Online casinos usually have 10,000s of games to offer but in reality it is usually a couple of categories of games that attract most of us. Below you will find the most interesting game types online.
Classic casino games
How to play guides for classic casino games!
Types of casino games online
When we talk about a casino games list at an online casino we don’t just refer to sheer volume. If you take a look at the real money casino games some operators have to offer you see that their portfolio is quite diverse.
Online casinos give you a chance to try your luck on thousands of different pokies, chase multimillion payouts on the jackpots or simply play bingo to pass the time. You can choose from many electronic variants of table games or you can put your skills to the test against live dealer.
From video poker, keno, baccarat to specialty games, online casinos are guaranteed to have any game you want to play.
Factors that consist a good game:
- High RTP
- Low house edge
- Nice design
#1. Pokies/slots
Pokies take up the most from the casino games list at every online casino. But despite their popularity online pokies have the highest house edge from most other casino games. They can be very volatile eating your balance away pretty fast, but they can also bring monster payouts in the first few spins.
A general rule across the industry is that the best pokies to play are the ones with a high RTP value (96%+) and a low to medium variance.
But you also need to consider the overall payout potential of the game and the bonus features it has in stock.
Below we explain the most common details about online pokies. By better understanding the game you can choose the best online pokies and maximize your chances in winning big.
- Wild symbol: The Wild symbol is often referred to as the Joker symbol and it replaces for all other symbols in the game, except for the Scatter and Bonus symbols. In many pokies, the Wild has extra functions like Expanding Wild, Sticky Wild, Wild Reels, Random Wilds, Extra Wilds, Multiplier Wilds, and so on.
- Scatter/Bonus Symbol: The Scatter and the Bonus symbol generally have the same functions. They trigger the bonus round in the game, usually when 3 or more of them land on the screen. once this happens the fun begins with a chance for big payouts to land.
- Free spins bonus: A free spins bonus is the most attractive feature in a pokies where you can play for free. Once 3 Scatters hit the reels the feature is triggered, awarding the player with a predefined number of free spins. The feature can be re-triggered by landing another set of 3 or more scatters and usually comes with extra features attached.
- Cash bonus: The cash bonus is another bonus feature that can be triggered in many pokies. Opposed to the free spins bonus the cash bonus is a pick and win feature. The player makes picks from different objects on the screen and each one reveals a cash prize.
- Overall payout potential: The best way to see if a pokie is worth playing or not is by checking the overall payout potential per spin or per feature. Some pokies can produce smaller payouts ranging from 200 to 500 times the total stake per spin, while others can bring you wins of over 10,000 times the total stake and more. So, the higher the payout potential is the better your chance is to hit a monster payout.
#2. Live casino games
Live Casino games were first introduced by Evolution Gaming. The way they work is that a real live casino floor is built and the gameplay is streamed in real-time by using HD cameras.
The player can place bets on the table via special software and communicate with the dealer and other players via a chat screen. At first, only Roulette and Blackjack were introduced, for later an entire plethora of table games to join the live dealer section.
The most popular live casino games across online casinos today are:
- Live Roulette
- Live Blackjack
- Live Baccarat
- Live 3 Card Poker
- Live Craps
- Live Texas Holdem Poker
- Wheel of fortune games
#3. Video poker
When video poker machines were first introduced across land-based casinos they really changed the face of the industry worldwide. Other players and a dealer were excluded from the equation, leaving only you to play against the machine. Another reason why video poker became a popular casino game is the house edge.
Video poker comes with the lowest house edge in the industry, edging at over 99% on some variants. Players also have a choice to double up their winnings by choosing a Black or Red Card.
This detail makes video poker a lucrative game since with some luck on our side we can easily double our winnings up to some pretty big wins. Of course, you always have a chance to hit a Royal Flush and get the top payout in the game. Some of the most popular poker variants you can play at online casinos are:
- Jacks or Better
- All American Poker
- Deuces Wild
#4. BIngo games
Bingo games allow you to slowly play and build your balance over a period of time. It’s still a game played daily by many Bingo enthusiasts, but today it’s mostly played at specialized Bingo sites. At online casinos, Bingo usually falls into the Specialty games category, along with Keno, Sic Bo, and a few other casino games.
