Casino game with worst odds
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With slot machines, the more money you put in, the higher your chance of winning. With this in mind, penny slots have the lowest odds, and the £1 and £5 slots have the highest. If you’re just gambling for fun, penny slots are a great way to make your bankroll last. However, to be in with the best chance of winning you’re better off sticking to the more expensive machines. To be in with the best chance of winning, stick to table games. Many people don’t realise that table games have better odds than slots. Some are intimidated by table games, believing that they’ll be up against the best of the best. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. While some table games require a high level of skill, others can be picked up in minutes. If you’re unsure of the rules, begin by just observing. Below, we discuss some of the table game odds further.
The best and worst casino game odds
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While gambling is largely luck-based, there are certain games that give you a higher chance of winning. In addition to using advantage play, choosing games with a low house-edge will increase your chances of winning big. In this article, we explore the best and worst casino game odds to find out which games give you an edge.
Table games
To be in with the best chance of winning, stick to table games. Many people don’t realise that table games have better odds than slots. Some are intimidated by table games, believing that they’ll be up against the best of the best. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. While some table games require a high level of skill, others can be picked up in minutes. If you’re unsure of the rules, begin by just observing. Below, we discuss some of the table game odds further.
Blackjack
With a house edge of just 1 per cent, blackjack gives you the best chance of winning. Additionally, you’re only playing against the dealer. This means that you don’t have to worry about how experienced the other players are.
As one of the easiest games to play, blackjack can be enjoyed by people of all abilities. All you need to do is beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. To begin, two cards are given to the dealer and each player. Before any cards are laid, each player must place their bet. Each player is given the option to either hit or stay, although the dealer must draw up until twelve and then stay once at seventeen.
If you’re new to blackjack, choose a quiet time for your first game. Most casinos are least busy in the afternoon, particularly during the week. If the table is quiet, the dealer should be happy to walk you through the game.
Craps
If you’re bored of blackjack, consider moving onto craps instead. Instead of using a deck of cards, craps is played with 2 dice. While the odds of craps aren’t quite as high as blackjack, they are still nearly 50-50. With this in mind, the game is a great second choice!
As the table is filled with boxes, it can be a bit intimidating for new players. However, it’s not that tricky to get your head around and offers you a great chance of winning. Essentially, all you need to do is bet on a dice roll. To win a game of craps, all you need to do is correctly guess the outcome of your dice roll. To play the game, you’ll need to roll 2 dice down the table until they hit the back wall. If the dice show your predicted number when they stop, you win the bet.
Roulette
After craps, the best next odds can be found in roulette. Just like the previous games, roulette is simple and pays fairly well.
To play a game of roulette, you must begin by passing your money to the dealer in return for chips. Depending on your preference, the chips will either be colour chips or cash value chips. Once you have received your chips, you can begin to place them on the roulette table. You must have placed all of the chips before the ball lands in a designated slot; whatever slot the ball drops into is the winning number. Once the game is finished, coloured chips can be swapped for cash chips which can then be exchanged for money.
There are several different betting options in roulette. The first option is to predict exactly which number pocket the ball will land in. If you guess correctly, you’ll receive a large amount of money. Although this method pays well, the odds are incredibly low. With over 30 numbers on the wheel, the ball is unlikely to land in your predicted pocket.
The other option is to place a colour bet. For this type of bet, all you need to do is guess whether the ball will land in a red or black pocket. If you choose this method, you’ll have nearly a 50-50 chance of winning. In addition to the red and black pockets, the american roulette wheel contains two green pockets for the number 0 and 00. If the ball lands in either of these slots, you’ll automatically lose the bet.
Worst odds
So now we’ve discussed which games have the best odds, let’s move onto which games have the worst. According to forbes magazine, the casino games with the worst odds are wheel of fortune and slot machines. With a house edge of 10 per cent or more, these games give you the lowest chance of winning.
With slot machines, the more money you put in, the higher your chance of winning. With this in mind, penny slots have the lowest odds, and the £1 and £5 slots have the highest. If you’re just gambling for fun, penny slots are a great way to make your bankroll last. However, to be in with the best chance of winning you’re better off sticking to the more expensive machines.
In summary
For the best chance of winning, enjoy a game of blackjack during your next casino visit. According to university of cincinnati professor of analytics, michael magazine, blackjack is the best way to go home with a profit. He says that taking a little time to learn the game will give you the best odds of winning. If you know how to play, you have roughly a 48 per cent chance of winning every single hand. Unfortunately, no other casinos game offers odds that good.
Get an edge at the casino by knowing which games have the best odds
The best and worst casino games to play if you want to win
Image (c) michael blann / getty images
Some people go to a casino to have fun, and only want to play the games they like the most. But if you want to improve your chances of walking away with more money than you went in with, you need an edge. Before you sit down at a table, know which casino games have the best odds so that you can spend your money wisely.
Before you start, know that none of the casino games have good odds for players. There's a reason for the phrase, "the house always wins." every casino game is designed to give the house a better chance of winning, but some of them are more tilted than others.
The three best casino games to play
If you walk into a casino and can't remember the details of this article, keep one thing in mind: you have the best odds of winning at a table game. They may be more intimidating than slots, but they usually work out better for the players.
Here are the three best casino games to play if you want decent odds of winning money:
Blackjack's odds of winning: 49%
Blackjack is a simple card game with an element of skill to it. The odds of winning aren't too bad. You play against the dealer; more people can play at one time, but each is only trying to beat the dealer, not each other. The person whose hand comes closest to 21 without going over (which is called a "bust") wins.
Winning blackjack takes luck and a relatively small amount of skill. The dealer relies as much on luck as the players do, so the odds of winning are pretty even. In most casinos, the advantage to the dealer is about one percent.
If you want to brush up on your blackjack skills, check out these blackjack tips for beginners from business insider.
Craps' odds of winning: nearly 50 percent
Craps is a table game played with dice. One person is the "shooter," who rolls the dice, and the other players make wagers on the results of that roll.
On the first roll, called "coming out," the shooter wins on a seven or an eleven. If the shooter rolls any other number, that number is now the "point." the shooter needs to hit the point before he rolls a seven to win.
The simplest bet to make is: will the shooter win or lose on his roll? You can also place other bets. For example, you can bet that the shooter will hit another number before he rolls a seven.
If you make a "pass line" wager to bet whether or not the shooter will win, your odds are approximately 50/50. If you make more specific bets, your odds of winning drop but your payouts rise.
You can read more about craps strategies and rules in pokernews.Com's craps for dummies guide.
Roulette's odds of winning: nearly 50%
Roulette is a wheel with 38 numbers on it. The numbers 1 - 36 are either red or black and the number 0 (and in american casinos, also 00) in green. The croupier, as a roulette dealer is called, spins the wheel and the ball falls on one of the numbers.
There are several ways to place roulette bets. The simplest is to bet on whether the ball will fall on a red or black piece, which has odds of almost 50/50 ("almost" because of the one or two green tiles at 0 and 00).
