Many casinos and online gambling websites offer side games or mini games – small games which are designed to need little attention – alongside their main gaming portfolio. Sometimes these side games may take the shape of a game which bets on the combinations of the two cards that a player is dealt in blackjack, while at other times blackjack itself may be offered to break up the monotony of playing online poker for hours at a time.

Although these side games can massively improve a customer’s experience and offer them more variety, they are also highly profitable for casinos. Side games are often simple and at times require no input from the player other than a stake, meaning they can have very long odds and can very quickly eat into a player’s bankroll. A good betting tip for any player gambling on a budget is to avoid them, although for those with a larger amount of cash to wager they can prove quite profitable as they are often high risk\high reward.

Some casino side games, though, are much more informal and are designed to be played amongst friends who enjoy visiting casinos together. For example, at cash poker tables a common side game is the ’7 2 game’. In this game, all of the players agree to pay a sum of money to any player who is able to win a hand with an off suit seven and two – statistically the worst starting hand in poker.