Casino games compared, table by table

Entry 01 · The big table

Game by game

Entry 02 · Roulette

American double zero, European single zero

A European wheel has 37 pockets: 1 to 36 and a single zero. An American wheel adds a double zero for 38. A bet on red or a single number pays the same on both, so the extra pocket is pure house edge: about 2.70 per cent on the single-zero wheel, about 5.26 per cent on the double-zero wheel. Some casinos run a triple-zero wheel too; Niagara's shared roulette guide shows single-, double- and triple-zero layouts without saying which floor has which. River Cree's house rules set a minimum of $5 per spin and say money can be exchanged for roulette chips, one colour per player (House rules), but they don't say which wheel is in use. If it matters to you, look at the wheel before you sit, or ask the pit.

Entry 03 · Blackjack

Fast, quiet, and the rules are posted

Blackjack is you against the dealer, not the other players. River Cree prints its rules: table limits posted at each table, bets placed before the deal, no touching the cards or the shoe, surrender offered at every table, splits up to three times for four hands, insurance paying 2 to 1. A newer variant on the house-rules page, Double Down Madness, lets players double on each card and has the dealer hit soft 17. Variants change the arithmetic in small ways, which is why other casinos advertise Spanish 21 or Free Bet. None of them changes who has the edge.

Entry 04 · Poker

Cash games and tournaments

In the poker room you play the other people; the casino takes a cut of each pot or charges for the seat. A cash game lets you sit down with chips, play as long as you like and leave with what's in front of you. A tournament has a fixed entry; everyone starts with the same chip stack, blinds rise on a clock, and it runs until one player has everything, which can take most of a night. River Cree runs both, 14 tables, with Thursday-to-Sunday 24-hour play and a waitlist by app (Poker room page). The house games with poker names, like Ultimate Texas Hold'em and Three Card Poker, are different: you play the dealer, at house odds.

Entry 05 · Baccarat and craps

One calm, one loud

Baccarat (punto banco) asks almost nothing of the player: bet on the Player hand, the Banker hand or a tie, and the cards are dealt by fixed rules. It's fast and quiet. River Cree runs EZ Baccarat, a version with no commission on Banker bets, in the High Limit room and in Embers. Craps is the opposite: a crowd at a long table, one shooter throwing two dice against the far wall, and a lot of noise when the table is full. River Cree's craps rules ask the shooter to hit the opposite wall with both dice.

Entry 06 · Slots and electronic tables

The machines

Slots are the fastest game in any casino and the most solitary; a spin takes seconds, which is why a budget can disappear quickly. We don't name machine brands or themes. River Cree has 1,665, the largest published count among the Alberta and Quebec venues in our ranking; Fallsview's 3,200-plus is in another league. Electronic roulette and blackjack let you play a table game at a terminal, without a dealer's pace. VLTs, video lottery terminals, are a separate category regulated by the AGLC; River Cree lists ten.

Entry 07 · Atmosphere

Smoke-free floor, Embers, and the High Limit room

Most of the floor is smoke-free. Embers, by the north entrance, is smoke-friendly with its own ventilation, has its own tables and slots, and Onyx, its lounge. The High Limit table room sits on the main floor but is separate and also smoke-friendly. If smoke bothers you, plan your route from the hotel to The Venue and the restaurants through the main entrance side.