You can increase the payout — but lower your odds — by betting on specific numbers or ranges of numbers (like "1 to 12" or "1 to 18").
If you'd like to learn more, check out the best and worst roulette strategies from roulettephysics.Com.
Note that the three games with the best odds of winning still have odds that mean that you'll win less than half the time. That means to walk away with more money than you started with, you need a good amount of luck.
The two casino games with the worst odds of winning
The two casino games that are hardest to win also happen to be two of the most popular games to play. They're easy to understand and require little to no skill, so a lot of people play, making lots of money for the casinos.
Now, there's nothing wrong with playing these games if you enjoy them. After all, you went to a casino to have fun, right? But keep in mind that the chances are high that you'll lose the money you play with.
Big six wheel/wheel of fortune: odds of winning: 26% - 39%
When you play the big six wheel, you bet on whether the wheel will stop on a segment labeled $1, $5, $10, $20, or a joker. The segment that the wheel stops on is the amount you'll receive if you win.
Placing a $1 bet has the best odds of winning, with only an 11 percent edge for the house, but also the worst payout. The joker offers a 36x payout but has a 24 percent edge for the house.
Slots: odds of winning around 1 in 49,836,032
You play slots by putting money into a slot machine and pulling a lever or pushing a button to spin a wheel. Depending on where the wheel lands, you win or lose.
Slot machines have various odds of winning, and the odds are printed on each machine. Be sure to read them before you select a machine to play.
Generally, the more money you need to spend to play, the better your odds of winning are. You may also have better odds of winning smaller payouts than a jackpot prize.
If you want more tips, check out this strategy for winning at slots.
The wildcard — odds are hard to calculate
There is one casino game where the odds are wildly variable because skill plays as large a part in winning as luck does:
Poker: odds vary dramatically
Poker is a game where you have more control over whether you'll win or not. Luck plays a role, since you receive random cards, but how you play those cards does a lot to determine whether you win or not.
Obviously, playing poker at a casino is a very different beast than playing at home with your friends. You will be up against other players who may be total beginners or vicious sharks.
If you want to win money playing poker at a casino, make sure your skills are good before you start. Then find a table that meets your budget and skill level.
Upswingpoker.Com recommends playing at night, when there may be more recreational players and when the drinks have been flowing for a while.
Conclusion
These tips will help you make informed bets at a casino, but remember that the house always has the advantage. The more often you bet, the higher your chances of losing are.
There's a difference between not winning and being a loser. You can enjoy a casino and accept that it will cost you some money to be there. After all, you'll spend money if you go to an amusement park, too.
But be sure to walk into the casino with a firm budget of how much money you are willing to lose, and never let yourself cross that boundary.
Furthermore, be aware of the warning signs of gambling addiction and know how to get help, if necessary.
Worst casino game odds
Some casino games do a great job in creating game variety, but the large house advantage makes them poor options for players hoping to win a little money. These games are fine choices for anyone merely looking for an exciting gambling experience, but beyond that they are probably best avoided.
The draw of bad odds casino games is that they tend to have the potential of paying huge sums of money. The main jackpot in keno can be astronomical, but your chances of winning it are similar to winning the state lottery. Below are the casino games with the absolute worst player odds.
Keno odds
Keno provides the worst betting odds of all casino games. There is a large house advantage to compensate for the square footage required to house a keno lounge. Casinos require players to choose a minimum of nine numbers from a pool of 80. The chance of matching all nine numbers is a little less than 1 in 1.3 million. These odds are even worse as you choose more numbers.
There are few differences when play keno at an online gambling site compared to a land casino. Variations include:
Online casinos require players to choose a minimum of 10 numbers rather than nine. Some even require 15.
Tickets can be bought for only one credit online, where as land casinos charge two credits.
While live keno jackpots can reach 250,000 credits, online keno jackpots are typically lower.
So which form of keno is better: live or online? The answer is simple: neither. The potential for a huge payout and the simplicity of this lottery-style game draw many players, but your money is better spent at other casino gambling games. There is no strategy that can increase your odds, so unless you truly enjoy the experience of play keno, avoid this game.
Roulette odds
House edge: 5.26% (american)
house edge: 2.7% (european)
Roulette is another game based solely on luck and is not influenced by strategy, other than placing the proper bets. Roulette is one of the most well-known casino games and offers the possibility of winning up to 35 times your initial bet. There are two versions of roulette: american and european. They are completely identical except american roulette has an extra green slot marked "00." this is the reason behind the larger house edge of the american version.
The roulette wheel is divided into either 37 or 38 slots, depending on which version you play. The house edge is calculated like this:
Single zero roulette (european):
(35 - 36)/37 x 100 = -2.7%
Double zero roulette (american):
(35 - 37)/38 x 100 = -5.26%
The best bets to place in roulette are "even money" bets, or those with a payout ratio of 1:1. These include red, black, even, odd, high or low bets. While you do not stand as much to gain from a win, your overall odds are better than the high-risk bets. For example, you stand a 48.6% chance of winning an even-money bet in european roulette, while a single number bet will only win 2.7% of the time.
Before you go gambling: the best and worst casino game odds
Many people will be visiting a casino this summer, whether on a trip to vegas, on a cruise ship, or just at a local casino during a "staycation."
But before you go, you may want to know which games give you the best chance of winning.
So we went behind the scene at two casinos, and spoke with the game managers, to find out which games give you an edge.
Table games your best bet
Jay bean, a caesar's floor manager, agreed to sit down with us and talk about the games with the best odds.
He said many people don't realize that table games have much better odds than slots. They are intimidated by thoughts of card sharks taking their money, with images of an intense texas hold 'em tournament in their minds, and so they stick with the safe games: the slots.
But they are doing themselves a disservice, he said.
Bean's advice? After you've spent some time on the slot machines, move on to the blackjack table, and start by just observing.
Blackjack has the best odds of winning, with a house edge of just 1 percent in most casinos, bean said.
Plus, you are playing against only the dealer, not hooded poker champions.
"blackjack is one of our easiest games to play," bean said. "you're just looking for a number that beats the dealer's number without going over 21."
If you're a novice, bean said to sit down during a less busy time, such as the afternoon, and the dealer will walk you through the game.
But the same is not true with poker: you should practice the game with your friends first, at home, bean said, until you are comfortable with it. Bean said novices are best off passing on the poker tables, where yes, the competition can be tough.
You can find out more information about the game of blackjack at the following link:
http://wizardofodds.Com/games/blackjack/
So from the blackjack table, he suggests moving on to the dice game craps, the game with the second best odds, also nearly 50-50.
The craps table can be a bit intimidating for the beginner with all the boxes on the table, bean admitted. But it's really not tough, and it has one of your best chances of winning. In the end, all you are really doing is betting on a dice roll.
Bean said your next stop should be the roulette wheel. It's simple, and pays fairly well.
