You're sitting there with a pen—or maybe just your thumb hovering over a glass screen—and the grid is mocking you. It's a Tuesday or maybe a Friday, and you hit that one specific wall. Crossword clue game of chance. It sounds simple, right? It isn't. Not really. Because the English language is a mess of synonyms, and constructors like Will Shortz or the folks at the LA Times love to mess with your head by choosing the one word you weren't expecting.
Sometimes it's three letters. Sometimes it's six. Occasionally, it’s a weird French word that nobody actually says in a real casino unless they're trying to look sophisticated.
Let's be real: crosswords are basically a game of chance themselves. You’re betting that your vocabulary matches the specific brain waves of a person who probably spends their weekends reading dictionaries for fun. When you see "game of chance" as a clue, you have to look at the surrounding architecture of the grid. If you don't have the cross-letters, you're basically guessing into the void.
The Usual Suspects: The Answers You’re Probably Looking For
Most of the time, the answer is BINGO. It’s the classic. It fits a five-letter slot perfectly. It’s the staple of church basements and retirement homes, and it’s a favorite for constructors because of those beautiful vowels. The "I" and the "O" are like gold in a crossword grid.
But what if it’s not Bingo?
If you’re looking at a four-letter space, you’re almost certainly looking for KENO. It’s that weird lottery-style game you see on monitors in diners or dive bars. People who don't gamble much often forget Keno exists, but crossword creators never do. It’s a short word with a "K," and in the world of Scrabble-score-conscious constructors, a "K" is a high-value tile they love to squeeze in.
Then there’s FARO. Honestly, when was the last time you heard someone say they were going out to play Faro? Probably 1885. It was a massive deal in the Old West, but now it survives almost exclusively in the pages of the New York Times crossword. If the clue mentions "old" or "frontier," and you need four letters, Faro is your best bet.
Why the length of the word changes everything
Length is the only thing that matters when you're stuck. If you have five letters, and it isn't Bingo, check for LOTTO. It’s a bit more "official" than a game of chance, but it fits the definition.
If the grid asks for something more high-brow or European, and you’ve got seven letters, you might be looking at ROULETTE. This is where the difficulty spikes. Roulette is the quintessential game of chance because it's entirely mechanical. There is no strategy. There is no "beating the house" with skill. It’s just a ball and a wheel.
The Sneaky Three-Letter Answers
Three letters are the bane of my existence. They feel like they should be easy, but they’re often the most frustrating. If you see a three-letter crossword clue game of chance, look for LOO. No, not the bathroom. Loo is an old British card game. It’s obscure, it’s annoying, and it pops up more often than you’d think.
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Another one? DIE. As in the singular of dice.
"Game of chance" could technically refer to the tool used to play it. It’s a bit of a lateral thinking move, which is exactly how expert constructors operate. They want to lead you down a path where you're thinking of "poker" (which is actually a game of skill, mostly) and then hit you with something literal like DICE.
- BINGO (5 letters) - The most common.
- KENO (4 letters) - The "diner" gambling game.
- FARO (4 letters) - The historical choice.
- LOTTO (5 letters) - The "big jackpot" variation.
- ROULETTE (8 letters) - The casino classic.
- CRAPS (5 letters) - The dice game.
The Logic of the Construct: Why These Words?
Crossword construction isn't just about finding synonyms; it’s about "letter density." If a constructor has a bunch of consonants in a corner, they need a word with specific vowels to balance it out.
Take the word ALEE. It means "away from the wind." Nobody uses this word in real life unless they’re on a sailboat in a storm, yet it’s in every third crossword because of those three 'E's. "Game of chance" words work similarly.
KENO is popular because of the "K."
BINGO is popular because of the "O" and "I."
ADEE? No, that’s not a game. But you get the point.
The clue might also be "Game of chance, for short." If you see that "for short" tag, you’re almost certainly looking for OTB. Off-Track Betting. It’s not exactly a game, but in the cryptic world of crosswords, it’s a valid answer for gambling-related prompts.
When the Clue is a Trick
Sometimes the clue isn't asking for a specific game. Sometimes it's asking for a type of game.
If the answer is RAFFLE, you’re looking at a six-letter word that implies a charity or a community event. If it’s SWEEPSTAKES, well, you’re going to need a lot more room on that grid.
