● Video Poker
0.46%
House Edge
Basic Strategy
~0.50%
Banker Bet
1.06%
The casino games with the best odds are the ones with the lowest house edge. Video poker (0.46%), blackjack (around 0.5% with basic strategy), baccarat (1.06% on the banker bet), and craps (1.41% on the pass line) give you the best chance of winning of any games on the casino floor.
If your goal is to win money over time rather than hand it back to the house, these low-edge games are the best ones to play. Slots, keno, and side bets sit at the opposite end.
House edge is the single number that decides this. It is the share of every bet the casino keeps over the long run, so the lower it is, the more of your money stays in play and the better your odds each session.
This page ranks the main casino games by house edge, explains what drives it, and shows how to hold onto the best odds each game offers.
What Is the House Edge in Casino Games?
The house edge is the mathematical advantage the casino holds on every bet. Expressed as a percentage, it is the share of each wager the casino expects to keep over millions of rounds.
A 1% house edge means that for every $100 wagered, the casino keeps $1 on average and returns $99. That return figure is the game's RTP, the house edge and RTP always add up to 100%.
Two things matter. First, the edge is a long-run average, not a per-session guarantee, variance can push any single session well above or below it.
Second, the edge is not fixed for a game. It changes with the variant and the rules: blackjack runs from 0.5% to over 2% depending on the payout and rule set, and roulette doubles from 2.70% to 5.26% between the European and American wheels. The best-odds player is simply the one who picks the low-edge version every time.
Casino Games With the Best Odds, Ranked by House Edge
| Game | Type | House Edge | Best Bet / Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Poker (9/6 Jacks or Better) | Video Poker | 0.46% | Full-pay paytable, optimal strategy |
| Blackjack | Table Game | ~0.50% | Basic strategy, 3:2 payout |
| Baccarat | Table Game | 1.06% | Banker bet |
| Craps | Table Game | 1.41% | Pass line, lower with odds |
| French Roulette | Table Game | 1.35% | Even-money bets, la partage |
| Ultimate Texas Hold em | Table Game | 2.20% | Maximum 4x raise |
| Pai Gow Poker | Table Game | ~2.50% | Slow pace, frequent pushes |
| European Roulette | Table Game | 2.70% | Single zero wheel |
| Three Card Poker | Table Game | 3.37% | Ante and Play, skip Pair Plus |
| American Roulette | Table Game | 5.26% | Avoid, play European instead |
| Keno | Lottery-style | 20-35% | Worst odds on the floor |
Everything down to European roulette gives you a realistic shot at a winning session. Below that, the house edge climbs fast enough that the game is entertainment first, odds second.
The Best-Odds Games in Detail
Blackjack
Blackjack gives players the best odds of any table game at licensed US casinos. Played with basic strategy against a standard rule set, the blackjack house edge drops to approximately 0.5%. No other table game matches it.
A basic strategy chart, the mathematically correct move for every hand you can be dealt, is a single page, legal to reference during online play, and closes almost the entire gap to that 0.5% figure. The rule set still has to cooperate:
- 6:5 blackjack payouts instead of 3:2. A natural blackjack on a $10 bet pays $12 at 6:5 instead of $15 at 3:2.
That difference adds 1.4% to the house edge before a strategy decision is made. A 6:5 table can carry a house edge above 2%, worse than European roulette. The table looks identical to a 3:2 game. Check the payout before playing. - Dealer hits soft 17 instead of standing. This adds 0.2% to the house edge. Less damaging than the payout variation but worth knowing before sitting down.
Video Poker
Video poker carries the lowest house edge of any common casino game, 0.46% on a full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machine. It returns more than slots for two reasons.
First, the game uses a standard 52-card deck. The probabilities of every hand are fixed and publicly known, which means the return is mathematically derivable from the paytable alone.
There is no configurable build, no operator-chosen percentage. The paytable on screen is the game.
Second, skill affects the outcome. Every hold and discard decision either preserves or destroys expected value. A player using optimal strategy extracts the full edge. A player making instinct decisions does not.
In Jacks or Better, "9/6" refers to the coins returned on a Full House (9x) and Flush (6x), the two hands that determine whether you are playing the highest-returning paytable or a degraded version.
The gap between perfect strategy and typical recreational play in Jacks or Better is approximately 1.5% to 2%. A basic strategy chart for Jacks or Better is a single page and legal to reference during online play.
Deuces Wild is a popular variant, but it introduces four wild cards that restructure the hand rankings entirely, so its strategy is different and the two are not interchangeable. Verify the specific paytable before switching, the variant name alone does not confirm the return.
Baccarat
Baccarat is the simplest low-house-edge table game at licensed US casinos. The banker bet carries a 1.06% house edge with no strategy required.
The player bet sits at 1.24%. The tie bet pays 8:1 and carries a 14.36% house edge. Ignore it. Bet banker, do nothing else, and you are playing some of the best odds in the building with zero decisions.
