In 2022 alone, the online casino market was valued at around $63.5 billion. Every year, more and more people are putting their skills to the test, with games like Blackjack, Texas Hold’em and Poker still the most popular games out there.

But simply jumping into an online casino without experience or a specific skill set can be risky. In order to have a good experience, you need to know what you are doing and preclude your venture with a non-competitive card game to get you started. This is especially true if you’re planning on playing a collaborative game across from an opponent – even if things remain virtual and you are unable to actually see them.

So where does Karma come into this? Well, Karma is a card game played between multiple people – there can be an unlimited number of players, but it is usually played between 2 to 6. It was formed in the late 20^th century, but has recently been seeing a bit of a comeback. Not only is this a fun game to play, both online and in the flesh, it could also help you elevate your chances of good luck on casinos like William Hill before you even set foot into the arena.

How To Play Karma

Karma can be played with any deck of cards – without the jokers. The dealer shuffles the deck, then lays three cards, face down, in front of every player. The dealer then places three cards face up on top of the ones face down, then gives out another three cards beside them – players start with nine cards overall.

The cards that are face down are known as the “blind cards”, not to be seen by any player, even the one they belong to. The cards on top are known as the “open cards”, and they can be switched with the cards in your hand – the ones that have been placed beside the open and blind cards. How they are switched depends on which cards are “power cards” – this will be explained later.

The aim of the game is to essentially get rid of the deck, working your hand down to the open and blind cards. The player to the left of the dealer goes first, placing a card down onto the middle of the table. This should be the lowest card in their hand, as the next player will have to play a card that is higher than what has been placed in the middle. If they cannot place a higher card, then they must pick up the cards that have been placed in the middle – for instance, if you have laid a seven and they only have a six, five and four in their hand, they will have to pick up.

Once the deck is finished and players have got to their open and blind cards, they play the open cards first, then play the blind cards blindly – as their namesake suggests! The first person to clear their open and blind cards wins the game. We should note, although there are no stakes, it can get as competitive as an evening watching the superbowl, so be warned!

What Are Power Cards?

Power cards are cards that can change your fortunes in the game, acting not as a number but a way to save you if you do not have the cards required. These include:

• Ten

A ten immediately clears the cards placed in the middle, taking them out of the game – and subsequently saving the next person to fail from picking up a larger hand.

• Three

This is an “invisible power card”. If a player has laid an ace – the highest number in the game – and you do not have a card to counteract it, then you can place a three down into the middle and the next player will have to beat the ace instead.

• Two

This card immediately negates the strength of the card played before you. You can place it on anything and you will be safe.

Why Is It A Great Precursor To Casino Games?

This is a great precursor to the average casino card game because, firstly, there are no stakes. You’re not like Mr Beast giving away money! You are playing with friends and, unless you put your own stakes on the table, you don’t lose anything from losing.

But more importantly, it is a complicated game that gets simple very quickly. If you have not had experience with games like Blackjack or Poker, it can be a good idea to play games like this first, with your friends, to get a hand on competitive card games. Once you have done this, you will be more likely to have a headstart when it comes to online casinos – every card game is different, of course, but each has similar dynamics that can be paralleled with each other.

What Skills Do You Need?

Karma is also about skill, foresight and deception. It is essential that you do not give the game away by indicating what cards you have in your hand – lest the opposing players decide to play their highest cards and get you to pick up. You also need to know when to play your highest cards, working hard to get the cards on the table higher and higher to cause maximum impact and put yourself in a good stead to win the game. Patience is also required here, which is a big part of games like Poker.

It is also important to have an awareness and foresight – two traits also needed with games like Blackjack – as you need to work out what cards have been played and what might remain in your players hands. Karma isn’t often mentioned in lists of the best standard deck card games, but this is almost criminal, as there’s nothing better than improving in this game and setting yourself up for success in the online casino world.

Of course, in the end, it comes down to luck. If you have bad blind cards, then it’s going to be difficult to win the game. But you need to at least put yourself in the position to win the game, and this is one of the biggest reasons it makes a great precursor to your online casino ventures!