In Turkey, a table game usually means Okey, Pişti, Batak or backgammon. The "table games" section of a casino lobby means something else: blackjack, roulette, baccarat and video poker. When the two lists blur, so do expectations — which is why they are worth writing out separately.
Where the traditional games are played
Okey is played with tiles, not cards; Pişti and Batak are card games, and both are scored hand by hand. Online, these games mostly live in social gaming apps: virtual chips, no real-money stakes. They are usually absent from casino lobbies, because a lobby is assembled from providers and provider catalogues are built on international formats.
The card tables in a lobby and what they cost
The cost of the games you do find comes from their rules, not their names. Two variants of the same game can differ several times over:
| Bet | House edge | The rule that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack with basic strategy | about 0.5% | Whether blackjack pays 3:2 or 6:5; whether the dealer stands on soft 17 |
| Baccarat, banker | 1.06% | The commission taken from a win |
| Baccarat, player | 1.24% | No commission, pays 1:1 |
| Baccarat, tie | 14.4% | Pays 8:1 or 9:1 |
| Video poker, full-pay table | can fall below 0.5% | What the full house and flush lines pay |
| Roulette, single zero | 2.70% | Pockets on the wheel: 37 |
| Roulette, double zero | 5.26% | Pockets on the wheel: 38 |
The practical use of that table: the only thing to check before sitting down is the payout lines. A blackjack table paying 6:5 raises the house edge by roughly a point and a half over one paying 3:2 — same game, same strategy, different cost.
The games where a decision really changes the outcome
Blackjack and video poker are the two games where decisions matter mathematically: a basic strategy chart gives the best move for every hand and brings the house edge down to the levels above. Roulette and baccarat are not like that — there the only decision is which bet you place, and how you place it has no effect on the result.
The "live dealer" tables in a lobby apply the same rules at a physical table. The difference is atmosphere, not mathematics: live baccarat carries the same 1.06% and 14.4% lines.
The cultural side of choosing numbers at roulette is covered separately in numbers and the real odds. Poker is a separate lobby section with a separate cost structure: the cost at a poker table. Attempts to beat these numbers by reordering stakes are collected in betting systems and the house edge.
For the rules of baccarat and how the commission is worked out, the Wikipedia entry on baccarat goes into detail.
Frequently asked questions
Are Okey and Pişti available in a casino lobby?
Usually not. A lobby catalogue is assembled from providers and built on international formats; traditional Turkish games mostly live in social apps that use virtual chips.
Which is the cheapest bet at a card table?
Blackjack played with basic strategy, at roughly a 0.5% house edge. In baccarat the banker is 1.06% and the player 1.24%; the tie, at 14.4%, is one of the most expensive lines at the table.
Are live dealer tables better value?
No. A live table applies the same rules, so the house edge is the same. The difference is in pace and atmosphere, not in the mathematics.