Everyone wants to play the best casino games in Canada, but what does that actually mean? I love the payout potential of slots, but I also enjoy the strategic element of blackjack.

My point here is that “best” is a relative term, and it only means something if you understand the nuances of casino gaming. I understand the nuances, which is why I’m going to help you find the best casino games for you.

📊 The best online casino games by odds

Smart players play casino games with the best odds and payouts. However, it’s impossible to know how likely you are to win if you don’t understand the basics of popular casino games. So, to help you make smarter decisions, here are the facts.  

🎰 Slots

• Best CA slot game: Mega Moolah Goddess
• RTP range: 94% to 99%
• Best CA online casino for slots: Mr Vegas Casino

There isn’t a ton of skill in slots gaming, aside from choosing an appropriate bet size, but I still enjoy them. Popular CA online casino slots such as Mega Moolah and Age of the Gods are enjoyable because they’re easy to play. 

You set your bet, hit the spin button, and wait for the reels to stop. If you match the right symbols, you win a prize. There are no major decisions to make unless there’s a bonus round that allows you to select a combination of free spins and multipliers. This simplicity makes slots faster than most table games.

Add some quirky images, animations, and sound effects to the mix, and slots have a sensory appeal that other top gambling games lack. What’s more, the speed at which the reels spin means you can get through hundreds of bets per hour. When you’re betting responsibly and have an edge, speed allows you to even out negative variance. Therefore, in theory, being able to place more bets per hour can be an advantage.   

✅ Why I recommend slots: the best reason to play online casino gaming slots is their payout potential. A casino game slot like Mega Moolah has a progressive jackpot worth more than $1 million, a payout no other games can match.

♠️ Blackjack

• Best CA blackjack game: Live Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack
• RTP range: 99% to 99.6%
• Best CA online casino for blackjack: Betway Casino

Blackjack is a card game that pits you against the dealer in a race to 21. You don’t have to hit 21 to win, but the aim is to get as close to that total as possible without going over (aka going bust). The dealer is aiming to do the same, and the winner is the person who gets the best total without going bust.

Blackjack is my favourite online casino game because the house edge is low. What’s more, with the right strategy, you can change the odds and improve your chances of winning. Payouts are worth 3:2 if you make blackjack (an ace + 10 card) or 1:1 for a standard win. You win more from bonus bets, such as 21+3, but I never make them because they hurt your overall win rate.

✅ Why I recommend blackjack: you should play blackjack if you enjoy strategy and logic. It’s the best game for reducing the house edge. Put another way, you can improve your odds of winning by using blackjack strategy charts that tell you when to hit, stand, split, and double down.

🃏 Live poker

• Best CA live poker game: Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• RTP range: 96% to 97%
• Best CA online casino for live poker: Casumo

I’m a poker player at heart, but there are times when I don’t want to deal with the psychological aspect of the game. Therefore, when I’m not interested in reading tells and bluffing, I enjoy playing live poker casino games at Casumo. 

Aside from the interactive aspect of live dealer games, poker variants such as Pai Gow, Three Card Poker, and Caribbean Stud are perfect for mathematically-minded players. The aim of these games is to compare the chances of your hand beating the dealer’s hand. You do that by drawing cards and knowing when your cards are statistically more likely to win than lose. 

✅ Why I recommend live poker: live casino poker is one of the best games for players who like assessing odds and making logical deductions. You won’t know what the dealer has, but they will have cards on display. Use these cards to deduce what possible hands the dealer can make and whether you’ve got a good chance of winning.

🛞 Roulette

• Best CA roulette game: Immortal Romance Roulette
• RTP range: 94.7% to 97.3%
• Best CA online casino for roulette: Duelz Casino

My favourite thing about roulette is that you’ve always got options. The aim is to predict where a ball will land on a numbered wheel. You can make specific predictions by focusing on single numbers. Alternatively, you can bet on groups of numbers. 

The odds of predicting a single number are 37:1 if you play European roulette, so payouts are rightly 35x. Other bets have shorter odds and lower payouts because they’re lower risk. So, my point here is that roulette is a good casino game to play if you want to control the risk you’re exposed to.

✅ Why I recommend roulette: I love roulette because, more than other online casino games, it’s benefited from the evolution of digital technology. Traditional variants, including European roulette, are now flanked by the likes of Lightning Roulette. These casino games have unique bonus features that take the maximum payout from 35x to over 1,000x.

🎲 Craps

• Best CA craps game: First Person Craps
• RTP range: 83.3% to 100%
• Best CA online casino for craps: Casumo

Walk into any of Canada’s biggest land-based casinos, and you’ll see people gathered around a craps table. The aim of the game is to predict which numbers will appear on the dice. Like roulette, you can make general or specific predictions, i.e. you can bet on specific totals or categories of numbers. 

The fact that someone is rolling dice for the entire table in a live game leads to a sense of communal revelry. You don’t get that online, unfortunately, which is why you won’t find craps at a lot of top-rated Canadian online casinos. That being said, Casumo’s live casino craps tables do capture the spirit of the game. 

✅ Why I recommend craps: this is one of the top casino games for drama and entertainment. The odds of winning aren’t bad if you choose the right bets (hint: make pass/don’t pass and come/don’t come bets). Beyond that, the act of rolling dice (even virtually) is extremely fun and dynamic.

🖥️ Video poker

• Best CA video poker game: Deuces Wild
• RTP range: 90% to 98%
• Best CA online casino for video poker: Swift Casino

I can’t recommend live casino poker games like Pai Gow and not sing the praises of video poker. If you’ve ever played Five Card Draw, you’ll understand the basics of video poker variants such as Jacks or Better, Double Bonus, and Ultimate X Ten Play. A round of video poker starts once you’ve placed a bet. You receive five cards and the following options: hold or draw. 

