UNITED STATES—Plenty of people enjoy throwing a couple of dollars on black every now and again and crossing their fingers to see if they’ve won, but which casino games actually offer players the best odds of winning? Obviously, there is a skill element to a good deal of casino games, even if that skill is just knowing the correct strategy. However, if we assume that the person playing the game knows their way around the game at hand and has a good grasp of the optimum strategy, where are they going to see the best returns on their money? The good news is, they don’t need to head to Vegas and work it out for themselves – we’ve got the answers right here.
Slots
Caption: Slot machines have a very variable house edge
Slot machines are super popular because there are a myriad different themes to choose from and gameplay features that are guaranteed to keep players entertained. With that said, slot games are the most variable in terms of odds, but it’s often incredibly easy to find out what those odds are. For example, many of the best slots at FanDuel Casino list their return to player rate as a percentage. This number explains what percentage of your initial stake you’re likely to win back, over time.
Generally speaking, the RTP on a slot machine will be anywhere from 85 to 98% with the majority falling within the 94-98% range. This means that the house edge is generally around 2-6% but can be as high as 15% on some of the more volatile machines.
Roulette, American vs European
Roulette is another hugely popular game because it’s so easy to get started. The rules of the game are super simple: you place your bets and wait for the wheel to spin to see if you’ve been paid out. The two main types of bets are inside bets, which have a small chance of coming in, like betting on one number alone, or outside bets, which have a better chance of coming in, such as betting on all odd numbers.
The house edge with roulette is quite low if you choose the right variety. American roulette has a house edge of 5.26% putting it right in line with most slot machines. This is because it has a single zero square, as well as a double zero square, on which no bets pay out. However, European roulette has just one zero square on the wheel, giving it a house edge of 2.7%, a good deal better for the bettor. The nice thing about roulette is that there are strategies for bankroll management, but ultimately it´s all down to the spin of the wheel.
Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the casino games that requires some intense strategy studying if you want to achieve the lowest house edge possible. That’s because the way the game plays out is largely down to how you play your hand. If you’re playing with the optimal strategy then you can get the house edge down to as low as 0.5% but, generally speaking, it hovers somewhere around 1%. This makes blackjack the game of choice for many serious bettors, as there’s no competition when it comes to games with a lower house edge.