Since the beginning of the Internet we have seen the number of casinos providing online games increasing very fast. Online casinos will keep increase in numbers because Internet users like to gamble and they do it in the comfort of their home. Online casino games are created using several technologies including Java applets, Flash, HTML5 and native computer programs connecting to a casino server. There are casino games created in almost any programming language available. Programmers are choosing to develop casino games for several reasons, one of them is that because are very popular and a second one is because they strictly follow specific rules. Usually, an online casino can offer similar or higher payback percentages compared with land-based casinos.
The most popular casino game is poker and all of its variations. Recently I was looking for a poker implemented in C# for educational purposes and I have found WPF Poker which is very good and open source. If offers four game types, Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hold’em, Five Card Draw and 7 Card Stud. You can play with other players in your local network and you can also add computer bots. In addition with the game you can chat with the other players or just watch others playing. You can find WPF Poker at CodePlex.
There are several people that find playing poker with others intimidating and they choose a single player approach, video poker. Video poker is very similar with Five Card Draw but in a single player mode. You place your bet at the beginning, before you see any of your cards and after pressing “Deal” or “New Play”, depending on the program, you get five cards. You can choose which of them you want to keep and the computer replace the cards you don’t want with others and this is your final hand. You are credited based on the Pay Out Schedule of the program if your hand matches a winning combination. After a little research I have found a video poker application at C# corner which is implemented in C#. Even though the interface is very simple you can still play video poker and see if you prefer it from multi-player poker.
You can find all the casino games as computer applications including slots, poker, video poker, black jack and roulette. Before visiting an online casino to gamble check your skills with a free alternative. Then if you are confident you can play the game to an online casino but note that the odds might differ from the programs. On the other hand, if you are a programmer, casino games are a good start to learn how to program computer games. The rules are simple and they are easier to develop than other games.