Online Table Games in Indiana

Blackjack, roulette and craps are favorite games for those visiting casinos in the Hoosier State. In turn, it’s all but certain that once online casinos launch, online table games in Indiana will be a hit as well.

Here is an overview of the most popular online table games with discussions of each, differences between online and live versions of the game, as well as information about where to play online table games in Indiana now and once real money online casinos launch in the state.

Where to play online casino table games in IN

Indiana has yet to legalize real money online casinos, although its neighbor to the north, Michigan, has. Indiana players can play on the MI sites, but they must be physically located in Michigan to do so.

Meanwhile, Indiana players need not travel anywhere to play casino games online at social and sweepstakes sites like Chumba Casino, Pulsz, LuckyLand Slots and Funzpoints. These sites use virtual currencies instead of real money and, in some cases, offer opportunities to redeem winnings for cash prizes. Social and sweepstakes sites focus mainly on slots, but some have table games as well.

What are casino table games?

Table games collectively describe all casino games played on a table. Most casinos, both retail and online, feature more real money slots than any other category of game. But many also have a variety of table games. For some players, table games are their favorite variety.

Roulette and craps are popular examples of table games, as are card-based games like baccarat and blackjack. Here is a list of table games you can expect to find at both retail and online casinos in Indiana:

• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Craps
• Let It Ride
• Pai Gow
• Roulette
• Three Card Poker
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em

There are other table games, too. Even among those listed above, you might find different game types and variants. Many retail casinos also have electronic table games, which are not unlike online table games in that you play them on video screens.

Online vs. in-person table games

If you are familiar with playing table games in a casino, you’ll find that online table games often play very similarly. They typically feature the same rules, odds, and payouts. These days the graphics and animation have advanced to the point that the games really do capture a lot of the same atmosphere as their in-person counterparts.

Most online casinos also feature live dealer versions of table games. These go even further toward recreating the casino experience. Live dealer games emanate from studios with actual dealers running them and, in some cases, allow you to interact not just with the dealer but with other players.

There are several differences between playing online table games and playing them in a casino. Here is a table sorting out the pros and cons of both:

	Online Table Games	Table Games in a Casino
Pros	You can usually play for much lower stakes online than live. Table games move at a faster pace online, allowing you to play more in a shorter amount of time. Sometimes the game you want to play is not being offered in the casino, or it is but there are no seats open. When playing online, you always know the game is ready and waiting for you. Online casinos often offer free-to-play demo versions of table games, allowing you to try them out at no risk. You will sometimes find online casinos offering special versions of table games only possible online, such as a type of roulette with 100-plus slots on the wheel.	There is no need to create a special account or go through any preliminary steps when playing table games in a casino. Table games in a casino can provide a fun social experience that is difficult to recreate when playing online at home. Casino staff are generally present to answer questions about table games and provide other services. Many casinos offer free drinks and table service while you play table games. Casinos often provide other forms of entertainment, such as shows or nightclubs, making it possible to combine playing table games with other activities.
Cons	Some players enjoy socializing while playing table games, and online table games generally lack that component (outside of live dealer table games). Playing online casino games means first creating an account and setting up a payment method to move funds and be able to play. (On the bright side, there are often welcome bonuses and promo codes you can use when playing online.) No free drinks or table service when playing online… you have to serve yourself! All forms of gambling involve taking risks, but for problem gamblers, online games can present extra hazards.	The pace of play is slower when playing table games in a casino, meaning you get fewer hands or rounds in per hour than you do when playing online. Some casinos only offer table games during certain hours, or when they do offer them might not have available the games you wish to play. Not everyone enjoys the social aspect of casino gambling, and no one particularly likes having to share a table with an unpleasant person (including drunk and misbehaving players). Playing table games in a casino usually requires spending extra money on top of your gambling bankroll (e.g., travel expenses, parking).

Favorite casino table games among Indiana gamblers

Fans of casino table games in Indiana have many choices. Here is a rundown of the most popular table games in Indiana.

Baccarat

Known as James Bond’s favorite card game, baccarat is an especially popular gambling game around the world. Some think of baccarat as strictly for high rollers, but when found online, baccarat can often be played for smaller stakes.

Baccarat is a true chance-based game that involves choosing whether to bet on one of two hands: one dealt to a player and the other to a banker. You start with two cards, but the points are calculated differently than in blackjack, and a third card is dealt according to certain rules.

