Casino games compared: how they differ, and what Rama has

We explain how each game works, how fast it moves and what kind of room it creates. We compare Rama's published line-up with what other resorts in our ranking publish. There are no strategies here, because none of them beat the house edge.

One rule first

Every game in a casino is designed so the house keeps a share of what is wagered over time. Pace matters because a faster game exposes more money to that share in an hour. Think of it as the price of the evening's entertainment, set your limit before you start, and stop when you reach it. Nothing on this page should be read as a reason to bet.

Roulette: one zero or two

A roulette wheel has numbered pockets from 1 to 36, half red and half black, plus green zero pockets. The European style has a single zero, 37 pockets in all. The American style adds a double zero for 38 pockets. On most bets, the extra pocket roughly doubles the house's edge.

	European (single zero)	American (double zero)
Pockets	37	38
At Casino Rama	A public single-zero table in the High Limits room	Electronic terminals, "Double 00 Roulette", $3 to $100
Feel	Slower spins, a croupier and a crowd around the wheel	Automated, quicker rounds and no conversation

Elsewhere on our ranking, Great Blue Heron and Stoney Nakoda both list roulette among their table games, but most resorts do not say which wheel they use. If it matters to you, ask before you sit down.

Blackjack

You play against the dealer's hand, aiming to get closer to 21 without going over. Decisions come every few seconds, so blackjack moves faster than roulette. Rama lists live blackjack with Spanish 21 among its variants, electronic blackjack from $3 to $300, and public blackjack tables in High Limits. The High Limits page, last updated in 2023, describes six-deck, hand-dealt games that pay 3 to 2 on a blackjack. Whatever the variant, the rules on the table felt decide the house edge, so read them before you play.

Poker: you are playing people, not the house

In Texas Hold'em, each player gets two private cards and shares five community cards with the table. You play against the other players, and the casino takes a fee from each pot or charges for your seat. There are two very different formats:

Cash games. Chips stand for real money, and you can sit down or leave at any time. A cash game can run for hours.
Tournaments. Everyone buys in for the same amount and gets the same chip stack. Play continues until one player has all the chips, with prizes for the top finishers. It has a fixed cost and a long, structured evening.

Rama runs a Hold'em room with 6 poker tables and a call-in list. Elsewhere in our ranking, River Cree lists a 14-table poker room and Parq lists a 24-hour room. Rama also offers house-banked games built on poker hands, such as 3 Card Poker, Mississippi Stud and Caribbean Stud. In those you play against the casino, not other players, so they behave like other table games.

Baccarat (punto banco)

Players back the Banker or the Player hand, or a tie. The dealer follows fixed drawing rules, so players make no decisions about the cards after betting. In squeeze baccarat, the person with the largest bet bends the card slowly before it is turned, and the game builds a quiet, ceremonial pace around it. Rama lists squeeze baccarat on the floor and in High Limits, plus electronic baccarat from $3 to $300. Great Blue Heron also lists squeeze baccarat.

Slots

Slots are the fastest game in the building: no dealer, a result every few seconds, and a lot of light and sound. Rama counts slots, video slots and electronic table games together as over 1,500 machines. The FAQ gives denominations from one cent to $100 and says the machines pay out in printed tickets rather than coins. For comparison, Fallsview lists over 3,200 machines, Caesars Windsor over 2,000 and Great Blue Heron over 500. We do not name machines or themes. A faster game simply means that more of your budget passes through it in an hour.

Electronic table games

These are individual terminals that run a live-style game with digital wagering. At Rama they cover blackjack, baccarat and double-zero roulette in auto mode, with lower limits than the live tables. They suit people who want table rules without the social side; they also move quickly. Lac-Leamy and Great Blue Heron list electronic games too.

Pace, atmosphere and minimums at a glance

Game	Pace	Atmosphere	Minimums Rama publishes
Live roulette	Slow	Social, crowd at the wheel	High Limits single-zero table listed at $50 public; floor minimums not published
Blackjack	Fast	Focused, quiet	Electronic $3; High Limits public tables $50
Hold'em cash game	Variable	Conversational, long sessions	Not published; ask the poker room
Squeeze baccarat	Medium	Ceremonial	High Limits public table $50
Slots	Very fast	Solitary, loud	One cent per credit (FAQ)
Electronic tables	Fast	Quiet, individual	$3

High Limits figures come from a resort page last updated in October 2023; confirm them with a shift manager before relying on them. Gambling is for adults 19 and over in Ontario, and help is free and confidential at ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600.