The most popular Bingo games across New Zealand casinos are:
- Roaring Twenties Bingo
- Bingo Blast
- Bargain Bingo
- 90 ball Bingo
- 75 ball Bingo
#5. Scratch cards
Scratch cards You can find scratch cards at pretty much every online casino. They are easy to play as all you need to do is scratch away the fields and reveal a prize. But compared to other casino games scratch cards have a high house edge. Many of them come with bonus rounds and hefty prizes, but it can be hard to make a profit.
Some of the most popular scratch card games across NZ casinos are:
- Treasure Tree
- Lucky 8’s
- Magic Sevens
- Tiki Treasure
- Pirate’s Pillage
#6. Jackpot slots
If you are a fan of online slots, then slots with a progressive jackpot will be even more favourable. The only difference between regular and progressive slots is that the progressive jackpot slot has a built-in jackpot function and a jackpot meter that is clearly displayed on the game screen.
The only downside is that jackpot slots have a lower RTP theoretical percentage, but given that jackpots prizes are in millions, many players are fine with that.
The most popular online progressive jackpot slot is Mega Moolah from Microgaming, with a Guinness record for the highest payout when a lucky player won 31,644,363.62 New Zealand Dollars in the month of October 2018.
by John Coleman (Microgaming CEO)
Progressive jackpots work so that a small percentage of each bet played goes to the jackpot pool prize.
The jackpot is triggered accidentally during the game, within the bonus game you get when special symbols land on your reels – scatter, and in some cases where a special bonus jackpot trigger symbol is inserted.
The hottest progressive jackpot slots in the industry right now include:
- Mega Moolah by Microgaming
- Arabian Nights by NetEnt
- Beach Life by Playtech
- Joker Millions by Yggdrasil
- Sisters of Oz WowPot by Microgaming
Update: Don’t miss the new 4 tiered jackpot function called WowPot from Microgaming. They have 4 new progressive jackpot slots each with starting seed at 2 million NZD.
How to find the best casino games
If you’re a newbie player venturing to the world of New Zealand online casinos you can easily be overwhelmed by the massive offer of casino games. It can be a hard task to find the best ones, lucky for you we are here to help. We have a team of seasoned casino experts who find the best games in the industry and bring them to you.
When looking for the best games our casino experts consider many factors, including:
- High RTP value
- Great bonus rounds
- Big payout potential
- Attractive design
- Low house edge
Once our casino experts find a game that suits the criteria they add it to our site and recommend it to our loyal players. This way you save on time and get to play some of the best casino games in the industry.
#1. Return to Player (RTP)
The RTP (Return to Player) value of a game can be a good indicator of what type of payouts you can expect. Simply put this is the promoted value that the game is designed to return to the player in form of winnings over a period of time.
The math is simple, casino games with a higher RTP value are bound to produce better payouts.
But the RTP value shouldn’t be taken as the only factor of the game. The RTP works in correlation with the game variance and the RNG (Random Number Generator) to create a totally random game.
This means that a pokie with an RTP value of 98% won’t return $98 in winnings over 100 spins at $1 bets. It can be more or it can be less, which is exactly what makes pokies fun to play.
Casino games with high RTPs:
Top online casino games (slots) based by RTP (return to player) – Also means: This is the slots games where the casino the lowest house edge!
Few other worth mention games with highest RTP are:
- Mega Joker – 99,00% (Long time winner)
- White Rabbit Megaways (New) – 97,39%
- Jack Hammer – 97,00%
- Fishy Fortune – 97,90%
- Devils Delight – 97,60%
- Blood Suckers – 98,00%
- Immortal Romance – 96,8%
#2. House edge
The house edge is simply the opposite of the RTP value. If the RTP value of a pokie is 98%, then the house edge is 2%. This is the amount the casino gets to keep in winnings over a period of time.
The house edge is calculated over millions of spins and all pokies reach the house edge and RTP value sooner or later. But the variance makes things interesting giving both the player and the casino and equal chance to make a profit short term.
Which games have the best house edge at casinos? Table games are a bit more skill games than other casino games and therefore the house edge can vary depending on how you play.
#3. Top casino games to play based on house edge
Do you want to know which are the best casino games to play? You have some skill but would like to be sure what casino games have the best odds?
