Gambling Online 101
beginner
6 min readOther Table Games
Quick overviews of Casino War, Sic Bo, and more.
BonusBell Team
Beyond the classic table games, casinos offer a variety of other options. Most have higher house edges than blackjack or baccarat, but they offer unique gameplay experiences. Here's a quick overview of what you might encounter.
Casino War
The simplest card game in the casino—you play the childhood game of "War":
- You and dealer each get one card
- Higher card wins (Ace is high)
- Ties go to "war" where you double your bet
Casino War Bets
| Bet | House Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Main game | 2.88% | With war option |
| Surrender on tie | 3.70% | Never surrender |
| Tie bet | 18.65% | Avoid completely |
Strategy Insight
Always go to war on ties. Surrendering gives the house extra edge. But honestly, at nearly 3% edge, there are better games to play.
Sic Bo
Ancient Chinese dice game using three dice:
- Bet on outcomes like totals, specific numbers, or combinations
- Purely luck-based, like roulette
- Popular in Asian markets
Sic Bo Best and Worst Bets
| Bet | House Edge | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Big/Small | 2.78% | 1:1 |
| Odd/Even | 2.78% | 1:1 |
| Any Triple | 11.11% | 24:1 |
| Specific Triple | 16.20% | 150:1 |
Stick to Big/Small or Odd/Even for best odds
Pai Gow Poker
A slower-paced game mixing poker with Chinese dominoes:
- Receive 7 cards, make a 5-card hand and a 2-card hand
- Beat both dealer hands to win
- Many ties result in slow bankroll erosion
- 5% commission on wins
Good to Know
Low volatility game. Expect lots of pushes. House edge is ~2.5% with optimal strategy, but hourly loss is low due to slow pace and pushes.
Pai Gow Tiles
The original game using Chinese dominoes:
- Complex tile rankings to learn
- House edge varies by skill level (1.5-2.5%)
- Rarely found outside high-limit rooms
Caribbean Stud Poker
A poker-style game against the dealer:
- Ante, receive 5 cards, decide to raise or fold
- Dealer needs A-K high to qualify
- Progressive jackpot side bet available
Caribbean Stud Strategy
| Hand | Action |
|---|---|
| Pair or better | Always raise |
| A-K-x-x-x | Raise only if dealer's upcard matches yours or is 2-Q |
| Less than A-K | Fold |
Strategy Insight
House edge is about 5.2% on the main game. The progressive side bet rarely becomes +EV and typically has a 20-50% house edge.
Let It Ride
A relaxed poker variant:
- Make three equal bets, receive 3 cards
- Two community cards are revealed one at a time
- After each reveal, you can pull back one bet or "let it ride"
- Final hand must be pair of 10s or better to win
- House edge: ~3.5%
Red Dog (Acey-Deucey)
Simple card game where you bet on whether the third card falls between the first two:
- Wider spreads are safer bets
- House edge: ~2.8% with optimal play
- Rarely found in modern casinos
Summary: Which Games Are Worth Playing?
Other Table Games Comparison
| Game | House Edge | Skill Factor | Pace | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pai Gow Poker | 2.5% | Low | Slow | Good for extending bankroll |
| Sic Bo | 2.78%+ | None | Fast | Okay on big/small only |
| Casino War | 2.88% | None | Fast | Skip it |
| Caribbean Stud | 5.2% | Low | Medium | Not recommended |
| Let It Ride | 3.5% | Low | Slow | Acceptable |
Pro Tip
If you want table games with low house edge, stick to:
- Blackjack (~0.5% with basic strategy)
- Baccarat banker (1.06%)
- Craps pass/don't pass with odds (~0.4%)
Pick the Best Fit Before You Sit Down
Most mistakes in this category happen before the first bet. Players choose the game that looks easiest or most colorful, then discover too late that the edge, pace, or volatility is a bad fit for the session they actually wanted.
Compare It: Table-Game Selector
Pick the session style you care about most. The goal is not to find a magic game, it is to avoid wandering into a fast, high-edge format that does not match what you actually want from the session.
Quick comparison
| Game | Edge | Pace | Swing | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pai Gow Poker | 2.50% | Slow | Low | Best match |
| Sic Bo | 2.78% | Fast | Medium | Secondary |
| Casino War | 2.88% | Fast | Medium | Secondary |
| Let It Ride | 3.51% | Slow | Medium | Secondary |
| Caribbean Stud | 5.22% | Medium | High | Secondary |
Recommended first stop
Pai Gow Poker
This format best matches the goal you chose while staying away from the nastier edge profile that shows up in the more carnival-style options.
House edge
2.50%
Session pace
Slow
Reality check
Avoid this pick if: You want lots of action or hate long stretches of pushes.
Key Takeaways
- 1Most "other" table games have higher house edges than classics
- 2Pai Gow Poker is good for slow, low-risk sessions
- 3Sic Bo's best bets (Big/Small) have 2.78% edge
- 4Casino War seems simple but has nearly 3% edge
- 5Caribbean Stud's 5.2% edge makes it a poor value
Sources & References
- Caribbean Stud Poker house edge of approximately 5.22% (with optimal strategy) is derived from combinatorial analysis of all possible 5-card poker hands against all possible dealer qualifying hands. Published by gaming mathematicians including Michael Shackleford.
- Casino War house edge of 2.88% (with war option) is independently verifiable from standard deck probability: ties occur with probability ≈ 7.4%, and going to war on ties recovers half the expected loss versus surrendering (3.70% edge).
- Pai Gow Poker house edge of approximately 2.5% with optimal hand-setting strategy, and Let It Ride house edge of approximately 3.51%, are published by gaming commissions and independently verified through combinatorial analysis of poker hand distributions.
- Three Card Poker (Ante/Play) house edge of approximately 3.37%, Sic Bo Big/Small house edge of 2.78% (calculated from 216 possible three-dice outcomes minus triples), and other table game edges referenced from published gaming mathematics literature.
Mathematical claims are independently verifiable. BonusBell platform analysis reflects our tracked platform directory and dated evidence checks as of March 2026.