"so you bet on your favorite numbers," bean said. "the dealer spins, and if your number comes in you win."
If you stick to betting on just reds or blacks, you have nearly a 50-50 chance of walking away a winner. If it lands on red when you choose red, you will double your bet, bean explained.
While it may seem you have an even chance of winning by simply choosing a color, there is one catch that gives the house its edge: the extra green 0 and 00 position on the wheel. It's on all american roulette wheels.
Or, if you feel lucky, play just one number. It's hard to win, but if you do it pays out 36 to 1.
Your worst odds? The casinos, understandably, did not want to talk about games with poor odds.
So we turned to forbes magazine, which in a report about best bets at the casino, said two popular games -- the wheel of fortune and the ever-popular slot machines -- have the lowest odds of winning, with a house edge of 10 percent or more.
Professor of analytics michael magazine has crunched the numbers, and agreed that blackjack is the best way to go home with money in your pockets. He said if you take a little time to learn the game, you have the best odds of winning.
"you are somewhere between 44 percent to 48 percent in every single hand of winning," he said, noting that no other casino game gives you odds that good.
But magazine cautioned that he's not promoting gambling, because he said even games with the best odds still favor the house.
"play it long enough and you will lose. In the long term the house doesn't lose," magazine said.
Finally, if you really enjoy playing the slots, here is some good information to know, from state casino reports we examined.
With slots, the more money you put in per bet, the higher your chance of winning. If you put the max in a penny machine, which is usually around 50 cents, you have much better odds than if you put in 2 cents.
In addition, penny slots have the lowest odds, with $1 and $5 slots paying much better.
Always gamble responsibly, and don't waste your money.
__________________________
You can learn more about specific odds of slots machines in each state that has casino gambling by visiting the american casino guide.
Don't waste your money is a registered trademark of the EW scripps co.
The 10 worst games in the casino
It’s tempting to just judge all casino games by their house edge. If you do that, you can just look up a list of games played in a casino and sort them according to which ones have the highest house edge, and you’d have your list of worst games.
Casino gambling is more complicated than that, though. There’s more to choosing a casino game than deciding whether or not the house edge is too high. In fact, that’s not even the best predictor of how much it’s going to cost you to play a particular game.
You also have to take into account how much you’re putting into action with each bet and how many bets you’re placing per hour. If you’re playing penny slots at the minimum bet and making 600 spins per hour, you’re only putting $6 per hour into action. Even if the house edge is 20%, you’re only going to lose an average of $1.20 per hour.
On the other hand, if you’re playing blackjack for $100 per hand, and you’re placing 50 bets per hour, you’re putting $5000 per hour to action. Assuming the house edge for that game is 1%, you’re looking at losing $50 per hour on average.
One game has a house edge 20 times the other, but your average hourly loss couldn’t be more different.
And that’s just one consideration among many. Another consideration is how much fun you’re having while you play. If you’re like some people, you don’t want to be interacting with others while you gamble. Maybe you’re an introvert.
If that’s the case, a game with a lot of social interaction, like craps, might be the worst possible experience you could have in a casino.
On the other hand, if you’re an extrovert, playing slots or video poker might be duller than watching paint dry.
Most of what determines whether or not a casino game is good depends on your temperament and goals. You should spend some time thinking about what type of person you and what types of games you might enjoy before setting foot in the casino.
That being said, I do have some opinions about the worst games in the casino. I express them below:
1. Slot machines
If you’ve read the companion piece to this blog post, “the 10 best games in the casino”, you’ll notice that I included slot machines on my list of best games, too.
And no, I’m not trying to be disingenuous.
Some slot machines are great fun, and others aren’t. The slot machines on the worst list include some of the following games for the following reasons:
These have notoriously low payout percentages, especially in las vegas. If you’re absolutely desperate to get a little more action in before you fly home, you might play these, but you should know that the payback percentage is probably between 75% and 85%. That means you’re going to lose, on average, $15 to $25 for every $100 you wager on these games.
Compare that with slot machines at casinos which are heavily trafficked, like those on the strip in las vegas. The payback percentage on those games is always well into the 90%s.
When you’re at the airport, those slot machines are the only game in town. They don’t have to compete with other casinos for your attention. If you want to play slot machines while you’re at the airport, you’re stuck with their games.
Casinos on the las vegas strip, on the other hand, are constantly competing with each other. If you don’t like how you’re running at the slots in one casino, you can just walk next door and look for a looser slot machine game there
These also offer lower payout percentages than flat top slot machines (A flat top slot has a flat jackpot as its grand prize—it doesn’t grow progressively larger over time.) the math on this is just common sense.
To fuel an ever-increasing progressive jackpot, the games take a tiny percentage of each bet and use it toward increasing the size of the progressive. That’s money that comes directly out of the payback percentage of the other smaller wins. The odds of hitting the progressive jackpot are similar (if not as extreme) to hitting a lottery win.
Slot machines are cool for certain players, but not all slots are created equally.
2. 6/5 blackjack
You probably also noticed that blackjack made the top spot on my list of the best games in the casino. That’s because it’s a lot of fun and offers some of the best odds in the casino. But not all blackjack games are created equal.
Most blackjack games pay off at 3 to 2 if you get a blackjack (a “natural”). That’s a 2 card hand that totals 21—it has an ace and another card worth 10. This bonus payout changes the texture of the game dramatically.
In fact, the increased payoff on that hand is the reason card counting works. Card counters track the ratios of aces and 10s in the deck to low cards. When there are a relatively high number of those cards in the deck, your odds of getting a blackjack and the accompanying higher payout increases. So they raise their wagers when that situation comes up.
But some casinos only offer a 6/5 payout for a blackjack. That has a huge effect on your bottom line. This particular rules variation takes unfair advantage of unsophisticated gamblers who don’t understand what a big difference that extra payout makes to your bottom line.
This one rules change adds 1.39% to the casino’s edge. That might sound like a small amount, but here’s what that really means to your bottom line.
Let’s say you’re playing for $100 per hand, and you’re playing 30 hands per hour. You’re putting $3000 into action every hour that you play.
You can calculate your expected loss per hour by multiplying the house edge by the amount of action you’re bringing.
Let’s say you’re playing a reasonably good blackjack game with perfect basic strategy, and the house edge with all the rules variations in place for this game is only 0.5%. You’re looking at losing, on average, $15 per hour.
That’s not bad for an hour’s entertainment. And standard deviation will help you win during some sessions, too.
But let’s make this one change to the rules and start paying you $120 when you get a blackjack instead of $150. The house edge jumps from 0.5% to 1.89%.
Now your expected loss per hour is around $57.
And that’s the result of one seemingly small rules variation.
My advice is to NEVER play 6/5 blackjack.
3. American roulette
Roulette is an okay game for some casino players. It’s relatively slow-paced, so you don’t generally get a lot of money into action per hour. And it’s a nice way to socialize with other gamblers without the intensity of the craps table.
But there are 2 kinds of roulette in most casinos. One is american roulette, and the other is european roulette.