Well in this section we have compiled a list of the best casino games to play by several criteria such as odds of winning, house edge, RTP of the game and popularity:
But to find out which casino games have the best odds of winning, we look at the game’s average “house edge! Let’s look at the list below:
Game type | House edge |
Blackjack | 1,5% |
Baccarat | 1,5% |
Video Poker | 0.5%-5.0% |
Craps | 1,4-5,0% |
Roulette | 2,5% |
Sic Bo | 2,7% |
Pokies | 1.0%-15.00% |
Scratch cards | 3.05%-5% |
As you can see, we players have a greater chance of winning at Baccarat, Roulette and Three Card Poker than at the other casino games.
But as I said, this depends on how we play the game. A more experienced player who knows the rules of the game and has a good strategy can optimize his chances of winning and make sure to have better odds on his side while a beginner often has even lower odds.
The best casino game according to us is Blackjack. It is the game where we can make sure to have a bigger house edge than in other games and it is also a relatively easy game to learn.
#4. Variance or/and volatility
A lot of newbie NZ players have a hard time understanding what exactly does variance mean when it comes to casino games. Well, simply put the game variance determines the frequency of payouts that occur on the reels.
In terms of pokies, you can find games with low, medium, or high variance. Some pokies come with a mixed value, so on some titles, you can come across a low-medium or medium-high variance. But what does this all mean exactly?
- High variance pokies are games that have the potential to produce massive payouts, but this happens very rarely.
- Low variance pokies on the other hand are games that produce frequent payouts that are smaller in size.
Many experienced players base their gameplay according to the pokies’ variance. If they’re aiming to win big they go for high variance pokies and hope to hit a good bonus round.
If they need to wager a big bonus amount they move over to low variance pokies on higher bets.
This is a good strategy when playing pokies based on variance as you maximize your chances of hitting a big payout and keeping most of your balance while you’re wagering a bonus.
#5. Best game providers
Want to find a casino with games from your favorite game developer?
Choose a game developer or go to our casino game developers page for a full list of all developers, choose one and we will tell you more about them, their latest slot launches and the best online casino sites to play at.
An easy way to find new game favorites from your favorite game developer.
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Netent200+GamesLicences: MGAinfo@netent.comSpinola Park, Level one Mikiel Ang. Borg Street, SPK1000, St. Julians, MTEstablished 1996
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Established 2012
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Relax gaming46+GamesEstablished 2010
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Yggdrasil90+GamesEstablished 2013
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Betsoft50+GamesEstablished 1999
FAQ
What do the different game terms mean?
Coin-the coin – is the bet amount that is made in a pokie when the player is making their spin.
Deposit bonus – the deposit bonus is a bonus that players get when the casino matches the deposit that they have made into their account.
No deposit bonus – the no deposit bonus like free spins for online casino games in NZ is one that is given to the player as a gift.
Free spins – free spins are offered in all online casinos to help players play more pokies.
Bonus round – the bonus round is the round in casino games where players can multiply their winnings and get extra bonuses that they would not have gotten before.
Scatter – scatter tiles will fix a stuck board when someone is in a pokie that does not have any matches.
Live dealer game – the live dealer game is hosted by a real person who will deal with the cards or spin the roulette wheel live while the players are on camera.
Jackpot – the jackpot is the collective win that people can get from a game universally regardless of where they are playing the game.
Bankroll – the bankroll is the money that is in the account that a player can use as they go into any game.
Pay line – the pay line is any line of matches in a pokie that will give the player a win.
What is RNG = Random number generator?
An operating system or computer programme that releases outcome randomly of every dice rolled, every card dealt or wheel spun in the casino games is called a Random Number Generator (RNG).
Are online casino games rigged in any way?
No, online casino games can’t be rigged in any way. When you take a look at the casino games list you see that each game comes from a certain software provider.
They supply the games to the casino and when you play a game you are in fact playing on the server by the software provider and not the casino itself.
The providers operate with a license issued by an authority that guarantees that the games are fair and random.
Can New Zealand players try every game at the casino for real money?
Yes, if the casino in question accepts players from New Zealand you can play any game they have on offer without any problems.
The only exception to this rule is when you are playing with a bonus.
You need to check the bonus terms to see which games are allowed for play with bonus funds.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_game
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_game
- + from game sections at casinos that are listed on New Zealand Casinos
- https://newzealandcasinos.nz/card-games/
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