That means players don’t decide whether to draw another card, but they can decide how they wish to bet, including whether to place side wagers on hands.

Blackjack

Blackjack is the most popular table game in online casinos and retail casinos. At many casinos, you’ll find half of the available table games are blackjack, sometimes more than half.

Blackjack is the classic card game in which players compete against a dealer trying to get the closest to 21 without going over. It’s a game that involves both luck and skill as players have to decide whether to hit or stand as well as whether they should double down, split their hand, take insurance or surrender. 

A winning hand usually pays 1-to-1 (even money), but if you make a “natural blackjack” with your first two cards totaling 21 you can win a payout of either 6-to-5 or 3-to-2 depending on the house rules. Look for different blackjack variations with additional side bets and other quirks.

Craps

Craps is another casino favorite. When played in person, it involves a crowd of players gathered around and wagering on rolls of the dice by the “shooter.” When played online, you get to manage all the action yourself by placing bets on the table and clicking “roll.”

The game involves many different ways to bet, starting with relatively less risky bets like the pass and don’t pass bets and the come and don’t come bets. There are also many bets with longer odds (and bigger payouts) like field bets, place bets, buy bets, lay bets and many more.

Let It Ride

Let It Ride is a card-based table game in which you try to make the best possible five-card poker hand. Unlike other table games where you play against a dealer, in Let It Ride, you are simply trying to make the highest-ranking hand you can with payouts designated by a pay table as with video poker.

You start by placing three bets. Then, as you receive your hand in stages (flop, turn, river), you can either pull back a bet or “let it ride” and keep all your bets in play. Make a pair of 10s or higher and double your money. Make a Royal Flush and win a huge 1,000-to-1 payout.

Pai Gow

Pai Gow or Pai Gow Poker is another poker-based card game in which players compete against the dealer. In this one, the player gets dealt seven cards and has to form two hands — a five-card hand and a two-card one. The dealer does the same, and then the hands are compared.

If your five-card hand outranks the dealer’s five-card hand and your two-card hand is better than the dealer’s two-card hand, you double your money. If you win just one hand it’s a push, and if you lose both you lose your wager. There are side bets and other variations, too, to spice things up.

Roulette

Everyone is familiar with the roulette ball and spinning wheel. Players bet on the ball landing on a particular number, a set of numbers or a red or black slot, among many bet types. Some bets feature decent odds and smaller payouts, while others are long shots offering chances to win big.

When you play roulette in an Indiana casino, you’re certain to encounter American Roulette (with the single and double zero). Online casinos also frequently offer European Roulette (with just the single zero), plus many other roulette variants like French Roulette, Double Ball Roulette and Lightning Roulette.

Three Card Poker

As the name implies, Three Card Poker is a poker-based game in which you are only dealt three cards. With those cards, you hope to make a better poker hand than the dealer. A skill element arises when you decide to bet more on your hand (if you think it will win) or fold it and cut your losses (if you think it will lose). Meanwhile, the dealer has to make at least queen-high or else you get part of the money you’ve wagered back.

There are side bonus bets you can make as well. You can make a Pair Plus bet on whether you’ll make at least a pair or a 6 Card Bonus bet on how good a five-card poker hand can be made from the six total cards dealt.

Ultimate Texas Hold’em

One of the most popular card-based table games is Ultimate Texas Hold’em, sometimes called Casino Hold’em or Texas Hold’em Bonus. Once again, it’s player-versus-dealer, this time in a hand of hold’em in which you and the dealer each first receive two hole cards, then share community cards as a flop, turn and river.

Ultimate Texas Hold’em is kind of like two games in one, as there are two ways to win. You can win money by besting the dealer’s hand, and you can also win based on your hand strength. There’s skill involved, too, as you decide whether to wager more on your hand as it comes out.

You’ll sometimes encounter other table games as well, especially at online casinos, including the following titles.

• Big Wheel (aka Big Six Wheel, Big Six)
• Casino War
• Four Card Poker
• I Luv Suits
• Mississippi Stud
• Sic Bo
• Spanish 21

Comparing the house edge for different table games

Table games don’t just provide casino-goers with a variety of ways to gamble. They also offer a range of different probabilities and payouts, making some games better for players than others.