The difference between the 2 games is the number of 0s on the wheel. And like changing the payout on a blackjack from 3 to 2 to 6 to 5, adding another 0 to the wheel has a devastating effect to your odds.
A european roulette wheel has 37 numbers on it. One of them is a 0, which is green, but the rest of them are even and odd numbers that are colored red and black.
The american wheel is exactly the same with one exception—the addition of a slot with 00 on it. It’s also green. But if effectively doubles the odds of the casino winning.
The house gets its edge in roulette from those 0s. If you removed them from the wheel and kept the same payouts on the bets, you’d have an even money game. The house wouldn’t have an edge, and neither would the player.
- If you have a 37 to 1 chance of hitting a single number bet, and if the casino pays off 35 to 1 on that bet, the casino wins more often than the player.
- On an american wheel, those are the exact odds you face.
- On the european wheel, though, your odds of winning that single number bet are 36 to 1. It still pays off at 35 to 1, but the house edge is much smaller.
In fact, the house edge for european roulette is 2.7%. For american roulette, the house edge is 5.26%.
Let’s assume you’re betting $100 per spin. And let’s also assume that you’re getting 30 spins per hour. You’re putting $3000 into action every hour.
You can multiply the house edge by the amount of action you’re bringing in order to get an estimate of your expected hourly loss.
2.7% of $3000 is $81. That’s a big loss per hour compared to blackjack, but it’s still WAY better than your expected hourly loss in the american version of the game.
5.26% of $3000 is $157.80. That’s way more than I want to give up per hour for the privilege of playing a game which only has one difference—an extra 0 on the wheel.
Not all casinos offer european roulette. I suggest sticking with the casinos that do, and just stay away from the america roulette games altogether.
4. Keno
If you love playing the lottery, maybe keno will appeal to you. But I think the game is as dull as watching paint dry. The odds are lousy, and I can’t find anything to recommend it. You might like the idea of playing for a huge jackpot, but you’d be better off playing a progressive slot machine. At least then you’re getting some entertainment and some smaller payouts more often.
You get a keno card which has the numbers from 1 to 80 listed on it. You choose the numbers you think will hit, and then based on how many numbers you got right, you get a payout. The keno numbers are chosen randomly. Some casinos have a lottery-like set-up with balls, but newer keno games often choose numbers with a computerized random number generator.
The payouts when you hit can be generous, but guess how often you hit?
If you think the odds are similar to those of winning the lottery, then give yourself a gold star.
But in fairness to keno, the payout percentage for state-run lottery games is 50%. So in a casino where the keno game has a 25% house edge, you’re getting a lottery game with double the odds of winning.
But a bad game is a bad game. If you take a terrible game and make it half as bad, it’s still bad.
If you enjoy keno, I apologize for hurting your feelings. But there are much better ways of gambling that are more fun and offer you better odds.
Even american roulette is a better deal than keno.
5. Craps
Craps is also on my list of best casino games. I stand by that assessment. I think the right player with the right temperament can have more fun at the craps table than anywhere else in the casino.
The reason craps is also on my worst casino games list is because of some of the terrible bets on the table. If you’re placing bets on the more intricate and complicated options on the craps table, you’re facing some of the worst odds in the casino.
That’s why craps is both one of the best and one of the worst games in any casino.
Here’s a look at the house edge on some of these bets:
The “any 7” bet is a particularly bad bet mathematically. You’re betting that the results of the next roll will total 7, and you win regardless of which numbers make up that 7—you can win with a 6+1, a 5+2, or a 4+3.
But this bet only pays off at 4 to 1. The house edge for this wager is 16.9%.
Compare that with the house edge of one of the better bets on the table—the pass line bet. The house edge for that bet is only 1.41%.
What kind of mathematical expectation are we looking at when we compare those 2 bets?
If you’re betting $100, you’re looking at an expected loss of $16.90 versus an expected loss of $1.41. And that’s an average per bet.
Even at a busy table, you’re looking at 100 rolls per hour. So you’re looking at the difference between an expected loss of $141 per hour compared to an expected loss of $1690 per hour.
And that’s not the only terrible bet on the craps table.
The hard ways bets are also notorious for their high house edge. A hard way bet is a bet that you’ll get a total of 4, 6, 8, or 10, but the dice are going to get that total by one of the following combinations: 2+2, 3+3, 4+4, or 5+5.
The payoff for winning a hard 4 or a hard 10 bet is 7 to 1. The payoff for a hard 6 or a hard 8 is 9 to 1.
The house edge on these bets is 11.1% or 9.09%, respectively.
Your best bet at the craps table is to stick with the simpler bets like pass/don’t pass, come/don’t come, and the odds bet.
If you’re trying those other, more “interesting” bets, you’re playing one of the worst games in the casino.
6. Big six
Big six is more like a carnival game than a casino game. It’s not even that common any more. But I know one thing about carnival games—the odds are in the house’s favor in a BIG way.
Here’s how big six works. There’s a spinning wheel, similar to the wheel of fortune, but it’s upright instead of level with the ground. There are dollar symbols of various denominations on the wheel, and those dollar amounts are also found on the surface of the betting table.
The wheel and the table also have options for the “big six” logo.
If you bet a $1 bill on the $1 result, you win $1 if that result hits when the wheel is spun. If you bet a $5 bill, you win $5 if the $5 lands when the wheel is spun. And so on for the $10 and $20 bets. The logo bets pay off at $40.
The odds of winning most of these bets are lousy compared to the payoff, but some bets are definitely better than others with this game.
The best of the bad bets in this game is the $1 bet. The house edge for that bet is only 11.11%. That’s twice as high as the house edge at the american roulette wheel, which you’ll remember made our list of worst casino games already.
But that’s the BEST bet in this game. Bet $5 or $20, and the house edge is 22.22%. That’s about what you’d expect from a keno game, but you don’t even have the slim chance of getting a big payday. The best you can hope for is to win $5 or $20.
This is a silly game that’s not found in a lot of casinos any more. When you do find it, you’ll usually see it near the entrance.
I don’t judge casino games based solely on the house edge, but I do take it into consideration, and so should you.
There’s no good strategy for playing the big six wheel, but if you are going to play, stick with the $1 bets, as the house edge skyrockets for all the other bets on the table.
7. War
War is one of the silliest games in the casino. Years ago I watched vegas vacation, and the chevy chase character goes to a low rent casino which has a bunch of silly games. One of the games was war, which, as far as I know, wasn’t actually being played in real casinos at the time. That was part of the joke.
But some casino executive somewhere saw an opportunity here, and now the game is pretty common.
The problem is that it’s boring and has lousy odds.
When you were a kid, you probably played war at the kitchen table. You get a card, and your opponent gets a card. The player with the card of higher rank wins the hand. In the event of a tie, you deal out 2 or 3 dead cards and have another showdown.
