The majority of casino players are convinced that luck is the only factor influencing a game’s outcome. However, that’s not entirely true. The casino games odds is something that should be brought to your attention. What you may not know is that every slot or table game has certain odds that can be used to your advantage.
What do Odds Actually Mean?
The concept of “odds” can be used outside of sports betting. Odds, also referred to as “house edge”, represent the mathematical advantage, expressed as a percentage, that the game has over you in the long run. In other words, the odds represent the percentage return that the house wins over time.
To have a more clear idea of how odds work, we’re giving you the example with the differences in winnings that occur when playing 1000 bets on European Roulette compared to American Roulette. The house edge for American Roulette is 5.26% while the European version is only 2.7%. Assuming you always play with a €1 bet. No matter how well you choose the numbers, on the American Roulette table, the casino will make €50,26 while for the European table game the house profit will only be €27. To sum things up, simply because of the higher house edge for American Roulette, you’re losing €23.26 guaranteed.
Casino Games with the Best Odds
Now that we have cleared out how odds work and how they influence your overall profit when playing casino games, let’s see what are some of the games with the most advantageous odds. Have a smart strategy while playing these games and your winning chances will be boosted tremendously.
Blackjack – House Edge 1-2%
In Blackjack, your goal is to get 21 or as close as possible to that value with the sum of the cards in your hand. What you probably didn’t know is that there’s a huge difference in odds between Blackjack games that pay 3:2 and the 6:5 ones. In the first scenario, the odds stand under 1%. For every €2 you bet, the payout is €3. On the other hand, with 6:5 Blackjack, the odds jump to 2% and even higher since for every €5 placed as stake, you get €6.
Blackjack has the best odds when you keep it simple. For example, using side bets may seem like an extra way to win more. However, in reality, these bets only further increase the house’s edge.
Craps – House Edge 1.4-5%
When playing Craps, you need to predict the outcome when two dice are rolled. You can either bet on the shooter or against him through Pass and Don’t Pass line bets. The first roll of the dice is to establish the point for placing the bets. For example, a Pass bet that pays 1:1 comes with a house edge of 1.41%. On the contrary, a Don’t Pass bet has a house edge per bet of 1.36% since there are multiple bet results that can validate a Don’t Pass bet.
Furthermore, when talking about bets that are resolved in a single roll, the payout is much higher but the house edge is boosted as well. For example, for 2, 12, and all the “hard” hop bets, you’re facing a house edge of 5.56% and a win probability of 2.78%. That may seem worth it for a payout of 33:1, however, the low win probability along with a huge house edge makes them disadvantageous.
Roulette – House Edge 2.8%
Roulette is one of the simplest casino games anyone can enjoy. Playing just requires placing your chips on any of the numbers on the table where you think the ball is going to stop. Also, the house edge doesn’t change depending on the bets you place. The roulette type is the only one that can influence the house edge, as explained earlier.
Casino Games with the Worst Odds
On the other hand let’s take a look at some casino games examples with a larger house edge.
Slots – House Edge 3-20%
Slots are the undisputed champions when talking about the most popular casino games out there. However, when it comes to house edge, games with spinning reels can get tricky. Things like slot’s volatility, playtime, and even how big your last win was come into play and influence the overall house edge. The best you can do is to set a clear budget when playing slots and adjust the bet size to fit that budget.
Wheel of Fortune – House Edge 11%
One of the most popular games as well, Wheel of Fortune suffers from the same ailment as slots. It comes with a huge house edge and that makes long-term profits nearly impossible to attain.
Keno – House Edge 20-40%
For those that have never tried this game, Keno is a lottery type game of chance that can be played in online casinos. You have a ticket on which you pick the numbers you think are going to be lucky. Then, the game calls 20 random numbers to determine the winner. The payout may differ depending on how many numbers from the one extracted are found on your ticket. However, we’re talking about Keno games with up to 90 balls in total so the house edge can get up to 40%.