Some table games are pure chance games like craps, roulette and baccarat. These games don’t necessarily involve a “skill” component, but players do have some freedom to choose bets with lower house edges. Meanwhile, with games like blackjack, Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em, you can pursue certain strategies that should increase your chances of winning, at least over the long term.

Here is a table showing the different house edges for various table games. Note that some games show a range and for card games like blackjack the percentages reflect players choosing a basic, optimal strategy. If you insist on hitting when you have 20 in blackjack, you aren’t going to enjoy such a great return!

Table Games	House Edge
Craps	0% to 16% (or higher)
Spanish 21	0.4%
Blackjack	0.5% (or less) to 2%
Baccarat	1.2% to 1.6%
Mississippi Stud	2.2%
Ultimate Texas Hold'em	2.2%
Pai Gow	2.5%
Three Card Poker	3.4%
Let It Ride	3.5%
Roulette	5.26% for most bets; 7.9% for the "basket" bet in American Roulette

The above table does not account for various side bets in many games that often feature higher house edges than is true for the regular game.

That wide range of percentages in craps has to do with the fact that some bets are much better than others in terms of the house edge they offer. Pass/don’t pass and come/don’t come bets have a house edge of around 1.4%. Moreover, odds bets in craps have no house edge at all.

Meanwhile, the house edge when betting on Snake Eyes or Box Cars coming (almost 14%) or placing the Any 7 bet (16.67%) is among the worst in the casino. Only keno typically has a worse house edge for players, often in the 20-25% range and sometimes even greater.

Roulette is another game with a relatively high house edge of 5.26% for most bets. Interestingly, the house edge is the same no matter if you are betting on a single number (hoping to win 35-to-1) or red/black (hoping to win 1-to-1). Only the “basket” bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 has a worse house edge of 7.9%, comparatively speaking.

Meanwhile, as you can see, many of the card games have very low house edges. Again, that assumes you’re playing a smart strategy.

Strategies for online table games

Even though table games present a lot of variety, there are a few tips we can share that broadly apply to all table games:

• Become acquainted with the various house edges for different table games, including learning which bets and games are better for the player and which are worse.
• For poker-based card games, learn about poker probabilities and understand basic odds (e.g., for completing a draw).
• Learn specific strategies associated with different card games like blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Pai Gow, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride and Spanish 21. In most cases, there isn’t too much to learn in order to ensure you make the correct choices when playing such games.
• Unless you’re in the mood to bet on a long shot, generally stay away from exotic side bets in table games. They tend to have especially high house edges.
• Practice responsible gambling, and never gamble with money you cannot afford to lose.

By the way, if you click on the links above to our PlayIndiana pages on individual table games, you’ll find specific strategy advice for each game.

Are online table games fair?

Just like with retail casinos in Indiana and elsewhere, real money online casinos are required to be licensed and regulated in the jurisdiction where they operate. For example, the online casinos in Michigan are all licensed by the state’s regulatory body. The Michigan Gaming Control Board makes sure the sites operate fairly and according to the state’s gambling laws.

Legal sites have to make certain players’ personal information and funds are safe and secure to keep their licenses. The online casinos undergo regular audits as well to make sure all of the games are fair, including all of the table games.

We strongly advise you to avoid unregulated “offshore” online casinos that are not properly licensed and, therefore, offer no guarantees their games are fair. Indiana currently has legal online sportsbooks but has yet to authorize real money online casinos. That means any real money sites purporting to allow Indiana players are in fact not to be trusted. You will have no legal recourse should you play on them and discover the games not to be fair or encounter any other issues.

Always gamble responsibly when you play

We say this above and it is worth reiterating — always be responsible when you gamble at either a retail or online casino. With so many games available and entertainment to be had, it is easy to lose track of your money and/or time you spend gambling.

Practice responsible gambling and avoid the dangers of problem gambling. Always know there are many resources available in Indiana and elsewhere if you ever believe gambling is becoming a problem for you or a loved one.

Look for online table games in Indiana

As we note above, you can play online table games in Indiana right now on social and sweepstakes sites. You can also try them out at many online casinos like DraftKings Casino and Caesars Casino by playing free-to-play demo versions of their table games. Meanwhile, be patient as Indiana may be legalizing online casinos sooner than later.

When that happens, you’ll find it easy to create an online casino account and start playing your favorite table games online for free or real money. Spend some time looking over what games a site has to offer, find the best fit, and begin having fun at the (virtual) tables.