I’ve seen "Game of chance" lead to COIN TOSS. That’s two words, ten letters. It’s the purest form of the concept. No equipment, no house edge, just 50/50. If you’re filling out a Sunday puzzle, these multi-word answers are the ones that will keep you up at night.
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The Gambling vs. Gaming Distinction
In the industry, there's a big debate about "gaming" vs. "gambling." Crosswords don't care about that debate. They will use the terms interchangeably. However, a "game of skill" (like Chess or Bridge) will almost never be the answer to a "game of chance" clue.
Constructors are pedantic. They know that Poker involves skill and psychology, so they usually won't label it a "game of chance" unless they add a qualifier like "some say." If you're looking at a five-letter word for this clue, don't jump to "POKER" immediately. It’s usually a trap. CRAPS is a much more "truthful" answer for a chance-based game using five letters.
Historical Obscurities You Might See
If you're doing an older puzzle or one from a particularly "intellectual" publication like The New Yorker, you might run into MONTE. Three-card Monte is a classic street scam, but it’s technically a game of chance (even if the chance of you winning is zero because the dealer is cheating).
Then there’s FAN-TAN. It’s a Chinese gambling game. It’s six letters, has a hyphen sometimes, and it shows up when the constructor is feeling particularly spicy.
Wait, let's talk about POCHETTE. Just kidding, that's a handbag. See? It’s easy to get lost.
How to Solve It Without a Dictionary
When you're stuck on the crossword clue game of chance, stop looking at the clue. Look at the letters you already have.
- Check the Vowels: If you have an 'O' at the end, it’s BINGO, FARO, KENO, or LOTTO.
- Check the First Letter: If it starts with 'B', it's Bingo. If it starts with 'K', it's Keno. If it starts with 'R', it's Roulette.
- Count the Blocks: This sounds obvious, but people forget. A four-letter word is never Bingo.
- Look for "Old" or "Ancient": If the clue has these modifiers, think FARO or LOO.
Crosswords are about patterns. The more you do them, the more you realize that the English language in puzzles is a very limited subset of the actual language. There are only so many words that fit into those tiny boxes.
Common Misconceptions
People often think SLOTS is a common answer. It actually isn't. Why? Because the "S" at the end is too easy. Constructors try to avoid plurals if they can because it makes the grid too simple to solve. They’d rather use SLOT MACHINE as a long horizontal answer than just "SLOTS."
Another one is WAGER. A wager isn't a game; it's the act of betting. If the clue is "Game of chance," and you put in "WAGER," you're going to have a bad time when the down-clues don't line up.
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Actionable Steps for Your Next Puzzle
Next time you see this clue, don't panic. Follow this mental flowchart:
First, count the letters. If it's four, try KENO. It's the most common four-letter "chance" word in modern puzzles. If that doesn't fit, try FARO.
If it’s five letters, write BINGO in lightly. If the second letter is an 'R', switch it to CRAPS.
If it’s a long one, eight letters or more, start looking for ROULETTE or BACCARAT. (Baccarat is another good one—it’s eight letters and sounds fancy, but it’s basically just guessing which hand will be closer to nine).
The "game of chance" clue is a classic because it’s versatile. It’s a "filler" clue that helps constructors bridge difficult sections of the grid. By knowing the three or four most common answers, you save yourself ten minutes of frustration.
Stop thinking about the math of the game and start thinking about the math of the grid. The constructor isn't trying to test your knowledge of Las Vegas; they're testing your ability to recognize their favorite five words. Master those, and the Tuesday puzzle becomes a breeze. Keep a list of these common "crosswordese" words in your notes if you have to. Eventually, you won't even need to look them up. You’ll just see "Game of chance" and your hand will automatically write "B-I-N-G-O" before you've even read the rest of the section.
Now, go back to that grid. Look at the cross-letters. Is there a 'K'? Is there an 'O'? There's your answer. Fill it in and move on to the next one. That "Ainu person of Japan" clue (AINU) is going to be much harder anyway.
Expert Insight: If you're ever truly stuck, check if the clue is plural. "Games of chance" (plural) often leads to DICE or CARDS. If the clue is "Game of chance site," the answer is almost always CASINO or RENO. Context is everything in the grid. Keep your eyes on the letters you've already won, and the rest of the gamble pays off.