Playing online casino games is great fun, and you’re probably already familiar with the more famous types, like blackjack, roulette and online slots. Yet there are so many other exciting options. Whether you like casino table games or simply play slots online to entertain yourself, we believe you may find a new favorite when reading our list.

But why should you play these games? More importantly, how do you play them? Keep reading as we answer these questions and give you insight into five of the craziest games to be offered at casinos. So without further ado, let’s get into stranger things!

1. Dreidel
   “Dreidel?” we hear you ask. Yes, dreidel is a well-known game played by Jewish people at Hanukkah. This game was created to help Jewish people learn the Torah and improve their Hebrew. How interesting that what was intended as an educational spinning top has undergone a transformation and is now a popular casino table game too!

The dreidel is a spinning top with four sides, each inscribed with a different Hebrew letter. The letters have specific meanings and results for the player depending on which side of the dreidel it lands. These are their meanings:

Nun – “Nothing:” layers do not receive any winnings.

Gimel – “Everything:” Players receive all winnings.

Hey – “Half:” Players get half of the pot.

Shin – “Put in:” Players need to put an extra bet into the pot.

Dreidel is an easy game to learn and play. Players place wagers into the betting pot in the middle of the table at the start. When the bets are in, each player spins the dreidel once and acts on the interpretation of the landed side. Some players might get nothing, while others might scoop the whole pot. When someone wins the pot, a new round of betting starts.

Dreidel may not be the most popular of all the casino table games, but it may be right up your alley.

2. Tic-tac-toe chicken
   This is a very unusually named casino game…and we bet it got your attention! Also commonly called the “chicken challenge,” it’s just like a traditional game of noughts and crosses, but with a difference – you play against a chicken, which happens to be called Ginger. This game originated and is played in Atlantic City, NJ, where you genuinely get to play against a real live chicken – and it’s had a lot of practice!

The rules are simple: The player or chicken who gets three Xs or Os in a row wins.

As bizarre as this may seem, Ginger is no easy opponent. Tic-tac-toe chicken is one of those real-money casino games to look out for when you next go to AC.

3. War
   Originating in Asia, the next on our list is a card game called War – and it’s even made its way into some online casinos’ catalogs! Play begins by dividing a pack of cards, face down, between two players. The rules are easy:

Each player has the same number of cards
Players draw the card at the top of their pile at the same time
The card with the highest value wins
If the card values are the same, War is declared
When there is War, four cards are drawn, and three are placed face down on the gaming surface, the fourth is turned face up
The player with the highest-ranking fourth card wins the war and takes all the cards played in that round
To declare yourself the winner of this game, you need to win all of the cards. So get your game face on and let the battles begin!

4. Rodent roulette

In 1946, carnival workers in Nebraska came up with a novel take on the traditional game of roulette. Also known as “rat roulette,” this strangely titled version gained popularity until outraged animal activists got the police involved and put a stop to it.

This unusual betting game involved yet another live animal – the humble and misunderstood rat. Two rats are put onto a roulette wheel adapted to fit the unsuspecting rodents. The croupier then spins the wheel, and once it has stopped spinning, the now very dizzy rats land dazedly in two of the holes on the wheel, which pay out to players who have placed their wager on them. In other words, the rat was the ball, or pill, as it’s also named.

Although this must have been quite a sight to behold, we’re pleased that someone stepped in to end animal cruelty.

5. Pachinko
   Pachinko originated in Japan, and if you love playing online slots but also love Japanese animation, more commonly known as anime, then you will love this gambling game. Pachinko games are similar to other slot machines in that they were once mechanically operated. Nowadays, however, they appear more like video slot machines using anime figures as characters.

But what do they look like, you may ask? Essentially they combine a pinball machine with a slot machine. It may sound like an odd combination, but the resulting games are very entertaining and require little strategy other than how you time the release of the ball.

The players aim to win as many balls as possible by putting a ball into a hole/catcher and hoping more balls come out of the machine. These balls are then swapped for a reward. It’s as simple as that. Picture yourself back in the arcades of yesteryear and flick that ball!