The house edge, game by game
Every casino game keeps a fixed share of what you bet, and no system changes it. Here it is, for the lowest-edge bet of each game, with what an hour costs at €10 a bet.
From the lowest to the highest
| Game | Bet | House edge | Decisions an hour | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video poker (Jacks or Better) | 9/6 table, perfect play | 0.46% | 500 | €22.80 |
| Blackjack | Basic strategy | 0.57% | 70 | €4 |
| Baccarat | Banker | 1.06% | 60 | €6.35 |
| Craps | Pass line (and Come) | 1.41% | 30 | €4.24 |
| European roulette | Every bet | 2.7% | 60 | €16.22 |
| Sic bo | Small (4 to 10, a triple loses) | 2.78% | – | – |
| American roulette | Every bet but the basket | 5.26% | 60 | €31.58 |
| Blackjack side bets | Insurance, 8 decks | 7.47% | – | – |
"An hour": a €10 bet on every decision, times the decisions an hour, times the edge. The baccarat and roulette pace is the one in Hannum's examples; the others are assumptions a real table may beat or miss.
For comparison, the lotteries on this site keep from 13.2% (SUPER 3) to 80.6% (Powerball at its smallest jackpot) of what is played.
How a slot machine's odds are set: an example machine you can change, and why two machines that look alike can pay back differently.
In poker you play the other players, and the room keeps a share of every pot, the rake. Texas hold'em odds: which hand wins, and what the rake costs.
Sources
- Robert Hannum, "Casino Mathematics", UNLV Center for Gaming Research: the hour formula and the baccarat and roulette pace
- The edges: a second, independent count and the published tables of the Wizard of Odds, as on each game's page.