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House Edge for Casino Games

House Edge by game
Every game at the casino is tipped in the casino’s favor – that is how they make their money.

For sure, as a player you have a chance of winning and finishing a session ahead – there would be no reason to go to a casino otherwise – but overall every game will make the casino money in the long run.

By playing to a certain strategy, the player can reduce the House Edge by some percentage points giving them a better chance of walking away up. There are strategies for many of the most popular casino games on this website.

However, the amount of House Edge does vary from game to game and in some cases from the different types of bet from within the same game. Here, we look at the most popular games and their House Edge so you can make an informed decision of which to play.

GameBetting RulesHouse Edge
BlackjackVegas Rules0.28%
PontoonStandard Bet0.32% – 0.65%
Spanish 21Dealer Stands on Soft 170.40%
Spanish 21Dealer Hits on Soft 170.76%
Blackjack SwitchStandard Bet0.58%
Atlantic City BlackjackStandard Bet0.35%
Vegas Strip BlackjackStandard Bet0.35%
Progressive BlackjackStandard Bet0.28% – 0.76%
Super Fun 21Standard Bet0.94%
European RouletteSingle Zero1.35% – 2.70%
American RouletteDouble Zero5.26%
French RouletteSingle Zero1.35% – 2.70%
BaccaratPlayer1.24%
BaccaratBanker1.06%
BaccaratTie14.36%
Punto BancoPlayer1.24%
Punto BancoBanker1.06%
Punto BancoTie14.40%
EZ Baccarat1.01%
3 Card Baccarat17% – 20.8%
European BaccaratPlayer1.24%
European BaccaratBanker1.06%
European BaccaratTie14.40%
Banque BaccaratPlayer1.24%
Banque BaccaratBanker1.06%
Banque BaccaratTie14.40%
Chemin De FerN/A
CrapsPass Line/Come Bet1.41%
CrapsDon’t Pass/Don’t Come Bet1.40%
CrapsPass Line Odds/Comes Bet Odds/Buy Bets – 4 or 104.76%
CrapsPass Line Odds/Comes Bet Odds/Buy Bets – 5 or 94.76%
CrapsPass Line Odds/Comes Bet Odds/Buy Bets – 6 or 84.76%
CrapsDon’t Pass Odds/Don’t Come Bet Odds/Lay Bets – 4 or 102.44%
CrapsDon’t Pass Odds/Don’t Come Bet Odds/Lay Bets – 5 or 93.23%
CrapsDon’t Pass Odds/Don’t Come Bet Odds/Lay Bets – 6 or 84.00%
CrapsField Bets – 3, 4, 9, 10 or 115.50%
CrapsField Bets – 2 or 125.50%
CrapsPlace Bets – 4 or 106.70%
CrapsPlace Bets – 5 or 94.00%
CrapsPlace Bets – 6 or 81.52%
CrapsHardways – 6 or 89.09%
CrapsHardways – 4 or 1011.10%
CrapsOne Roll Bets – Any 716.90%
CrapsOne Roll Bets – Any Craps11.10%
CrapsOne Roll Bets – 2 Craps or 12 Craps13.90%
CrapsOne Roll Bets – 3 Craps or 11 Craps11.10%
CrapsOne Roll Bets – Big 6 or 89.09%
3 Card PokerAnte Bet3.37%
3 Card PokerPair Plus7.28%
Pai Gow Poker1.50%
Let It Ride3.51%
Caribbean Stud5.22%
Video PokerJacks or Better0.46%
Video PokerBonus Poker0.83%
Video PokerJoker Poker1.91%
Video PokerDeuces Wild1.09% – 5.03%
Video PokerAces & Faces0.74%
Video PokerPick’em Poker0.5% – 10%
Video PokerAces & Eights0.22% – 2.51%
Video PokerTens or Better0.86% – 2.04%
Casino WarGo to War on Ties2.88%
Casino WarSurrender on Ties3.70%
Casino WarBet on Ties18.65%
Keno25% – 29%
Sic Bo2.78% – 33.33%
Red Dog2.80%

 

What is the House Edge?

