The Newfound Popularity of Asian Casino Games

Some Asian games have been blended with Western games while others have retained all of their originality. In any case, they have exploded onto the casino scene for a couple of reasons. One of these reasons is because Asian-themed games provide a breath of fresh air from more traditional games like blackjack, slots, and poker. The other big reason is because Asian people in casino-heavy continents such as Europe and North America prefer to play these games.

Here is an in-depth look at some of the Asian games that are present in almost every land-based and Internet casino across the globe.

As mentioned before, Pai Gow Poker is one Asian game that has been well received in casinos. You can’t walk into a land-based casino or visit an online casino without seeing at least some version of Pai Gow Poker. And the Pai Gow Poker version you’ll see the most involves a 53-card deck (the 53^rd card is the joker). This differs greatly from the original version of Pai Gow where Chinese dominoes are used instead of cards.

In the cards version of Pai Gow Poker, the game starts out with a player being dealt seven cards. With these seven cards, the player is required to form two different hands; one hand has five cards while the other hand has two cards. Winning hands and payouts will be made according to the rules of the casino you’re playing in.

Another Asian-based game that has really taken off in Western casinos is Sic Bo; Sic Bo is pretty close to its original form right down to the name. Those who are used to Western casino games will be reminded of craps when they play this game because Sic Bo uses dice.

Of course, Sic Bo has its differences too such as the Chinese markings on the table that indicate where the small and large bets are to be placed. Another difference is that this game uses three dice instead of one and the bets are all determined through this one roll.

Of all the Asian-themed games in casinos these days, Keno is the one that’s been westernized the most. Keno got its start in China and was brought to the West by Chinese laborers. The game was originally played with symbols, but that has certainly changed when you look at today’s version of the game.

The first major change to Keno took place when the French switched the symbols to numbers and labeled the game Quine. This new name is where Keno is derived from, and the numbers have been retained in both online and land-based casinos. Now millions of gamblers across the world enjoy the game as they attempt to win the huge jackpots that are commonly offered in Keno. 

Mahjong doesn’t have quite the popularity of Pai Gow Poker, Keno or Sic Bo, but it is still featured in different areas of the world. One very interesting fact about Mahjong is that it was invented by the Chinese philosopher Confucius.

Mahjong is played with tiles featuring Chinese symbols and players need to pick one more tile to complete their hand. Players normally get three chances to pick a tile that will form a winning casino hand. If a winning combination if formed, players will get paid according the game’s pay table.  One problem many people have with Mahjong is that it’s mainly based on luck and the house has a big edge. However, people still love to play Mahjong whenever it’s offered.