March 15, 2023
Have you thought about which is the biggest gambling market in the world? It’s Asia. Asians are known to love several ways of gambling, and considering that these people are actually over 60% of the world’s population, it’s no surprise at all that they’re the biggest community in the world. However, there’s something very interesting about these players. What they mostly play are the traditional games, the classic games that are known in the Asian continent. Some of them still attract a lot of people to live casinos in Asia.
When looking at categories, those players who are from China and the neighborhood countries were always fascinated by card games and dice games, and that still reflects their current tendencies. This article will try to differentiate some of the most popular live games in Asia so that you can get to know their characteristics and their presence in the Asian betting community. Get to know what are the most popular gambling games in Asia.
Sic Bo has existed for thousands of years. It’s a game of chance, and its name translates to "precious dice". It’s highly famous in Asian casinos and definitely an important part of Chinese culture. This game isn’t famous amongst Western people. Some online casinos do have this game available.
In this game, there are two main aspects – rolling the dice and then betting on the Sic Bo table. The sum of the value generated by the 3 dice determines the winning outcome. However, the bets have a lot of influence on the result. The betting options for Sic Bo are many – there are up to 50 that players can make. It’s possible to bet the sum of all 3 dice, but there’s the chance to bet on several combinations.
Online live dealer Sic Bo enjoys immense popularity in several Asian countries, with its highest acclaim in regions like China, Macau, and the Philippines. These countries, renowned for their rich gambling culture, have embraced the online live version of Sic Bo, making it a staple in their virtual casino experiences.
This is an ancient Chinese game. Keno allegedly appeared during wartime when people needed to raise money. There’s even a legend that claims that the Great Wall of China was founded with Keno’s money. Keno is very similar to bingo and normal lottery.
This game is played with a ticket or a card with numbers from 1 to 80. Players have to select their numbers and try to win by seeing how many they have guessed. There’s the chance to choose any amount from 1 to 20 numbers on the card, and then you make your bet. There are different wagering options, such as the straight ticket, king ticket, and combination ticket.
Keno holds a special place in China and Japan. These nations, with their deep-rooted affinity for lottery-style games, have seen a surge in the popularity of live dealer Keno, making it a favored choice among online casino enthusiasts.
Mahjong everyone must heard of since there was a non-gambling version of it on the computer. In Asia, Mahjong is still a traditional table game that’s played at the majority of casinos and offered at any live online casino. It is a unique game that’s played with 136 tiles. A dice will determine which one of the four will be the dealer.
When the game starts, there are 136 tiles faced down on the table and carefully and thoroughly shuffled. Then, the dealer gives each player 13 tiles. You can turn your own tiles face up, and then it’s time to pair them into sets of 3 or 4 dominos with the aim of building a wall. The bets are already made before actually dealing with the tiles. However, there’s the opportunity to add new bets. The player only announces Mahjon when you choose an additional tile from the table, and that tile completes a winning hand of 14 tiles.
However, if that tile has no combination, then you need to discard one of your tiles facing up in the middle of your table, and you’ll be left with 13 again. The trick is to be able to use the other’s discarded tiles since they are already revealed.
This isn’t a difficult game, but it’s still challenging, and some people find it soothing. Mahjong is popular worldwide. However, China will always be the home of Mahjong. In China, this game is played everywhere, even at subways, parks, people’s places as a social act, etc.
Pai Gow is very close to Chinese people, and it has also a celebrity status. This domino game has been played for thousands of years by amateurs and even seasoned bettors across Asia. The title translated to "make nine." This game is definitely one of the most difficult games for people to learn.
Pai Gow uses a set of 32 dominoes or tiles. Each player will get 4 of them, and the aim is to separate them into 2 pairs (one into a low pair and another into a high pair). These are observed through ranking orders – pair, Wong, Gong, and also 9 to 0 points. This game follows a system of points similar to the one in Baccarat, where if your score is 15, then it becomes 5. High hands will be compared to the high hand of the dealer, and with the low one, it’s the same. If you outrank both of the dealer’s hands, then you’ll win.
Pai Gow finds its popularity primarily in China and Macau. These Asian regions, with their rich gambling heritage, have warmly embraced the online live dealer version of Pai Gow, cementing its status as a highly favored game among local and international players.
Baccarat is definitely a game that is very popular around Asia and all over the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s online or not; there are loyal players to this game. In the past, this game was only for people with a lot of money, but nowadays, everyone can play it.
For Asians, baccarat is highly important for their culture. Although it didn’t originate there, it was quickly found in casinos in Asia.
There’s the need to know the basics of this game first, such as the rules and the dynamics. The goal is simple: the one with the higher value wins. Basically, what you do is to receive your hand of cards and then apply what you know by choosing the right option. There could only be three results: either the player wins because he has a better combination, the banker has a higher value and wins, or both of them tie. So, the player will have to bet on which outcome will be the right one.
It’s normal to find this game all over the world, whether at physical casinos or even at online casinos. However, this is highly popular in Macau since it is the epicenter of this game. Baccarat almost accounts for 90% of all gambling revenue in Macau.
Nathan "KiwiKing" Williams brings a touch of Kiwi flair to the global live casino arena. Blending his analytical mind with an infectious passion for the game, he crafts content that guides, informs, and entertains.