Roulette
For roulette, the variant determines the house edge entirely. European roulette carries a 2.70% house edge on its single zero wheel. American roulette adds a second zero pocket, the double zero, and doubles the edge to 5.26%.
French roulette is the best-odds version most players overlook. It uses the same single zero wheel as the European game but adds the la partage rule, which returns half of an even-money bet when the ball lands on zero.
That halves the house edge on those bets to 1.35%. Where a casino offers French roulette, it beats both other versions. Failing that, always choose European over American.
Craps
Craps carries one of the lowest house edges on the table floor. The pass line bet runs at 1.41% and the don't pass bet at 1.36%.
Backing either with odds lowers the effective edge further. Avoid the proposition bets in the centre of the layout, where the house edge runs into double digits.
Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is one of the slowest-paced table games, which makes a modest bankroll last. The house edge sits around 2.5%, and a large share of hands push, so you lose money slowly.
It will not match blackjack or baccarat on raw odds, but the low hand-to-hand variance suits players who want long sessions.
Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker splits into two bets. The Ante and Play wager carries a 3.37% house edge with correct strategy, raise on Queen-Six-Four or better. The Pair Plus side bet is far worse at around 7.28%. Play the Ante, skip or minimise Pair Plus.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em
Ultimate Texas Hold'em rewards one simple habit: make the maximum 4x raise whenever the hand justifies it. Played that way the house edge on the ante is about 2.2%, competitive with the other poker-based games. Checking cautiously instead of raising on strong hands is what pushes the real cost higher.
Live Dealer Casino Games
Live dealer games stream real tables from studios like Evolution directly to your browser. The house edge is identical to the RNG equivalents.
A live roulette wheel carries the same 2.70% edge as a digital one. What changes is the rule set the operator runs on each table, and rule sets directly determine the edge you are playing.
House Edge: Live Dealer vs RNG
| Game | Live Dealer RTP | RNG Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack | 99.28% | Up to 99.54% (single deck, optimal rules) |
| Baccarat (banker bet) | 98.94% | 98.94% |
| European Roulette | 97.30% | 97.30% |
| Craps (pass line) | 99.17% | 99.17% |
Blackjack is the only game where the format materially affects the return. Live dealer blackjack at licensed US casinos typically runs on eight-deck shoes with the dealer hitting soft 17.
RNG versions can offer single-deck or double-deck configurations with more favourable rules, pushing the edge lower. For every other game the live and RNG versions are mathematically identical.
Before sitting down at a live table, open the game information panel. Every licensed live dealer game displays the rule set before the first bet.
Check three things: the blackjack payout (3:2 not 6:5), whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, and the number of decks in play.
Games With the Worst Odds
The same math that makes blackjack and video poker a good bet makes other games a poor one. If your goal is the best chance of winning, these are the games to approach carefully or skip.
- Keno: the worst odds on the floor. The house edge runs 20% to 35% depending on the paytable. No strategy changes it.
- American roulette: the second zero pocket doubles the house edge to 5.26%. Play European or French roulette instead wherever they are offered.
- Slots: even high-RTP slots (4% to 6% house edge) keep more of your money than blackjack or video poker, and high volatility means individual sessions swing far from the average. Fun to play, but not the best-odds choice.
- Side bets: the baccarat tie (14.36%), blackjack insurance, Three Card Poker's Pair Plus, and long-shot roulette bets consistently carry the highest house edge at any table.
How to Win at the Casino: Play the Best Odds
You cannot erase the house edge, but you can play the low-edge side of every game:
- Learn basic strategy for blackjack and video poker. It is the single biggest swing available, worth up to 2% on its own.
- Choose the right variant. French or European roulette over American; 3:2 blackjack over 6:5; full-pay 9/6 video poker over degraded paytables.
- Bet the low-edge option: banker in baccarat, pass line with odds in craps.
- Skip every side bet. Insurance, the baccarat tie, Pair Plus, and long-shot props carry the worst odds at the table.
- Set a session budget before you deposit and treat it as the cost of entertainment, not a loan to yourself. A low house edge protects a budget, it does not guarantee a win.
Playing to win at the casino with $20 comes down to the same rule: pick the lowest house edge and keep your bet small so the bankroll lasts.
Baccarat on the banker bet or minimum-bet video poker stretch $20 the furthest while still giving you a real shot at a win.
Which Best-Odds Game Is Right for You
| What You Want | Best Game | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Best odds overall | Video poker (9/6 Jacks or Better) | 0.46% |
| Best odds, minimal skill | Baccarat (banker bet) | 1.06% |
| Skill-based play | Blackjack (basic strategy) | ~0.50% |
| Longest session, small budget | Baccarat / Pai Gow Poker | 1.06% / ~2.50% |
| Best roulette odds | French roulette (la partage) | 1.35% |
| Social, immersive | Live dealer blackjack or craps | 0.50% to 1.41% |
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