In the casino game version, you and the dealer compete in the same kind of contest. But if you have to go to war in the event of a push, you only win your original bet, even though you have to place an additional bet to go to war in the first place.
The game not only has a relatively high house edge, it plays incredibly fast. Unlike blackjack, there are few decisions to be made. And you’re looking at half as many cards per hand. So seeing 200 hands per hour isn’t unheard of or even hard to pull off when playing casino war.
The house edge is between 2% and 2.5%, but there’s a side bet where you can wager on whether or not you’re going to go to war on a given hand. The house edge on that bet is lousy. The payoff is only 10 to 1, but the odds of actually going to war on a given hand are 12 to 1.
I avoid war because it’s just a boring game with a lousy house edge. Blackjack is infinitely more interesting.
8. Sic bo
Craps is the most popular dice game in the casino, but sic bo is still relatively common. This game uses 3 dice instead of 2, and you have a wide variety of bets you can place. But it lacks the excitement of craps, because the house edge is much higher, and the way it’s played is quite different.
Instead of having a player act as a shooter and roll the dice, in sic bo the dealer rolls the dice every time. There are a bewildering number of bets available, but the house edge on all of these bets is lousy.
- A small bet is a wager that the total on the 3 dice is anywhere from 4 to 10.
- A big bet is a wager that the total on the 3 dice is anywhere from 11 to 17.
This bet pays off at even odds, but the house edge is 2.78%. This is actually one of the best bets on the table.
You can also bet on specific totals. You might bet that you’ll see a total of 4 or a total of 17. If you do, that bet pays off at 50 to 1 or more. But even though there’s a big payoff, the house edge is awful—it’s between 15% and 29%, which makes this bet a similar proposition to a keno wager. The house edge goes down as the payoff for this result goes up. If you’re at a casino where you get paid off 60 to 1 instead of 50 to 1, you’ll see that higher percentage.
Sic bo is interesting to look at, and it’s really popular in macau. Most americans don’t enjoy the game much. There’s no strategy other than choosing the bets with the lowest house edge, but even then, the odds aren’t great.
I suggest trying craps instead. It’s more fun and offers better odds.
9. Video poker
Video poker is another game on my list of best casino games. The reason it makes my list of worst games in the casino is because some versions of some popular games offer a relatively high house edge.
The full pay version of jacks or better is also called 9/6 jacks or better. The 9 and the 6 refer to the payouts for the full house and the flush. A full house pays off at 9 to 1, and a flush pays off at 6 to 1.
If you can find a full pay version of the game and play with optimal strategy, the payback percentage is 99.54%. That means the house edge is only 0.46%, making the game comparable to blackjack.
But most jacks or better games don’t offer these kinds of payouts. You can find 8/5, 7/5, and 6/5 versions of jacks or better. The house edge skyrockets as the payoffs for these 2 hands go down.
- 8/5 job – house edge – 2.7% (same as european roulette.)
- 7/5 job – house edge – 3.9%
- 6/5 job – house edge – 5% (only slightly better than american roulette.)
The best thing you can do as a video poker player is specialize in certain games and learn how to spot the better pay tables. If you’re discriminating about which games you play, video poker IS one of the best bets in the casino.
But if you play video poker games with lousy pay tables, you’re just giving away your money for no reason.
10. Any game you don’t understand
It doesn’t matter how fun a game is, if you don’t understand what’s going on, you won’t enjoy yourself. I don’t know anyone who is sitting there puzzled about what’s going on whose enjoying himself. So any casino game you don’t understand is, by definition, a bad game.
You’re better off playing roulette if you understand it if you don’t understand blackjack at all.
My suggestion is to spend some time reading the tutorials explaining how to play the various casino games. This site has a tutorial or guide to practically every casino game you can imagine.
Once you’ve done that, try playing some of the free versions of the games available at online casinos. Then give them a try for real money.
If you don’t want to risk real money playing these games, that’s cool, too. In that case, I recommend asking the casino if they offer free classes for the various casino games. Most good casinos offer these classes during their off hours. The dealers are great at explaining how to play the games, although they’ll occasionally recommend less than optimal strategies during their classes.
Conclusion
One of the things you’ll notice about this list of the worst games in the casino is that many of the games are on the list of best games, too. That’s because the variations available make a big difference in how “good” a casino game is. Some games offer a few really great bets and a few really lousy bets at the same table (craps, for example). Other games offer different versions where the bets are good, but they have other different versions where the bets are not so good (blackjack, for example, or roulette).
The most important thing to remember is that you should educate yourself about the games before playing them. You should also spend some time thinking about what you’re hoping to get out of your gambling experience.
If you do those 2 things, you can decide for yourself which casino games are the best and which are the worst.
Which casino games have the best (and worst) odds?
Of all the ways to lose money in life, gambling is probably the most enjoyable (at least up to a certain point).
When you walk through the doors of a casino, you do so knowing your net worth is probably going to be lower by the time you emerge back into the blinding sunlight, but at least you can get a few free drinks for your troubles.
However, if you want to maximize the number of watered down adult beverages you receive while gambling, it’s important to know which games to play in order to ensure you don’t burn through your funds any quicker than necessary.
In order to do that, you need the answer to one simple question: which casino games have the best odds?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Games of chance vs. Games of skill
Casino games are a lot like cryptocurrencies: you have plenty of options when it comes to taking a risk with your money but there are certain ways to gain an edge if you actually know what you’re doing.
If you don’t want to rely on a computer algorithm, a rolling ball, or a random person tumbling dice, there are a few other places where you might feel right at home.
For the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume you aren’t rain man or someone who enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with knowing you could be hauled into a backroom at any minute if you get caught counting cards.
If either of those labels apply to you, then I doubt you need much advice in the first place.
Which games have the worst odds?
Before we address the best casino games to win money we should also examine the ones that rip you off the most.
Odds can vary from casino to casino and many of them actually have guides that can tell you which games will give you the best return on your investment. However, they’re a bit less likely to advertise which games are designed to screw you over more than others.
I’m more than happy to take on that burden.
I know it can be tough to resist the urge of the flashing lights and the alluring gaze of carrie bradshaw radiating from the sex and the city slot machine but you’re doing yourself a severe disservice if you don’t have the self-control required to not sit down.
Slot machines are great because you can sit there for hours on end while establishing a camaraderie with the person bringing you drinks, which the casino is more than happy to provide you with because you’re basically printing money for them.
Odds vary from machine to machine, but one analysis says the house edge can be upwards of 15%. That number will shrink as you play machines with larger betting amounts, but if you’re a penny slots diehard, you might want to rethink your fandom.
2. The wheel of fortune
There’s a pretty small chance you’re ever going to find yourself standing next to pat sajak on a set in los angeles, so for most people, this game is the closest they’ll ever get to actually playing wheel of fortune.
However, unlike actual wheel of fortune contestants, you don’t get to walk away with a food dehydrator or a new set of flatware if you lose— and there’s a very good chance you’re going to.
