The House Edge

InformationAll of the games that you can play at casinos both online and offline have in in-built edge in favour of the casino. This is known as the house edge and it is how the casinos make money as over the long term the casino will always make a profit due to this edge. In this guide we take a look at the house edge and cover some of the best and worst bets at the casino.

The House Edge for Popular Games

An important note when it comes to some of the figures listed below is that they assume you are playing using the perfect strategy. For example if you play blackjack and hit every time you have 18 you will be giving the casino a much bigger edge.

  • Baccarat (Player & Banker) : 1.17% & 1.36%
  • Blackjack : 0.20% to 0.63%*
  • Caribbean Stud : 5.22%
  • Craps : 1.41% to 11.11%
  • Let it Ride : 3.51%
  • Roulette (Single Zero) : 2.70%
  • Slots : 1% to 20%
  • Sic Bo : 2.78% to 47.22%
  • Three Card Poker : 1.46%
  • Video Poker : 0.46%**

*The house edge on blackjack varies based on the game rules and number of decks used
**Video poker house edge varies from game to game. The figure is for full pay Jacks or Better.

As you can see from the table above the house edge varies quite widely from game to game and even from bet to bet on particular games. It's worth noting that in the very short term such as one gambling session your results will vary widely so it is possible to win big even on the games with a high house edge if you're lucky.

Best Bets

If you want to make the best bets in the casino in terms of the lowest house edge then you should look at playing Craps (Pass / Come bets), Blackjack, Full pay video poker, Baccarat (Banker or Player bet), Three Card Poker (Pair Plus) and Roulette (Single zero tables).

Worst Bets

The worst bets in terms of house edge are Keno, side bets on table games, Insurance at the blackjack table and the proposition bets on the craps table. One thing that most of these bet types have as well as a high house edge is a high pay off. This makes sense as with bigger risks come bigger rewards.

The Entertainment Factor

You may have read this guide and though you should change games based on the figures. They real key when it comes to gambling is to have fun. If you like playing games with a high house edge then there is no reason why you should not keep playing them. Above all gambling should be fun so don't play games that you don't enjoy just because they have a low house edge.

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