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“How do I make money gambling online?” is, without a doubt, one of the leading questions about wagering online. As you might expect, the answer isn’t simple. But the good news is, there are a variety of ways to make money, especially when playing skill games.
Profiting from online gambling boils down to the right game selection and having clear prospects of what you’re doing. The opportunities are massive, and you can make millions if you look in the right spots. While skill is a significant factor in your success in skill-based games, luck will still play a part in some way. However, if you’re more highly skilled than your opponents, then you may bank on that to make money in the long term.
Understanding Skill Games
Skill-based games fall into the classification of those that either requires specific degrees of manual or mental aptitude (or both) to make money playing them. These games have different categories: arcade games, card games, game shows, word games, fantasy games, and eSports.
Card Games
You’ve probably played a card game at least once. As a kid, with peers, and whatnots. Card games are the most common type of skill game you can find in a casino. Generally, the subject of card games is an immense one. As you might expect, you can play some of them either for fun or for real money. And while many might think all card games involve a high degree of luck, it still depends mostly on how you play them.
Poker is the most obvious example of a game of strategic skill. It sits high up on the list of the best games you can play for making money. When playing poker, strategy plays a significant part in your success. But of course, you’ll still need some good helpings of luck in the cards you’re dealt. You may play your way through several poker hands and make flawless decisions but still lose. In the long run, however, you will come out on top.
When talking about poker as a skill game, these include games such as Omaha, Texas Hold’em, and others where you’re playing against fellow poker players. You can find several casino-type poker card games—e.g., three-card poker—where strategy helps your winning chances, but the eventual outcome mostly depends on luck.
Other card games include such favorites as spades, solitaire, and rummy. These call for a combination of a strategic approach, skills, mental agility, and some luck.
Game Shows
Most physical casinos are full of game show-themed games. However, most of them are entirely games of chance. You can find predominantly skill-based game shows that let you make money online. Fan-favorite real money game show-themed games include classics like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
Several factors make playing a game show at a real money skill game site different from gambling on a game show-themed slot machine. When playing the latter, you’re doing it for real money. But at a skill games site, you’re playing the game. You also have different goals. You’re looking to earn points in skill-based games, whereas you’re hoping to make money in gambling games.
Arcade Games
While the golden era of arcade games has long ended, these kinds of games are still prevalent online. That is especially true within the real money skill games market. Examples of arcade games include pinball machines and most video games.
If you want to make money playing this type of skill game, check out Tetris Burst. This arcade-style game is based on classic Tetris. You play it for real money against opponents online. It also packs some new features called “power-ups.” Another example of an arcade-style game is Bejeweled. While it is hugely popular as a free game, you can also play Bejeweled online for real money. In its real money version, you will compete with other players to see who gets the highest scores.
Other than these two better-known examples, you may also try titles like Swipe Hype, Swap It, and Big Money.
Word Games
A word game is any game that requires rearranging letters to form a word or sentence. Popular word games include Alphabet Soup, Bookworm, Word Mojo, and the world-famous Scrabble.
Most of the word-based money games you’ll find are in a tournament format. Each player will pay an entry fee, and the winner will take a percentage of the pot. However, if playing tournaments is not your cup of tea, you may opt to play and earn a points balance. The points are exchangeable for prizes like holidays, digital goods, raffle tickets, and so on.
Among the word games you can play online for real money are Scrabble and Boggle. Sites host these games in tournament formats. The amount of money you can make depends on your skill at the game.
How Do You Make Money With Skill Games?
So, how do you make money playing skill-based games? Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to that. It varies depending on which game you are playing. As you can see, this section does not mention anything about gambling. That is because gambling means betting on a game of luck that you have no control over.
Out of all the different types of wagers, skill games are the ones that you have the most control over. You are not playing these games against the casino. Instead, they match two or more players against each other. But of course, the casino gets a small cut for facilitating the game.
You can play skill-based games for a living as long as you have opponents. Some of these games involve an element of luck, but skill determines the majority of the game’s result. Meaning, the better player will always win out in the long run. Also, remember that betting money always comes with the risk of losing that money. If that worries you, you may opt for free play games where you can play for virtual cash.
Which Skill Games Offer Real Money?
Most casino games are a hybrid of both skill and luck. Some games can be agreed upon as being games of pure ability, while others as pure games of chance. The card game War or Candyland might qualify as a pure game of chance. That is because no amount of skill can contribute to your success. All the results are randomly determined.
In the gambling realm, real money skill games or “cash games” are those in which skill determines the results. In some jurisdictions, such distinction legalizes them. Some states and nations make a distinction between gambling on a skill game and gambling on a game of luck. Take betting regulations in India, for example. The country’s legal position on gambling has two categories, i.e., games of chance and games of skill. According to India’s Public Gambling Act of 1867, all betting and gambling activities are illegal except games that involve skill.
If you’re interested in making money playing skill games, the good news is there’s no shortage of games you can play. Leading online casino sites offer a selection of real money games by different providers, making your search a breeze. Some of the most popular options include poker, dominoes, rummy, backgammon, chess, Yahtzee, spades, tonk, and many more.