If you’re brave enough to bet on higher amounts, you should do so knowing the casino has up to a 25% house edge. You’ll honestly probably have better luck if you just audition for the show.
I’m not sure why anyone would play keno at a casino when you can just go to a sketchy bar or a bowling alley— not to mention that it’s just an objectively boring (and entirely random) game.
You can spice things up a bit if you want to play glorified bingo surrounded by AARP members instead of staring at a screen but you’re not doing yourself any favors either way. Opting for the former comes with a house advantage of up to 16% but that number can balloon to 30% when it comes to the virtual version.
Thankfully, there are more than a few other games you can hit up for the best odds in the casino.
Which casino games have the best odds?
When you consider roulette gives players the chance to basically bet on a coin flip, you’d think it would be one of the best games on the casino floor.
However, the inclusion of the green 0 and 00 actually gives the house a bigger advantage than you’d think. Unlike some other games, the odds never change, which means a casino will statistically have a 5.26% house edge.
There are a variety of different betting strategies that can theoretically increase your odds but there’s still a very good chance you’ll end up losing money in the long run even if you use them.
There are a million different ways to bet on craps but if you’re new to the game you’re probably just going to want to bet on the pass line and yell “seven!” a lot.
If you choose to adopt that strategy then the casino is looking at a house edge of 1.41%. Sadly, there’s no solid data on whether or not blowing on the dice before a roll impacts that number.
2. Blackjack
You may not have perfected the art of card counting at MIT but blackjack is still one of the best bets you can make at a casino.
Even if you’ve never played a single game of blackjack in your life you still have a pretty good chance of coming away with a winning hand as long as you know how to do simple addition.
If you did, in fact, go to elementary school, the house only has a .5% edge whenever the cards are dealt.
1. Video poker
Sure, video poker might not be as exciting as facing off against a guy rocking sunglasses inside with a pair of beats over a pulled-up hoodie, but at least you don’t have to deal with the blow to your psyche if you end up losing to him.
If you can track down a jacks or better machine, you’re in a position to rake in more money than anywhere else in the casino.
Technically speaking, an inexperienced video poker player has the same shot at winning as a blackjack player does but there are a number of proven strategies that (if applied correctly) result in the house only having an advantage of .46%.
However, an expert at deuces or wild can theoretically gain a .7% edge on the casino, so if you happen to have some time on your hands, you might want to start studying up.
The best and worst casino game odds in gambling
Casino gambling is an enjoyable occasion and more of an event at a land casino. Not everyone expects to win, but everyone hopes to. Online casino gaming is more focused on the actual game, so choosing one with better odds is more meaningful.
The question arises which casino games have the best odds? You want to try and win, so knowing which games pay out better will allow your money to go a lot way longer, and give you a better chance of winning a payout and coming out on top.
How can I reduce the house edge?
Chance is relying on the random roll of a dice, computer algorithm, or a rolling ball on the wheel of fortune. You want to try out games that allow you to strategize and plan a system whereby you reduce that house edge and increase your own. Playing over an extended period is essential, and you will need patience and nerves of steel.
But if you persist, you can beat the odds and make a profit. You have to distance yourself from the commercial glamour of certain games which promise much and deliver little. Both land and online casinos sometimes have different odds for precisely the same game. So, you always need to read the small print wherever you play casino games. Casinos aren’t going to publicize the games with the best odds, quite the opposite. Below we are going to list the best odds in casinos, meaning, the casino games with best odds. Enjoy!
Which online casino games have the best odds?
1. Does roulette offer good odds?
With a house edge from 2%
Roulette is a traditional game seeping in rich history which originated in europe. The game has superior odds to many other casino games. The odds vary slightly between american and european roulette due to the addition of an extra zero with the former, which means the latter has somewhat improved odds with a house edge of just over 2%, and the former just over 5%.
There are many renowned roulette strategies such as the martingale system, but whether they actually work is anyone’s guess! Nevertheless, roulette is one of the games with the best odds, so it should be on your radar if you really want to win!
2. Is craps a game with favourable odds?
With a house edge from 1.41%
Craps is another traditional gambling game passed down from generation to generation to become a staple at casinos everywhere. Immortalized in james bond films, there are a zillion different ways to bet playing craps. The most common method is to bet on the pass line and shout out seven.
Whichever strategy you adopt you get much-improved odds with a house edge lowered to 1.41%. Of course, having a ‘lucky’ lady standing beside you to throw the dice, as james bond did, you might just improve those odds a tad! After blackjack and poker, craps gives you the best odds, at about 50/50.
Granted, the craps table can be a little intimidating at first, however, once you get past that mental block, you are well on your way to playing the game which basically involves throwing dice.
3. Does blackjack offer better odds?
With a house edge from 0.5%
Blackjack is one of the most popular and loved table games of all time. It is also one of your best bets to beat the odds. Even if you are a novice, you probably stand more chance of winning a hefty payout than a high-roller playing a progressive jackpot slot game.
As long as you learn the basic rules, and come as close to the number 21 when dealt cards, that’s about it. The house edge is only 0.5%, which means blackjack is one of the best games to play at any casino and gives you the best chance of winning more than you lose. A number of people have become millionaires playing blackjack
4. How well does video poker compare?
With a house edge from 5%
Poker is another fan favorite, and the game is by far the most popular card game you can find at every casino, not to mention the high-profile national and international poker tournaments. The game is the first choice among serious gamblers and with odds of just 0.46%, it beats blackjack to the top spot of the casino game with the best odds.
Before you attempt to play online video poker, you should carefully compare the odds by accessing the pay tables and check the games with the best payout prizes. Jacks or better tends to be the video poker game with the best odds. If you can find one with 9/6 odds, that game usually provides a 9:1 payout if you get a full house, as well as 6:1 for the coveted royal flash. If you can track that game down, you will give yourself the best odds of any casino game.
5. Will I get good odds playing baccarat?
With a house edge from 1%
Baccarat is a timeless, elegant casino game that is still extremely popular today. Baccarat is a game that offers better odds than most and a good bet to leave the table with a profit. Betting on the banker’s hand has a house edge of around 1%, and if you decide to go with a player, the odds are pretty decent too.
Baccarat has several betting possibilities with different odds for each. It’s always advisable to avoid tie-bets as they have terrible odds and should be avoided at all costs. The best advice regarding baccarat is to familiarize yourself with the rules and various types of bets the game offers as it can make all the difference.
Which casino games have the worst odds?
Do slots offer good odds?
Slots are by far the most popular of all casino games. They are hard to resist with glittering lights, million-dollar jackpots and adventurous themes and storylines. If you want the most favourable odds, then exert enough self-control to resist playing slot machines.
Slots have a house edge of slightly over 15% at most land casinos, although exact odds vary from one machine to another. That percentage shrinks as higher bets are wagered; however, you are highly unlikely to win any top jackpots playing penny slots.
What about wheel of fortune?
