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Casino House Edge Explained – Player Edge

Rachel Elam | November 17, 2020 | Updated on: November 17th, 2020

100x100-casino-house-edgeYou have probably across the casino term, house edge a lot. But what is it, and why is it so important? For starters, the casino always has the upper hand in most casino games. This is how they make their profit. It shouldn’t come as a surprise as the casino are business and have to make money.

Our experts have created a thorough guide to explain what the house edge is and how it affects your gaming.

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What the House Edge

The house edge is a percentage of your bet that eth casino keeps their profit. It is also known as the casino edge. Each casino has a built-in advantage. The house edge tells you the average amount that the game will payout in its lifespan.

Also, as players, the house edge gives you a clear indication of which games are the most profitable. Also, it will tell you which bets have the best returns.  Casino Games with a high house edge payout less compared to games with a lower house edge. So, this type of information can help you avoid games that give the casino a larger advantage over you.

How to Calculate House Edge?

We often prefer to shy away from bringing math into anything casino related unless we are talking about the house edge. Calculating the house requires you to do some math.  To get to the house edge percentages, you will have to get a difference between the odd for a loss as well as the house odd. You will then multiply this amount by the probability of success to get a percentage.

Here is a more visual explanation

House Edge = (house odds – probabilities against success) x Probability of Success

To get the answer in a percentage, you would use the following formula

House Percentage = House Edge x 100

Essentially what all of this means is that if you double exposure blackjack, for instance, the game will have a 0.69% house edge. The casino can expect to make an average $0.69 profit for every $100 bet.

House Edge Calculator

not to worry, you don’t always have to calculate the house edge yourself. Some casinos will happily share that information with you. Alternately you can use a house edge calculator.

Depending on the website where you find the calculate, you will have to input information such as the game, rounds you want to play, bet amount per game, and game variation.

500x374-house-edge-casino

Casino Games with The Highest House Edge

Two casino games have a high house edge for particular bets. We take through these games as well as their bets.

  1. Baccarat

There are three main bets in baccarat, namely the player, banker, and tie. When you play, the player bet has a house edge of 1,29%. The banker has the lowest house edge with 1.01%. Then the highest house edge bet it’s the tie. The house edge on this bet is 15.75% making this the highest house edge in casino games.

  1. Craps

There are several best in craps, and most bets have a pretty decent house edge. The worst bet to make as it has a house edge of 16.9% is the any seven bets. The craps bet and hard ways bet have an edge of 11.1%. lastly, the big 6 or 8 bets as an edge of 9.09%

With that are some pretty great bets in this game.

  • Pass – 1.41%
  • Don’t pass – 1.36%
  • Don’t come 1.36%
  • Come – 1.41%

Casino House Edge Percentage

Now that you know how to calculate the house and which games have bets with a ridiculous house edge, we look at games that give you an advantage. Here are some of the most popular casino games that have a high house edge.

Blackjack House edge

Blackjack is a popular casino game that has an edge of 0.5%. The game relies heavily on skill rather than luck, and this is what brings the house to this amount. You play online blackjack with strategy as well as the basic rules. The edge will remain at 0.5%.

Roulette

There are three variations of the online roulette game, and each variation carries its house edge. This is based on the pockets in the wheel.

American roulette has the highest house edge with 5.26% as it has both eth 0 and 00 bets. European roulette is the most favoured version as it has a house of 2.7%. When playing French Roulette, you can bring the house down to 1.35% when you are playing using strategies such as La Partage and En Prison

Slots

With slots, it’s all about luck, and there is no way to better your odds. The best way to get the house edge for a slot is to look at the RTP. The RTP is the return to player, which tells you how much the machine will pay out in its life span over 100%.

So, if the machine has an RTP of 95%, then the house edge for the slot is 5%. To get the most out of a slot is to play as a machine with a high RTP. So, play slots with a 99% RTP, play using max paylines, and play slots with a bonus game.

Video Poker Games

Video poker machines are another casino game that has a low house edge. There are various variations, and the games will have a paytable that chose the house edge. To improve your odds and lower the house edge even further, you will have to play using strategy. Here are the top three games with the best RTP

  • Deuces Wild – 100.71% RTP for a royal flush with two wild cards
  • Jacks or Better – 99.46% RTP using the basic strategy
  • Bonus Poker – 99.17% on the four-card combinations.

House Edge on Casino Games Conclusion

The house edge should not be a secret. It should be clearly shown in the casino game, if you can’t find it, contact the customer service.  If you bear playing at a reputable casino site, you can trust the house edge. It is displayed to help you make better choices.

Also, licensed casinos are tested regularly to ensure that the games are far, meaning that the house edge displayed will be true. Now that you know how the house edge, you can use it to your advantage.

Stay clear of games with the highest house edge, remember to use the basic strategy for the game you are playing, and play games that have good odds.