Poker is the most popular casino game. With television coverage and multimillion-pound prizes, it attracts all demographics.
Mahjong originates in Asia and has expanded throughout the world. However, its popularity cannot compare to poker in either Europe or North America. It doesn’t even come close.
Both games are available at many online casinos, but you’ll do very well in Europe or North America to find a land-based casino that offers Mahjong.
Here’s a look at both games:
Poker
The most popular casino game throughout Europe and North America, poker has blown up in popularity over the past decade or so following the increase of access to online casinos and the game getting regular television coverage. It is played all over the world.
This card game involves chance, strategy and skill. The popularity of the game has been aided by several multimillion-pound tournament prizes each year. Not only is poker played for money, but it is also a popular recreational activity.
Poker involves a lot of tactical decisions from each player as well as requiring making bold decisions in order to win. Knowing the most valuable hands is a must for anyone who wants to be a successful poker player.
Each player bets according to the rank they believe their hand is worth as compared to the other players. Each round goes clockwise around the table with each player must match the previous bet, fold, or raise the pot. The betting round concludes when every player has either called the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round, the remaining player collects the pot without being required to reveal their hand.
The game is one of the most popular attractions at both land-based and online casinos. Online you can find many variations of the game as well as live tournaments. Video poker can be played online for free at several reputable casinos, including the Betfair Casino.
Mahjong
Mahjong is a tile-based game that originated in China and has spread across the globe since the early 20th century. Most commonly it has been played by four players but these days the game has been adapted into a single-player version.
Similar to the card game rummy, Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and calculation that also involves a degree of chance. This Asian game is played with a set of 144 tiles that contain Chinese characters and symbols. In most versions of Mahjong, each player starts with 13 tiles. Taking it in turns, each player then draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 13th tile to form either four sets or a pair. Players can also win the game with special hands.
Today, Mahjong is the most popular casino game in Japan and still popular in China too. However, the game cannot be compared to poker in terms of popularity throughout Europe and North America. Poker still rules the casino in these parts of the world.
Both games are very different from the other and require different skillsets to win. Fans of each game could argue why which is better than the other.