Wheel of fortune is a major attraction at land casinos, and you can also find such games at online casinos. Although the game is shrouded in notoriety due to popular TV shows glamorizing the wheel, the actual odds are heavily in favor of the house at around 25%, and unlike the game show, you don’t walk away with any consolation prizes.
Is keno a game with reasonable odds?
Keno is another entirely random and extremely popular game. The simplicity of playing keno makes it a popular choice, and you should know that it is basically a glorified version of bingo. The land casino version carries a house edge of about 16%, while online versions generally have a house edge that can balloon to a whopping 30%!
Should I play progressive jackpot slots?
Progressive jackpot slots typically offer lower payout percentages compared to standard flat-top (fixed) jackpot slot games. Progressive jackpots have a cash pool that inflated each time a player makes a wager, which progressively increases the cash pot prize. That payout will have to come directly out of the payback percentage an all the other minor payouts.
The odds of hitting that high payout progressive jackpot are as extreme as winning the national lottery. The games are tempting to play as the top prizes attract many players, yet sticking with a simple 3-reel slot machine with few pay lines gives you a better chance of winning a payout and making a profit.
What about the poker tables?
When it comes to the poker tables, the odds differ dramatically and playing at a casino is considerably different from playing at home with friends, or online. The players you are up against could be total beginners or seasoned pros, which makes the odds vary substantially. However, if you fish around for a table that suits your limits and level of skill, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t come out on top.
Why table games are your best bet
We can conclude with a brief analysis of the above, which points clearly to table games having much better odds than other casino games. Since most people tend to shirk away from card games such as poker and blackjack, preferring the safety and simplicity of a slot game.
Blackjack is a lot easier to learn than poker, so trying it out shouldn’t be intimidating, especially the online versions where you are literally playing against the machine. With roulette it’s the same thing, don’t let yourself get confused with the betting board. If you merely bet on white or black, you give yourself a 50% chance of winning. You can also choose to bet on just one number and keep betting on it till you finally win, and you have a 1:36 chance doing that.
Don’t forget to have fun
Most casino games are engaging to play and despite not having the best odds, are still popular. Slots are the most popular and widespread casino games, and the excitement and anticipation of a good payout along with the thematic you generally get with 5-reel video slots are hard to beat. These slots are more than just a casino game as they provide an element of gaming incorporating story-driven themes and exceptional bonuses and free spins. These are all elements players look out for and enjoy.
When it comes to slot machines, whether online or off, the best chances come when betting on all the pay lines with the highest coin values. So, playing a slot game with, say, 9 pay lines will cost you less than a slot with 25. You can play longer and increase your odds.
All casinos have 3-reel slots which typically include classic game symbols like fruits, bells, sevens, and bars. Serious slot players prefer these stripped down, traditional slot machine games as they pay out better. If you want the best odds and a return on your investment playing slots, the classic 3-reel games are the ones to play.
Snap up top online casino bonus offers
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Top 10 worst casino bets
Some bets in the casino have a very high house edge. Slot machines are popular but they can have a house edge from 1-15 percent depending on the casino and/or location of the machines. Although some table games have a low house edge, there are some bets you should avoid. Here are some of the worst bets you can make.
Live keno
1. Live kenokeno is a game similar to the lottery. The house edge can run 25 percent or higher. The odds of drawing any number of spots doesn’t change, the house edge comes from the payout for the winning numbers. This varies from casino to casino.
Big six wheel
2. Big six wheelthe big six or wheel of fortune is an old carnival game with equally bad odds. The house edge varies from 11 to 24 percent depending on the number the player bets.
Caribbean stud side bet
3. Caribbean stud side betthe side bet for the progressive jackpot in caribbean stud varies a little by the size of the jackpot but it rarely reaches the amount to make the bet worthwhile. The average house edge is about 26 percent.
Baccarat tie bet
4. Baccarat tie betthe baccarat banker and player bets are two of the best bets you can make. However, the tie bet in baccarat is one of the worst. It has a high 14.36 percent edge. Stick to the banker or player bets.
Blackjack insurance bet
5. Blackjack insurance betthe insurance bet in blackjack is just another side bet that should be avoided. The house edge is around 8 percent. You are not really insuring anything.
Blackjack hunch play
6. Blackjack hunch playdeviating from blackjack basic strategy can make blackjack one of the worst games in the casino. A player can give up 20 percent or more playing hunches.
Let it ride side bet
7. Let it ride side betthe house edge for the side bet is based on the pay table which varies from casino to casino. Even the best pay table has a high double-digit house edge that ranges from 13 to 36 percent.
Craps proposition bets
8. Craps proposition betsthe proposition bets on the craps table are the bets on the hard ways and the other one roll bets. These have a house edge that can reach as high as 16.7 percent.
Roulette
9. Roulette the bets on the double zero american wheel has a house edge of 5.26 percent on all bets except the five number bet. The five number 0-00-1-2-3 bet is called the basket bet and has a house edge of 7.89 percent. The european wheel with a single zero has a lower house edge of 2.7 percent.
Casino war tie
10. Casino war tie casino war is the same as the kid’s game where you each draw a card and the high card wins. There is a tie bet that can be made when playing casino war. You are betting that your card will tie the dealers. If you tie the dealer’s card you get paid 10 to 1 for your tie bet. It carries a high house edge of 18.65 percent.
The best and worst casino game odds
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While gambling is largely luck-based, there are certain games that give you a higher chance of winning. In addition to using advantage play, choosing games with a low house-edge will increase your chances of winning big. In this article, we explore the best and worst casino game odds to find out which games give you an edge.
Table games
To be in with the best chance of winning, stick to table games. Many people don’t realise that table games have better odds than slots. Some are intimidated by table games, believing that they’ll be up against the best of the best. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. While some table games require a high level of skill, others can be picked up in minutes. If you’re unsure of the rules, begin by just observing. Below, we discuss some of the table game odds further.
Blackjack
With a house edge of just 1 per cent, blackjack gives you the best chance of winning. Additionally, you’re only playing against the dealer. This means that you don’t have to worry about how experienced the other players are.
As one of the easiest games to play, blackjack can be enjoyed by people of all abilities. All you need to do is beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. To begin, two cards are given to the dealer and each player. Before any cards are laid, each player must place their bet. Each player is given the option to either hit or stay, although the dealer must draw up until twelve and then stay once at seventeen.
If you’re new to blackjack, choose a quiet time for your first game. Most casinos are least busy in the afternoon, particularly during the week. If the table is quiet, the dealer should be happy to walk you through the game.
Craps
If you’re bored of blackjack, consider moving onto craps instead. Instead of using a deck of cards, craps is played with 2 dice. While the odds of craps aren’t quite as high as blackjack, they are still nearly 50-50. With this in mind, the game is a great second choice!
As the table is filled with boxes, it can be a bit intimidating for new players. However, it’s not that tricky to get your head around and offers you a great chance of winning. Essentially, all you need to do is bet on a dice roll. To win a game of craps, all you need to do is correctly guess the outcome of your dice roll. To play the game, you’ll need to roll 2 dice down the table until they hit the back wall. If the dice show your predicted number when they stop, you win the bet.