It is important to clarify exactly what the House Edge is and how it is calculated.

The definition of House Edge is ‘the ratio of the average loss when compared to the initial bet’. Some games allow you to place an extra bet during the hand such as Splitting or Doubling in Blackjack. When working out the House Edge for a game, this extra bet is not taken into consideration as it is not a forced bet and the player doesn’t have to pay the extra if they don’t want to.

In games where an extra bet is mandatory, the total bet necessary is taken into account when working out the House Edge.

We work out the House Edge on the original bet and not the average bet to make it easier to see how much you can expect to lose over a period of time. Although this may sound negative, it is worth mentioning again that every bet in a casino is in the casino’s favor – if there was a bet where the player is expected to win over a long period of time, players would be sitting making this bet the whole day and the casino would lose money. They are clearly not going to let this happen.

Another point to note when looking at House Edge is that for bets which feature a Tie – such as Baccarat or the Don’t Pass bet in Craps – some places don’t count these on the basis that if a bet hasn’t been settled then it should be ignored.

There are other variables that could affect the bottom-line House Edge such as mindset of the player at the time the player, how much they are concentrating on their game or how much they can afford to lose the chips they have in front of them.

Conclusion

It is worth remembering that the above table gives a rough idea of House Edge but one or two less than optimal decisions can have an adverse effect and therefore there will inevitably be some small discrepancies based on the way the game/s are played.

The lower the House Edge, the more chance there is for the player to win so take that into consideration when deciding which game to play.

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FAQ

faq

What does house edge mean in a casino?

It is simple. The phrase refers to the advantage that a casino has over the player/s in a certain game.

faq

Why do casinos have a house edge?

Well, a casino is a business. That means that their goal is to make money. So, in order to make money, the casinos need to have the advantage over the player, otherwise, they might just eventually go bankrupt.

faq

Does the house edge mean that casino games are fixed?

Well, yes and no. Casino games are not fixed in the sense that some people might imagine. However, the rules of the games are stacked against the players. Meaning that a player can win, but it is more likely that the casino will come out on top.

faq

What is a good house edge for the player?

It depends on the game you are playing. If we take Slots (the most popular casino game) as an example, then most have a house edge between 5% and 10%. So, anything over 10% would be too far, and anything under 5% is a game worth jumping on. When looking for a good Slot, try to find something closer to 5% than to 10% though.

faq

What game has the lowest house edge?

Most gamblers know that Blackjack is the best game for players.

faq

What is a good house edge in Blackjack?

Blackjack has a staggeringly low house edge percentage. There are games with a house edge as low as 0.40%, and the highest house edge in a game of Blackjack will never go beyond 2%. So, from that perspective, a standard Blackjack house edge is around 1%. Much lower than Slots, or pretty much any other game.

faq

What games have the best house edge for non-Blackjack fans?

If you don’t like Blackjack, there are quite a few games to pick from. Pontoon, for example, is an excellent game for those looking for a lower house edge. Usually, a game of Pontoon will have a house edge similar to Blackjack. Anywhere between 0.5% to 2%. Other games with good player odds include Baccarat (usually around 1%), French Roulette (around 1.3%), and some versions of Craps.

faq

Which Roulette version has a lower house edge?

If you are a Roulette fan, then it would certainly benefit you to seek out casinos that feature the French Variant. The French Roulette wheel has 37 slots, whereas the American version has 38. Many believe that this difference is insignificant. However, when we tell you that French Roulette’s house edge is around 1.35%, and American Roulette’s is over 5%, the difference will not seem as insignificant.

faq

What games have the highest house edge?

For low-risk players, these are the games to avoid: Live Keno, Penny Slots, a lot of variants on Craps and the Big Six Wheel. All of these games have quite the high house edge.

faq

What is the house edge in Poker?

Poker is where we throw everything we learned about house edge away. Unlike other casino games, Poker is skill-based. Meaning, there is no house edge. The only edge goes to the person who has played more Poker. Casinos make money off of poker by charging a small “competition fee”. And the rest is all up to the players themselves. This is why most pro-gamblers dedicate a lot of their time becoming great Poker players.

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