When it comes to gambling and casinos, the question that remains the most relevant – and certainly the most important to your overall evening and potential return are the odds of you winning on a particular game or slot machine. Therefore the question we are going to take a serious look at today and analyse from a logical and learned point of view is this:
What Casino Game Has The Best Odds?
The first thing we need to do is decide what games constitute a ‘normal casino game’ and then ascertain what the odds are – on average of course. We can then apply another layer of what I would call ‘chance’ – this is gambling afterall – and we are left with what is hopefully the casino games with the best odds, and then we’ll be able to tell you definitively what casino game has the best odds. Not a bad plan of attack hey? Righto then – let’s get into it….
Most Popular Types of Casino Games (And the Odds of Winning Each)
Pokies and Slot Machines – House Edge 10%
Pokies and Slots need no introduction, especially here at Online Pokies Australia – but in terms of popularity you can see they are heads and shoulders above the other table and non table casino games here. The Pokies/Slot Machines also happen to have the highest return to Player rate (of around 90%) vs. the other table games and sports gambling where the return is closer to 70%.
So then the Casino Games with the best odds are slot machines?
Well no, not exactly….. In fact the RTP rate of 90% is no indication of the odds of winning but is an overall metric used by the machine’s internal algorithm to keep the payout balance in check. a 90% return rate sounds wonderful in theory but you are still getting 90c back from every $1 you put in the machine. Over time you are almost guaranteed to lose the lot. I say almost because there is a chance you will win more than you started with – a 1 in a million chance that is.
The odds of winning the major jackpot on a pokie or slot machine is closer to 9,000,000:1 but a realistic figure for a semi decent return (of say double what you started with) gives you slightly better odds of around 1,000,000:1 – lucky you right!
Learn more about what your true odds of winning on the pokies is by visiting THIS LINK HERE. You can also get some more insight into how the algorithm, Return Rate and overall odds are calculated within the slot machine by checking out our detailed HOW POKIES WORK guide. Simply follow the links (which will open in a new window for you)
Needless to say, Pokies are designed to make money not to make YOU money. They are also the ONLY FORM OF GAMBLING where the odds are predetermined and NO AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE SKILL OR EXPERIENCE will swing the odds in your favour. It is for this reason that pokies are without doubt Casino Game with the worst odds. Ironically it is the lack of knowledge and skill required to play them that make Pokies and Slot Machines such a popular choice for online and real world gamblers around the world
Determining Casino Game Odds with the ‘House Edge’
The house edge is defined as the ratio of the average loss a player makes to the initial bet amount. For example, if you play Blackjack with basic strategy, over the long run, the house edge is 0.5%. This means for every $10 you bet, you will lose 5 cents over the long run. With Baccarat or Craps, you will lose less than 10 cents for every $10 you bet. With roulette, depending on the game design, you could lose 27 to 53 cents for every $10 you bet.
To put it into perspective, the average house edge for most Casino Table Games is 1% – meaning for every $10 you bet you will lose 10c. The House edge on Pokies and Slot Machines is closer to 10% meaning for every $10 you spend you will lose $1!
Pokies and Slot Machines therefore provide at least 10 times less chances of winning than any other casino game on the floor – with odds over 1000% worse than the casino average.
Blackjack – House Edge of 0.28%
Blackjack is a card game. It's played between the house€”also known as the dealer€”and the player. The dealer deals out two cards to each player and keeps two cards. The dealer has one card face up and one down. The players take turns trying to get as close as they can to 21. The player calls hit to get a card and end their turn. A player can also call double. This doubles their bet. They can only get one card and their turn ends. If a player has two identically numbered cards, they can split.
Improve your Odds of Winning with These Effective Blackjack Playing Tips
Computer simulations and probability calculations have helped develop a basic Blackjack strategy. If this strategy is fully followed, the house advantage can be reduced to 0.5% over the long run.
- If you have 8 or below, hit irrespective of what the dealer has.
- If you have 9 and the dealer has 3, 4, 5 or 6, double your bets. If the dealer has 2 or 7, hit.
- If you have 10 and the dealer has anything between 2 and 9, you should double down. If the dealer has a 10 or ace, hit.
- If you have 11 and the dealer's card value is between 2 and 10, double down. If the dealer has an ace, hit.
- If you have 12 and the dealer has 2, 3, or 7 and higher, hit. Stand if the dealer has 4, 5 or 6.
- If you have between 13 and 16, and the dealer has 7 or higher, hit. If the dealer has between 2 and 6, stand.
- Always stand if your cards value between 17 and 21.
Roulette – House Edge 2.7%
In roulette, the player places their chips on the table to wager them. The table has numbers 0-36 and 00. It has additional betting for even-odd, red-black, low 18-high 18, low/middle/high 12 and for the first/second/third columns. The dealer spins the wheel clockwise. Then, they roll a ball counter-clockwise. The ball lands in a numbered slot on the wheel. All bets that correspond with the number win. The only discrepancy with the odds of this casino game is dependant on whether there are 1 or 2 00’s on the board/reel. If there is the standard single 00 then the house edge is around 2.7% – add another 00 and the house edge is closer to 5.26%
The American roulette wheel has 38 number slots consisting of numbers 1 through 36 along with numbers 0 and 00. The European roulette wheel has only one 0 slot.
As a player, you can choose to bet on a particular number or several individual numbers. You can also bet if the ball will land on a black- or a red-colored number slot, or an odd or even number. You can also choose number groupings, for example, 1 to 18 and 19 to 36, and so on. There is a place on the table to bet for each of these situations, and you can place multiple bets during each play. The dealer spins the ball in the direction opposite to that of the turning wheel. The play is only valid when the ball completes three revolutions around the spinning wheel. Players can place bets until the dealer announces no more bets.
Texas Hold ‘Em Poker – House Edge 2.67%
Poker is a card game. It's based on a five card hand. Hands are ranked from lowest to highest. The order of hands is high card, pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush. The player with the best hand wins.
There are too many versions of Poker and a myriad of hints and tips you can find to help improve your overall game play and of course increase your odds of winning. We recommend (and use) PokerListings.com for all our Poker Rules and strategy tips – and we recommend you do the same – just VISIT THIS LINK HERE
Craps (Pass/Come) House Edge 1.41%
Craps is a dice game. The players make wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. If a seven or 11 turn up on the first roll of the dice, the shooter wins whatever they bet. If the shooter rolls two, three, or 12 on the first roll, they loose the money, but not the dice. When the person rolls a four, five, six, eight, nine, or ten that number becomes their point. The shooter keeps rolling until their point turns up again for a win or until the person throws a seven and loses the money and the dice.
Improve your Odds of Winning with These Effective Craps Tips
If Craps rules seem complicated, start one step at a time. The PASS bet is the most fundamental that almost all players make, and it is easy to understand.
Start with a PASS or DON'T PASS bet, and with more experience, engage in more bets. The optimal strategy in Craps is to bet on the DON'T PASS line and back it up by laying the odds. This is contrary to how most players bet in Craps, but it gives you the most edge in the long run. If you want to go with the crowd, even with a PASS strategy, you have a great chance of winning.