Online casinos spoil you with the wide choice of games they offer. Pokies, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, video poker, table poker games and specialty games – you get all this and more! Some casinos offer multiple variants of each game; e.g. a casino with software from NetEnt and Microgaming could have more than one Single Deck Blackjack game.

With so many games to pick from, it is important to know the basic rules of each of them so you have more options to work with when you sign up.

Let’s take a quick look at the rules governing four popular online casino games for Aussie players. Play these for your entertainment and if you’re lucky you can also win big!

Blackjack

Blackjack is a popular card game that requires skill. You play against the dealer, not against another player. The objective is to beat the dealer by scoring a hand of 21 or a value closest to it. The following are the rules of this game:

  • The face cards – 10, J, Q and K– are worth 10 points.
  • The value of the Ace could be 1 or 11 points, depending on your hand.
  • The cards 2 to 9 are worth their face value.
  • Both the dealer and the player are dealt a hand of 2 cards.
  • Both the player’s cards are dealt face down, while one of the dealer’s cards is dealt face up.
  • You win when you land a hand of 21 or a value closest to it.
  • You lose if your hand value is over 21.
  • A hand of an Ace and a face card is called a blackjack.
  • A hand of more than 2 cards that add up to 21 is also a winner, but is not called a blackjack.
  • Once the cards are dealt, you can choose to do any of the following:
    • Hit: Draw one or more cards till you achieve a hand of 21 or the value closest to it.
    • Stand: Choose not to draw a card.
    • Double down: You double your wager and are dealt one extra card.
    • Split: If you land a hand of 2 identical values, e.g. 10-10, you split the hand into 2 and attempt to land a blackjack for each of these hands.
  • You can double or split on the original 2 cards that are dealt. Some blackjack variants allow re-splitting a split hand.
  • You can double down on a split hand.
  • Once you have completed your hand, the dealer reveals the closed card and plays out his hand.
  • The dealer always stands on 17. Some blackjack games have variations for this rule.
  • A blackjack hand pays 2:1.

Roulette

Every online casino offers roulette: European Roulette, American Roulette, French Roulette, Multi Wheel Roulette – the variants you get depends on the casino you are playing at and the software vendor(s) behind it.

European Roulette and American Roulette have a major difference – the former uses a single 0, while the latter has double zeroes (00). The following are the basic rules of online roulette.

  • All action unfolds on a wheel with multiple pockets – 37 in European Roulette and 36 in American Roulette.
  • The RTP for American Roulette is 94.7%, while for European Roulette it is 97.3%.
  • The wheel has 18 red and 18 black pockets for the numbers 1 to 36. The pockets for the 0s are green.
  • There is a white ball that is seen on the wheel’s outer rim prior to the start of the game.
  • Place your bets before the wheel spins.
  • Click the Spin button to get the ball rolling. You win when the ball lands in a pocket and satisfies the conditions you placed your wager on.
  • There are multiple bets in roulette and you can place more than one bet per spin.
  • Ensure that you wager within the minimum and maximum limits shown on screen.
  • In American Roulette, you lose all bets if the ball lands on any of the 0s.
  • En Prison Rule: This rule applies to even money bets and comes into play when the ball lands on a zero. You have 2 options to choose from:
  • Claim half your bet and end the round.
  • Leave the bet on the board – in prison, which is what En Prison literally translates to – and spin again. You win if the second spin lands on a non-zero number, and lose if it lands on zero again.
  • La Partage Rule: This rule is almost the same as the En Prison rule except for one thing – if the ball lands on 0 you lose half the bet; there is no other option offered.

The rules are the same – regardless of the game you wish to play – for live casino games. These are usually table games that are brought to you by respected dealers like Evolution Gaming. The only difference is that the dealer – the person who runs the game – is a real person and not casino software.

Pokies

Pokies are simple to play and a whole lot of fun. They are games of chance and you therefore do not require any special skills to be able to play them. Strategy is not of much use as well, since you cannot strategize to counter luck. Most popular pokies can be played for free without an account on AustralianCasinoClub.

Here are the basic rules when it comes to playing pokies.

  • Familiarize yourself with the game layout and the wagering and spin buttons.
  • Check out the RTP value and the payouts, so you have an idea of how frequently the game pays.
  • Check if the game has a single payline or multiple paylines. Single payline games are simple because all you need to take a call on is the number of credits per spin to wager.
  • Check if the paylines are fixed or adjustable. Adjustable paylines give you more options to work with.
  • Also study the rules relating to the use of paylines. This is important because in some games specific bonus games are triggered only when you play maximum lines.
  • Check how many coins you are allowed to wager per line.
  • Read the game rules carefully before starting real money play to understand how each feature works.

Video Poker

Video poker is exciting because it is not dependent on luck a 100%; it offers you the ability to choose your play options based on the hand you are dealt. The following are the basic video poker rules.

  • You must place your wagers to be dealt the first hand.
  • The hand you are dealt has 5 cards.
  • Based on the cards you get, you can choose to ‘hold’ a card, i.e. keep it with you, or discard it.
  • You can hold or discard multiple cards, including all your cards.
  • Once you discard a card(s) a fresh card will take its place.
  • You win if the hand you land now matches any of the established poker hands.
  • All the hands in video poker are standard poker hands.
  • For example, in Jacks or Better, any of the following hands can give you wins:
  1. Royal Flush
  2. Straight Flush
  3. Four of a Kind
  4. Full House
  5. Flush
  6. Straight
  7. Three of a Kind
  8. Two Pair
  9. Pair of Jacks
  • The Royal Flush offers the maximum payout at 250x your wager.
  • In case you are able to put together more than one winning hand in a game, you are paid for the highest hand value.