Which Online Casino Games Have The Best Odds?
When you talk about casino game odds, you’re talking about two things:
- Your chances of winning
- What you’ll get paid if you do win
What are the casino games with the best odds? Where are the best places to play these games online?
See below for what you need to know about casino game odds, which casino games have the best odds, and how you can take advantage of those odds at the best online casinos in the US.
Which casino games have the best odds?
The house edge is the first thing to consider regarding casino game odds.
The house edge is how much the casino expects to earn on a game, or more specifically, the percentage of all the money put into a game that the casino will keep as profit.
Here are the casino games that have the lowest house edge:
- Video poker: Play a perfect strategy on Deuces Wild, and you’ve got the edge. However, the house edge on all video poker games ranges from -0.05% to 2%.
- Blackjack: The house edge in blackjack depends on the number of decks in play, the dealer play rules, and the strategy you implement. Single Deck Blackjack offers the lowest house edge if you play correctly. However, the house edge on all real money blackjack games ranges from 0.43% to 2%.
- Baccarat: There’s often a commission charged on winning banker bets. However, the house edge on baccarat ranges from 1.06% to 1.24%.
- Slots: Real money slots are all over the map, but the house edge ranges from 1% to 15%.
- Craps: Craps offers a variety of bets. Take the odds on your pass line bets, and there’s no house edge. However, betting the seven (big red) means giving away an almost 17% house edge. Overall, the house edge on craps bets ranges from 0% to 16.7%.
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em: You must play perfect strategy, but the basic house edge on Ultimate Texas Hold’em is 2.20%.
- European roulette: The single zero on the European roulette table keeps the house edge low at 2.70%. American roulette has an additional double-zero pocket, pushing it up to 5.26%.
- Pai Gow Poker: Set your hand the right way every time to enjoy a 2.84% house edge on Pai Gow.
The flip side of house edge is a casino game’s return to player rate (RTP). RTP indicates how much money players put into a game that they can expect back as wins in the long term. Check out our highest RTP slots guide.
- Video poker RTP ranges from 98% to 100.05%.
- Blackjack RTP ranges from 98% to 99.57%.
- Baccarat RTP ranges from 98.76% to 98.94%.
- Slots RTP ranges from 85% to 99%.
- The RTP on craps bets ranges from 83.3% to 100%.
- The RTP on Ultimate Texas Hold’em is 97.8%
- The RTP on European roulette is 97.3%
- The RTP on Pai Gow Poker is 97.16%
How to play casino games with the best odds
Video Poker
Video poker is easy to play. You choose a bet size, click a button to draw five cards, and hold from one to five cards that give you the best chance of making a winning hand according to basic poker hand rankings. Then, you click the button to draw again and get paid according to the value of your hand on the paytable.
Blackjack
Online blackjack is easy to play. You choose a bet size and click a button to draw two cards face up while the dealer gets one up and one down. Then, you determine the value of your hand based on the value printed on the card with face cards worth 10.
You can also determine the possible value of the dealer’s hand based on the up card.
You’re trying to beat the dealer’s hand while getting as close to 21 without going over. You decide whether to stand and put your current hand up against the dealer’s or hit and draw more cards with the chance to improve.
You can double down by doubling your bet and drawing an additional card or split pairs by doubling your bet and turning one hand into two. Draw 21 immediately, and you should get paid 3:2; otherwise, winning bets pay 1:1.
Baccarat
Baccarat is a very simple game. You choose to bet on the player or the banker and your bet size. Two cards are dealt to each spot.
Once revealed, the cards are worth points, either the value printed on the card, zero for 10s and face cards, or one for an ace. The closest to nine wins, with the banker or player drawing additional cards or standing based on house rules.
Player bets pay 1:1, but banker bets typically pay only 0.95:1.
Slots
Slots are the easiest games to play in any casino. You choose the value of your bet and sometimes the number of paylines in play to determine the total value of each bet.
Then, you click a button to spin the reels and hope you get lucky. You get paid according to the slot’s pay table if you line up similar symbols along one of the paylines.
Craps
Craps can be a little more complicated than some other casino games because there are a lot of different bets available. Essentially, you roll a pair of dice, establish a point, and try to roll that same number again before rolling a seven.
The easiest way to play the game is to bet on the pass line and its odds. You place your pass line bet before rolling the dice on the come-out roll. Pass line bets pay 1:1 if you roll a 7 or 11. Pass line bets lose on any 2, 3, or 12. If you roll any other number, that number becomes the point.
Once you establish the point, you keep rolling until you hit it again or roll a seven to crap out and lose. Hitting the point pays 1:1, but you can also place an additional bet on the pass line odds, a bet that has no house edge, and get up to 2:1 by hitting the point.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is more complex than blackjack, but it is much easier to play than Texas Hold’em against other players in a traditional poker room. You’re trying to make a five-card hand that ranks higher than the dealer’s.
You can use the two cards you’re dealt and five community cards to do it. You place bets in the “Ante” and “Blind” spots before being dealt your two cards.
Then, you can check and head to showdown or make “Play” bets two times the value of the “Ante” bet as the community cards are revealed via the flop (three cards), turn, and river. All bets pay 1:1 on winning hands.
European roulette
Playing European roulette is easy. You decide what to bet on, including bets on a single number, small and large combinations of numbers, odd/even, red/black, and other possibilities. A small ball is rolled into a spinning wheel filled with numbered and colored pockets.
Bets are paid according to the number and color of the pocket where the ball lands. Pick the correct number, and you can get paid 35:1. Combination bets offer lower odds, and the odd/even and red/black bets pay 1:1.
What are casino odds?
Casino odds indicate two different things: your chances of winning and what you’ll get paid if you do win.
What is the house edge?
The house edge is how much a casino expects to earn from a game. More precisely, the house edge is the percentage of all the money put into a casino game that the house expects to keep as profit.
What makes casino odds good or bad?
If casino game odds are both your chances of winning and what you’ll get paid if you win, then what makes a game’s odds good or bad depends on the difference between these two aspects.
If you get paid at odds somewhat close to your odds of actually winning, then they’re good odds. Get paid at odds far lower than your odds of winning, and they’re bad odds.
Which casino games have the worst odds?
Let’s run down a few of the usual suspects. Often, these are games to stay away from entirely.
- Triple Zero Roulette: This game uses a roulette wheel with three zeros, pushing the house edge up to 7.69%, the RTP down to 92.31%, and dropping your chances of winning on 50-50 bets to a lowly 42.31%.
- 6-5 Blackjack: The difference between getting paid 3:2 for blackjack and 6:5 is significant. While 3:2 blackjack games typically have a house edge in the 0.5% range, it’s 2% on 6:5 games. You get paid less for blackjack, and the house enjoys a bigger edge as a result. There’s simply no need to play this variant if 3:2 is available.
- Low-RTP Slots: Pay attention to a slot’s RTP. While most are in the 95-99% range, others can sink as low as 85% and should be avoided.
- Big Six Wheel/Money Wheel/Dream Catcher: Bet on a spin of these wheels, and you’re giving up as much as a 16% house edge.
- Keno: You might as well play the lottery because the prizes are bigger there, and the house edge on Keno ranges from 25 to 30%.