Skill Games

Online poker is truly a game of skill, but is still one of the best skill games to win money. While players can certainly get lucky, winning long-term means having the best strategy, playing smart, and having sharp math skills. Skilled players are probability mathematicians who must learn the many combinations and probabilities based on their cards.

Also, the masters of both in-person and online poker games have learned the tells (involuntary reactions) of other players and know when to call, raise, and bluff based on the situation.

Video poker is a popular hybrid skill game and one of the most popular casino games in general. To be successful at video poker, any player needs to know the basic rules, but skilled players will know the best pay tables and which variants to play.

They’ll also need to employ strategy around the biggest dilemma of video poker: which cards to hold and which to discard. Practice and develop that strategy to increase your chance of winning.

Poker, writ large, is considered a hybrid skill game, as strategy gives players an advantage. Texas Hold’em is the most-played multiplayer poker game, and other popular poker games of skill include Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Five-Card Draw.

Whichever type of poker you play, luck will dictate the cards you’re dealt, but having a skill and strategy will set you apart and increase your chances of winning. The best poker players develop instincts of situational play, knowing that every table, game, and situation is different.

Sports betting legalization across the US opened the door for legal online gambling, including online casinos. Many loyal sports bettors would argue that wagering on sports is one of the best games of skill for money.

According to sports-betting devotees, there is less chance involved here than in casino games, and the outcome is more dependent on the bettor’s knowledge of the particular sport.

Successful sports bettors have immense knowledge of the sport overall but also must consider injuries, trends, head-to-head records, weather, hot or cold streaks, and much more to help improve the odds of a winning bet.

But don’t be fooled, bad beats (a seemingly sure thing that ends up losing) can always happen, no matter how unlikely. In fact, bad beats are much more common than long-shot wins.

Blackjack is another one of the most popular skill games across casino floors and online. As with other table games, luck dictates the cards you receive in blackjack, but what you do with them is all skill.

One of the first things skill players look for is the payouts. Blackjack can be the casino game with the best odds if you choose the right variant. Once at a suitable table, players must know the basic rules and strategies to reduce the amount of chance. We suggest practicing and playing for free before you play for money, as well as becoming familiar with blackjack strategy charts. You might see online advice to count cards, but it’s not as rewarding as you might think. Moreover, card counting at online casinos is impossible, as virtual decks are shuffled after every game.

Possibly the most well-known “skill game” slot machine is the Pace-O-Matic, which was legalized in Virginia in March 2024. That makes five states, along with Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wyoming, that allow Pace-O-Matic skill games.

Players in Nebraska and Wyoming can also play skill games from Pace-O-Matic’s competitor, Banilla Games.

What makes these skill-based is the strategy involved, including quick decision-making and mini-games that require hand-eye coordination. Real money slots, on the other hand, are strictly luck-based, and the best slot strategy involves preparation rather than skill.

FanDuel Faceoff pits player against player, and the one who wins the skill game walks away with the prize. This relatively new online gaming option is exclusive to FanDuel Casino and utilizes head-to-head games like Swish Showdown (basketball game, learn more here), Jordan Spieth’s Fairway Frenzy (golf game), Field Goal Faceoff (football game), and Gronk Spike Cornhole.

Also among the non-casino games, video games are another great example of skill games. Much like board games, they run the gamut from mostly skill-based to mostly luck-based and everything between. The skill to win at video games may require fast reactions or intelligence in various situations.

Calling Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) a game of skill is relatively controversial, but it’s also a matter of established law. In most US states, it’s either considered a skill game or it falls outside of gambling, so it’s pretty universally considered a non-casino game. Still, players risk money for a chance to win money, making it a game of chance to some degree. But because players compete against one another, and skill and experience can make a huge difference, it’s definitely a solid argument to say DFS is a skill game.

Day traders definitely consider what they do a skill. But sound, smart, long-term investing is also a practiced talent. Resisting huge profit potential for safe bets or having the guts to go for a long shot and watching it pay off (or accepting the loss) are both skillsets that require study, practice, and strategic thinking, making playing the stock market a game of skill for real money.

To solidify your understanding of a skill game, let’s briefly move away from the casino and gambling world to other examples of skill games. Everybody knows board-game classics such as Monopoly and Scrabble, but not everyone realizes that these games are very similar to casino games such as poker and blackjack. That’s because these games are also hybrid skill games—mixing luck with strategy.

Board games range in variety and level of difficulty. Some options, such as Catan, stretch far beyond the level of skill and knowledge required to play simpler options. Of course, we must mention board game-casino game crossovers, such as MONOPOLY slots, which take some skill-based aspects of the board game and bring them into your gambling experience.