The house always wins.
Every player knows that frequenting casinos bears a certain risk. Although many players cannot really find a name for that risk – they know very well that the risk is there. And that risk is ladies and gentlemen, the house edge. The term describes the notion that all casinos (houses) have an advantage (edge) over players in each round of every game.
It’s not hard to guess why the casinos maintain this advantage. Gambling halls are places where players go to gamble and have fun. Occasionally, they win – and that means that the house lost. Of course, casinos cannot afford to lose always, so they need a guarantee that they will stay in business no matter what. In other words, they need an upper hand over the players.
As we said, each game has a house edge, but they are not all the same. Below you will find out which games have the lowest house edge in the entire casino game offering.
Top Games with the Lowest House Edge
The holy trinity of low house edges in online casinos is Baccarat, Craps, and Blackjack. No other games can compete with these three when it comes to return-to-player rates (Remember RTP? Here’s a refresher.).
Blackjack is notoriously geared towards lower house edges. Of course, different variants have different advantages. For instance, the lowest house edge for Blackjack is gained through playing single-deck Blackjack using the basic strategy. The standard variant boasts a solid 1.5% edge, which is, in comparison with other games, spectacular.
Craps can go even lower than that. The standard house edge for online Craps is 1.4%, which makes this game a popular go-to option for high payouts. Players can further influence the house edge by switching between possible betting options. The only issue with Craps is the table – the design might seem confusing at first, but the rules are simple. Once you master Craps and the ways to lower the edge, you won’t need any other casino game. Trust us.
Finally, with Baccarat, players sign up for exquisite fun with only 1.06% house advantage. That means that Baccarat takes the throne as the casino game with the best odds. Admittedly, experts at Craps have bigger chances to manipulate the edge, but the default Baccarat advantage for the house is excellent for all punters.
Higher Edge Brings More Fun?
We often get questions like, “Why do people play Roulette with high house edges?”. Roulette is just one of the games that have a higher house advantage than, say, Baccarat and Craps. And despite that, Roulette remains one of the most popular casino games in the world. The reason for that is the appeal of the game. Sometimes, players do not care about edges and advantages, but rather focus on entertainment. And no one can deny the fun that you can have when you play Roulette!
Even though its edge clocks in on 5.26% for American Roulette. The American variant has double zeros on the wheel, and more pockets mean that the edge will be higher. The math behind this is slightly complicated, so we won’t bother you. Just remember that, with more zeros on the wheel, the house has a higher edge. For example, a triple-zero table has a 7.89% edge over the participants.
To conclude, the players overlook the tiny edge detail in favor of the entertainment. And we cannot say that we blame them!
How to Bring Down the House Edge
You cannot bring down the house, but you can bring down the edge. For instance, you must have heard of players boasting that they found a way to beat the game. Perhaps they did beat the game literally, i.e. they won, but did they manage to increase their winning chances? Probably yes.
There are several ways to boost your winning odds. The methods vary from game to game. For instance, in Blackjack, the best thing that you can do is follow the basic strategy. This has proved to be one of the best ways to achieve great results repeatedly. Seasoned Blackjack veterans often forego this strategy because they do not like the analysis and calculations behind each move. So, we can say that it’s not that popular. However, crafty players thought of that as well. They came up with easy-to-use charts that you can put to good use and win hefty amounts the next time you visit a Blackjack table.
Moreover, you can lower the edge and improve your odds in Craps too. The secret lies in the bets – avoid complicated bets and use the Free Odds bets! Boost your original Pass Line/Don’t Pass Line bet with free Odds, and you will double the win with double odds.
Finally, the best advice for Roulette players is to choose their variants carefully. You have seen above that American Roulette has a high edge. But there is the European Roulette too – and it has a great 2.70% advantage. There’s only one zero on the wheel, which means you have higher chances of winning something at these tables.