the only establishments that house blackjack. Gambling websites are doing a fine job of bringing the best blackjack experience to the public. All of the newest Irish online casinos for 2024 have the option to play a video version of blackjack. However, that simply does not satisfy people the same way a face-to-face game does.
That is why, online casinos have also managed to create live blackjack games. Dealers livestream themselves, in real time, and interact with an enthusiastic chat. Live casinos are, in the eyes of many, the future of online gambling, and have certainly enamored many of Ireland’s best gamblers.
Slot Machines
When discussing gambling, both online and offline, slot machines must inevitably be brought up. “Why?” you may ask. Well, the history of the slot machine is a fantastic and important one. These games have endured a century of change and evolution, in order to achieve the status of the casino’s most popular game.
There can’t be denying that online casinos thrive on slots. Most of the popular ones house as many as hundreds of these games. What makes them even more popular is the inclusion of visual themes and audio effects that make the games feel a lot more engaging and interactive. Best of all, the various online casino bonuses help new players get better acquainted with the games, making it easier to get into the spirit of online casinos as a whole.
Roulette
One of the most iconic casino games in the world is roulette. The red and black wheel has graced casinos since the 1600s. No wonder it has become a symbol for many gambling establishments in the present. What a lot of people can’t seem to agree on regarding roulette, is its status as a game of pure chance. Some believe, including Einstein himself, that roulette is impossible to win. Others seem to think that they’ve cracked the code.
There are a ton of podcasts debates surrounding the idea that you can strategize for roulette. However, the answer really does seem to be that the game is pure luck. Still, that doesn’t prevent many gamblers from doing their best in order to maximize their wins and minimize their losses. The way they do this is by incorporating betting strategies, rather than playing strategies.
The most popular example of a roulette betting strategy is the so-called progressive system. The idea is simple, you start out with small bets, and gradually increase them each time you fail to win. The goal is that, if you eventually do win, you make your money back, as well as earn a little extra. These strategies have proven effective for some, but not for others, so take them with a grain of salt.
Baccarat
A game in many ways similar to blackjack, baccarat could be seen as the younger cousin. While not nearly as popular in the West as it is in the East, baccarat still holds a special place in many European casinos. In Ireland, for example, it is one of the top three most consistently played casino games.
One of the reasons for baccarat success is similar to blackjack’s success. The game has pretty good player odds, and a relatively low house edge. While the house edge in baccarat is higher than the one in blackjack, it is still significantly lower than most slot games, and a lot of roulette games.
Poker
We’ve certainly saved the best for last. Poker is often seen as the King of the Casino. Despite that title, it is nowhere near as popular to play in gambling establishments as all the other games mentioned on this list. The reason for that is actually very simple; poker is a game of pure skill, much like chess, and it is best not to play against people whose skill you don’t know.
That is why most fans of the game prefer to play with a certain group of friends, with whom they have relatively comparable skill. However, there are a quite a lot of hardcore players who want to test themselves against, which is why poker remains a staple in most, if not all casinos throughout the Emerald Isles.
Even those who don’t want to play poker proper enjoy the video version of the game. While quite a hit, video poker can’t really be called a “poker” game. It is, in many ways, much closer to slots. Video poker largely follows the same mechanics as slots, but uses traditional poker symbols. The game is a huge hit throughout the world, but the Irish seem especially fond of it.
Honorable Mentions
The five games we’ve discussed in this article are by far the most popular games you can expect to find in any Irish casino. However, with the introduction of online gambling, a lot more obscure games have attained mainstream status. In this section, we would like to go over some games that may not be as popular, but are picking up steam.
- Craps: the popular dice game has gotten a lot more fans recently, with plenty of people flocking to both the virtual and land-based craps tables.
- Fish Table Games: the closest thing online casinos can offer to video games, fish table games are a fun and innovative way to gamble.
- Specialty Games: “specialty games” is a section at any online casino. Like fish table games, it is a fun new way to wager.
