Which casinos offer the most authentic versions of traditional games?

For a seasoned casino-game player, like myself, the real deal can be found only at those casinos that stay true to the past. For land-based versions of blackjack, try The Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas, which offers traditional rules and single-deck shoes. For baccarat, the high-end gaming rooms in Macau still offer old-school bank-bet mechanics and commission payouts.

To play live dealer baccarat or poker over the internet, try Evolution Gaming, with live dealers playing with a real deck of cards. The poker rooms have similar hand rankings as in Vegas.

The first is authenticity, which means that structure and substance should trump style. Beware of online blackjack variants with additional side bets and mid-shoe shuffles – this is not real blackjack. In fact, all the old-school games are slower, but they have more social interaction (which may explain why the online version of poker plays a lot faster).

If you want to visit a real casino for straight-up blackjack, baccarat, and poker, try Caesar’s Palace (Las Vegas) or MGM Macau. You get the right dealers, pace, and atmosphere with no frills. Online? Check out PokerStars or Evolution Gaming for baccarat and blackjack. Those sites’ live-dealer rooms come close to capturing the land-casino experience. Of course, there are key differences. In a casino, the cards move more slowly, and the rules are tighter. Sometimes, online games are quicker or allow players to get better returns, but nothing beats the social experience of an actual casino. Something to consider when deciding which scene suits you best.

For those interested in old-fashioned casino games such as blackjack, baccarat, and poker, stick with vendors that are close to physical gaming. Land-based casinos in Macau and Las Vegas tend to offer the most realistic experiences. On the virtual side, Playtech and Evolution Gaming stay closest to the original game mechanics.

For blackjack, look for a game where you can play with more favorable rules using basic strategy (the best strategy for beating the house). Baccarat is also a good choice, as it requires minimal skill and moves quickly. Poker should be chosen less often because the strategy is highly dependent on the particular opponent(s) and the game structure, but should only be played at reputable sites to prevent the house from changing the rules in its favor.

If you prefer traditional brick and mortar, head to a casino like the Bellagio in Las Vegas or Wynn in Macau. You will find versions of baccarat and blackjack that are nearly identical to what you would have seen in old Hollywood films. The same can be said for poker games at land-based casinos such as Horseshoe, or on online platforms like PokerStars. The rules haven’t changed, although in both cases, the games have become more convenient and user-friendly. Online offerings like Evolution Gaming attempt to capture the spirit of the game by using live dealers. Differences? There are many different rule variants of blackjack, which can affect your payout. In some forms of online baccarat, a player may not be able to draw a third card when he would otherwise qualify. Be sure to go to the ‘rules’ tab, as this has implications for strategy.

If you’re an old-school gambler, there’s no substitute for face-to-face experience. For roulette, craps, and other table games, Boyd Gaming and Caesars are the best operators. For online gaming, Evolution Gaming (Live Dealer) and Playtech are the most realistic. As for poker, Partypoker and PokerStars have the closest versions of the game to the real thing: no wild cards or funny business. The only things missing from the experience are the odds (with a lower house edge), the dealers, and the ability to double down and split aces and eights in blackjack. If you don’t want bells and whistles, stick with the above.