Any cards you don’t hold get exchanged for new ones. Once you’ve made a decision and any new cards have been drawn, your five-card hand is set. If it meets the minimum requirements, you’ll win a prize based on its value. For example, three-of-a-kind is worth more than a pair. 

✅ Why I recommend video poker: people don’t realize that there’s an element of skill in video poker. Players who understand the odds of making hands based on the cards you hold vs. those you need to draw have a huge advantage in this game. That’s why I recommend this casino game to anyone who enjoys Draw, and Texas Hold’em.

🎴 Baccarat

• Best CA baccarat game: Mega Baccarat
• RTP range: 98.76% to 98.94%
• Best CA online casino for baccarat: Duelz Casino

Baccarat is the casino game of choice for high rollers because it’s easy to play, and the house edge is low. Baccarat hands are ranked according to their numerical value, much like blackjack. However, instead of 21 being the best total, baccarat is all about getting as close to nine as possible. 

There are rules in place with regard to drawing cards and how totals are calculated. However, you don’t need to worry about any of this because you only have one job: bet on the Player, the Banker, or a Tie. You don’t have to decide when to draw cards or which totals to stand on. You simply pick a hand to win (or a tie), and that’s it. 

✅ Why I recommend baccarat: the house edge in baccarat is extremely low, which means it offers better odds than other casino games. What’s more, you can improve your chances of winning by always betting on the Banker. Why? Because the Banker bet has 1.06% odds, and the Player bet has 1.24% odds. You pay 5% commission on winning Banker bets in standard baccarat but not mini baccarat. Therefore, I recommend playing mini baccarat whenever possible.

🏆 Top 10 CA online casino games by RTP

Here are my top casino games in terms of entertainment value and payout potential: 

💰 Real money vs free games in CA casinos

There are two ways to play casino games online: free-play demo games and real-money games. Free-play games are identical to their real-money counterparts in terms of rules, odds, payouts, and dynamics. The only difference is that you bet with virtual chips (aka site credit) rather than cash. 

The upshot of playing with virtual chips is that you can’t win cash prizes like you can with real-money online casino games. Despite that fact, I urge you to try free-play demo games because they offer all the fun without the risk. What’s more, they’re a great way to learn the basics of games you might not have played before, which, in turn, allows you to test out strategies without busting your bankroll.

❤️ My favourite online casino game

My favourite online casino game is blackjack. I can’t pretend $1 million+ progressive jackpots aren’t appealing. I also can’t deny that craps is hugely entertaining or that casino war and keno are fun to play. However, if I activate my logical brain and focus purely on the odds of winning, blackjack is the only option. 

Before I give you some of my top blackjack tips, I have to remind you that you’re still gambling. The odds always favour the house, so nothing I’m about to suggest will work 100% of the time. That being said, you can improve your odds of winning with some smart moves, something you can’t do in other casino games.  

How to play blackjack online

The first thing to do is find the right place to play. I like online casinos in Canada that have plenty of games and promotions. I also want safe ways to pay and the ability to play in any setting. For example, if I’m feeling lucky while I’m outside of the house, it’s handy to have an iOS app I can access via my iPhone. 

Based on this, my favourite places to play blackjack online in Canada are Betway and Mr Vegas. Once you’ve got the perfect place to play, find tables with 3:2 payouts on blackjack as opposed to 6:5 games because the odds are better. 

My top blackjack tips

Finally, base every move you make on the value of your hand and the dealer’s card. Most players focus on their hands and nothing else. That’s a mistake. The dealer’s card determines how you play your hand. For example, if the dealer is showing a 10 and you’ve got 13, the correct move is to hit. However, if the dealer is showing a 5 and you’ve got 13, the correct move is to stand. 

In simple terms, the dealer is weak when they’re showing a 4, 5, or 6. In these situations, you should stand on tricky totals like 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. If you’ve got 11 or less, double down. If you can split, consider splitting. Grasp this concept, and you’ll give yourself the best chance of winning when you play what I believe is the best casino game online.

❓FAQ about CA casino games

The truth is that some games are better than others when it comes to jackpots and odds. However, when you check out my recommended CA online casinos, you’ll soon see that every game has something to offer. 

Now that’s clear, here are a few more things to consider before you enjoy the top gambling games at Canada’s best online casinos:

1. What’s the best-paying game in CA online casinos?

Casino slots are the best-paying games in any setting, including online. Slot machines such as Mega Moolah have progressive jackpot payouts worth more than $1 million. Fixed jackpot slots, such as Sugar Rush, have payouts topping 10,000x your bet. Basically, the best casino slots, regardless of whether or not they have progressive jackpots, offer significantly better payouts than table games like blackjack. 

2. Can I play free games in Canada?

Yes, you can play demo versions of almost any casino game available online in Canada. The only exception to this rule in most cases is live casino games such as Lightning Roulette and Wheel of Fortune. Demo games are free because you don’t have to risk any money. Instead, you use virtual credits. This means you can’t win cash prizes, but you get all the fun of playing casino games such as blackjack, roulette, and Let it Ride without the risk. 

3. Which casino game is most popular with Canadian players?

Online slot machines are the most popular casino games in Canada because they’re easy to play, packed with exciting features, and offer large payouts. The best slots casino in Canada is Mr Vegas. As well as offering one of the most lucrative casino slot games online, Mega Moolah, you can spin the reels of 8,000+ games, including Temple Tumble Megaways.

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the casino offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 19+. T&Cs apply. Responsible Gambling Council

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Responsible Gambling Council – https://www.responsiblegambling.org/

For help with a gambling problem, call the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on 1 800 463-2338.