Roulette
After craps, the best next odds can be found in roulette. Just like the previous games, roulette is simple and pays fairly well.
To play a game of roulette, you must begin by passing your money to the dealer in return for chips. Depending on your preference, the chips will either be colour chips or cash value chips. Once you have received your chips, you can begin to place them on the roulette table. You must have placed all of the chips before the ball lands in a designated slot; whatever slot the ball drops into is the winning number. Once the game is finished, coloured chips can be swapped for cash chips which can then be exchanged for money.
There are several different betting options in roulette. The first option is to predict exactly which number pocket the ball will land in. If you guess correctly, you’ll receive a large amount of money. Although this method pays well, the odds are incredibly low. With over 30 numbers on the wheel, the ball is unlikely to land in your predicted pocket.
The other option is to place a colour bet. For this type of bet, all you need to do is guess whether the ball will land in a red or black pocket. If you choose this method, you’ll have nearly a 50-50 chance of winning. In addition to the red and black pockets, the american roulette wheel contains two green pockets for the number 0 and 00. If the ball lands in either of these slots, you’ll automatically lose the bet.
Worst odds
So now we’ve discussed which games have the best odds, let’s move onto which games have the worst. According to forbes magazine, the casino games with the worst odds are wheel of fortune and slot machines. With a house edge of 10 per cent or more, these games give you the lowest chance of winning.
With slot machines, the more money you put in, the higher your chance of winning. With this in mind, penny slots have the lowest odds, and the £1 and £5 slots have the highest. If you’re just gambling for fun, penny slots are a great way to make your bankroll last. However, to be in with the best chance of winning you’re better off sticking to the more expensive machines.
In summary
For the best chance of winning, enjoy a game of blackjack during your next casino visit. According to university of cincinnati professor of analytics, michael magazine, blackjack is the best way to go home with a profit. He says that taking a little time to learn the game will give you the best odds of winning. If you know how to play, you have roughly a 48 per cent chance of winning every single hand. Unfortunately, no other casinos game offers odds that good.
Which casino games have the best (and worst) odds?
Of all the ways to lose money in life, gambling is probably the most enjoyable (at least up to a certain point).
When you walk through the doors of a casino, you do so knowing your net worth is probably going to be lower by the time you emerge back into the blinding sunlight, but at least you can get a few free drinks for your troubles.
However, if you want to maximize the number of watered down adult beverages you receive while gambling, it’s important to know which games to play in order to ensure you don’t burn through your funds any quicker than necessary.
In order to do that, you need the answer to one simple question: which casino games have the best odds?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Games of chance vs. Games of skill
Casino games are a lot like cryptocurrencies: you have plenty of options when it comes to taking a risk with your money but there are certain ways to gain an edge if you actually know what you’re doing.
If you don’t want to rely on a computer algorithm, a rolling ball, or a random person tumbling dice, there are a few other places where you might feel right at home.
For the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume you aren’t rain man or someone who enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with knowing you could be hauled into a backroom at any minute if you get caught counting cards.
If either of those labels apply to you, then I doubt you need much advice in the first place.
Which games have the worst odds?
Before we address the best casino games to win money we should also examine the ones that rip you off the most.
Odds can vary from casino to casino and many of them actually have guides that can tell you which games will give you the best return on your investment. However, they’re a bit less likely to advertise which games are designed to screw you over more than others.
I’m more than happy to take on that burden.
I know it can be tough to resist the urge of the flashing lights and the alluring gaze of carrie bradshaw radiating from the sex and the city slot machine but you’re doing yourself a severe disservice if you don’t have the self-control required to not sit down.
Slot machines are great because you can sit there for hours on end while establishing a camaraderie with the person bringing you drinks, which the casino is more than happy to provide you with because you’re basically printing money for them.
Odds vary from machine to machine, but one analysis says the house edge can be upwards of 15%. That number will shrink as you play machines with larger betting amounts, but if you’re a penny slots diehard, you might want to rethink your fandom.
2. The wheel of fortune
There’s a pretty small chance you’re ever going to find yourself standing next to pat sajak on a set in los angeles, so for most people, this game is the closest they’ll ever get to actually playing wheel of fortune.
However, unlike actual wheel of fortune contestants, you don’t get to walk away with a food dehydrator or a new set of flatware if you lose— and there’s a very good chance you’re going to.
If you’re brave enough to bet on higher amounts, you should do so knowing the casino has up to a 25% house edge. You’ll honestly probably have better luck if you just audition for the show.
I’m not sure why anyone would play keno at a casino when you can just go to a sketchy bar or a bowling alley— not to mention that it’s just an objectively boring (and entirely random) game.
You can spice things up a bit if you want to play glorified bingo surrounded by AARP members instead of staring at a screen but you’re not doing yourself any favors either way. Opting for the former comes with a house advantage of up to 16% but that number can balloon to 30% when it comes to the virtual version.
Thankfully, there are more than a few other games you can hit up for the best odds in the casino.
Which casino games have the best odds?
When you consider roulette gives players the chance to basically bet on a coin flip, you’d think it would be one of the best games on the casino floor.
However, the inclusion of the green 0 and 00 actually gives the house a bigger advantage than you’d think. Unlike some other games, the odds never change, which means a casino will statistically have a 5.26% house edge.
There are a variety of different betting strategies that can theoretically increase your odds but there’s still a very good chance you’ll end up losing money in the long run even if you use them.
There are a million different ways to bet on craps but if you’re new to the game you’re probably just going to want to bet on the pass line and yell “seven!” a lot.
If you choose to adopt that strategy then the casino is looking at a house edge of 1.41%. Sadly, there’s no solid data on whether or not blowing on the dice before a roll impacts that number.
2. Blackjack
You may not have perfected the art of card counting at MIT but blackjack is still one of the best bets you can make at a casino.
Even if you’ve never played a single game of blackjack in your life you still have a pretty good chance of coming away with a winning hand as long as you know how to do simple addition.
If you did, in fact, go to elementary school, the house only has a .5% edge whenever the cards are dealt.
1. Video poker
Sure, video poker might not be as exciting as facing off against a guy rocking sunglasses inside with a pair of beats over a pulled-up hoodie, but at least you don’t have to deal with the blow to your psyche if you end up losing to him.
If you can track down a jacks or better machine, you’re in a position to rake in more money than anywhere else in the casino.
Technically speaking, an inexperienced video poker player has the same shot at winning as a blackjack player does but there are a number of proven strategies that (if applied correctly) result in the house only having an advantage of .46%.
However, an expert at deuces or wild can theoretically gain a .7% edge on the casino, so if you happen to have some time on your hands, you might want to start studying up.
So, let's see, what we have: to be in with the highest chance of winning, choose to play casino games with the best odds. In this article, we explore the best and worst casino game odds at casino game with worst odds
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