Top 6 Unique Casino-Style Games From Around The World

Let’s forget about the roulette wheels and poker faces you might find at an online casino like King Billy Casino. There’s another world of gambling beyond these classics. While blackjack and slots dominate both real-life and virtual casino gaming floors around the world, hidden gems exist. They’re waiting for new adventurous players. Travel the globe with us here at Gaminzion.com and discover unique casino-style games that add a twist to traditional luck-based entertainment.

Catch A Wave

Casino games come in all shapes and skill levels. Especially at the best online casinos in the US, like King Billy Casino. While some, like craps, require strategic thinking, others are pure luckfests. Enter Catch a Wave, one of the most simple yet thrilling unique casino-style games that hit a few casinos in the early 2000s, including Foxwoods in Connecticut. Remember the classic game show Card Sharks? Catch a Wave offered a similar adrenaline rush. Players faced off against the dealer, a la blackjack, and the game revolved around one key question: higher or lower?

Here’s the deal: you predict if the next card will be higher or lower than the one revealed. Six correct guesses in a row scored a sweet 6 to 1 payout! But be warned, one wrong guess and your bet goes swimming with the fishes (well, to the house). The dealer also played, but with predetermined rules limiting their options. This added a layer of strategy for savvy players. While payouts varied based on the draw and player choices, the core remained the same – can you ride the wave of luck and correctly predict the highs and lows of the deck?

Japan’s Quirky Gamble – Pachinko

While Japan has strict gambling laws, Pachinko parlours offer unique and legal ways to play. These immensely popular parlours house rows of pachinko machines, a hybrid between pinball and slot machines. Imagine a vertical pinball machine filled with tiny metal balls. Players launch these balls up the machine, hoping they land in special pockets that trigger bonus rounds and showers of even more balls. The more balls you win, the more prizes you can redeem! That’s the catch. Pachinko parlours don’t directly award cash for your winnings. Instead, you receive tokens or pachinko balls that can be exchanged for various prizes at a connected shop.  But wait, there’s another twist! These shops often conveniently have nearby vendors willing to buy your prizes for cash, creating a bit of a loophole in the legal system. 

But here’s the clever part: nearby vendors often buy your prizes for cash, creating a loophole in the system. These vendors then return the balls to the parlour for cash, taking a cut for their service. Think of it like a real-life version of “Plinko” from The Price is Right! Pachinko actually started in the 1920s, aimed at children. But adults quickly adopted these unique casino-style games, and the first commercial parlour opened in 1948. Today, Pachinko is a multi-billion dollar industry. 

Unique Casino Style Games – Card Craps

Hankering for craps, but find yourself in a tribal casino with nary a die in sight? Don’t fret!  Some casinos, particularly in California and Oklahoma, have a clever solution to comply with regulations that restrict dice games.  Enter Card Craps! Instead of the familiar rattle of dice, Card Craps uses shuffled decks to determine the “roll.”  The specifics vary: some places let players choose two cards from a full deck, with specific combinations mirroring dice rolls.  Others have players draw a single card from a special deck with pre-assigned values. 

However Card Craps is one of the unique casino-style games that lacks the electrifying energy of traditional craps. Forget the cheers as dice cascade down the felt, replaced by a quieter card selection and reveal.  The element of chance and the thrill of the roll are undeniably dampened by paper substitutes. But hey, when the craving for craps hits and dice are off-limits, drawing a card for that winning point number isn’t the worst alternative, right? It might not be the full Vegas experience, but it offers a chance to play the game you love with a unique twist.

Silver Strike Slot Machines

Craving a taste of casino nostalgia? Look no further than Silver Strike slots! These vintage machines, dating back to the early 1990s, offer a unique twist on unique casino-style games that feature classic slot play. Not only can you win the usual coins or tokens, but lucky winners also score a commemorative silver coin alongside their payout! While finding these machines might be a challenge, The Plaza in downtown Las Vegas brought back the magic in 2020 with a pair of refurbished Silver Strikes. 

But there’s a modern twist – instead of classic coins, these machines award special $10 silver-clad tokens. Here’s the beauty: keep the coin as a collector’s item or cash it in for its value! The silver coins have become a hot commodity for fans of vintage slots. Can’t make it to The Plaza? Don’t fret! The internet offers plenty for sale, making them a perfect addition to any casino memorabilia collection.

Chicken Challenge – Unique Casino-Style Games

Forget slots and roulette! According to online casino news in the US, in 2002, the Tropicana, which has since dissappeared, in Las Vegas hatched some hilarious novelty unique casino-style games. The Chicken Challenge. Casino-goers traded card sharks for a feathered foe – a chicken named Ginger. This wasn’t your average barnyard brawl; it was a battle of wits in a game of Tic-Tac-Toe! Members of the Tropicana’s club got one shot a day to outsmart Ginger. Players tapped their moves on a touchscreen, while Ginger pecked hers with surprising strategic prowess (“fowl” play not suspected!). 

The iconic “Chicken Dance” song added to the lighthearted atmosphere.This unique competition became a major draw. Many hopeful gamblers faced Ginger, but most left clucking their tongues in defeat.  However, a win against the brainy bird wasn’t just for bragging rights – it came with a $10,000 prize!  Clearly, the Tropicana knew they weren’t dealing with a foolish cluck.

Pica Horse Racing

There’s no need to visit Las Vegas to have a good time gambling. Head over to Puerto Rico. There, the thrill of horse racing comes in a unique, local package called Pica Horse Racing. These unique casino-style games aren’t your typical casino fare. Found at fairs, festivals, and even cantinas, Pica brings the excitement of the track to small towns across the island. Think roulette, but with a tropical twist. Instead of a spinning wheel, Pica boasts a handcrafted marvel: a wooden and metal machine featuring 24 intricately carved and painted miniature horses. Each horse rests on a metal dowel, ready to gallop around the machine’s top. But these horses aren’t just pretty! They’re the heart of the action.

Just remember, the odds change depending on your bet. Once the bets are in, the piquero, the game’s master of ceremonies, cranks things up. The handle turns, sending the intricately carved horses on a frantic dash around the top of the machine.  The suspense builds as the gears slow the horses to a crawl for a thrilling finish. The winner? The closest horse to the finish line without going over takes the prize! The piquero swiftly collects losing bets and pays out the lucky winners. Then, in a flash, the next round begins, and the crowd roars with excitement once more.

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