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Every Game · Ranked · With Verdicts

The Best — and Worst — Bets in the Casino, Ranked

House edge figures for every major casino game and bet type, organized from best to worst. No filler, no casino marketing — just the numbers and what they mean for your bankroll.

Excellent Under 0.5% House Edge House keeps less than 50¢ per $100
Blackjack — Basic Strategy
6-deck, S17, standard rules
The best widely-available casino bet. With basic strategy memorized, the house edge drops to 0.44–0.50%. No other game this accessible gets this close to even. Plays the same at every skill level that knows the strategy chart.
0.44%
Strategy chart →
Video Poker — Jacks or Better 9/6
Full pay, optimal strategy
The best machine game in the casino, by a significant margin. Full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better returns 99.54% with optimal play. Unlike slots, skill genuinely changes the outcome. Look for the 9/6 pay table — anything less is giving away edge.
0.46%
VP vs Slots →
Craps — Pass Line + Full Odds
Pass Line 1.41%, Odds bet 0%
The Odds bet behind the Pass Line is the only bet in the casino with literally zero house edge. The combined edge on Pass + maximum Odds drops to under 0.5% at 3×4×5× odds tables. Requires learning the table layout but the math rewards the effort.
0.37%*
Craps guide →
Good 0.5% – 2% House Edge House keeps 50¢–$2 per $100
Baccarat — Banker Bet
After 5% commission
The Banker bet wins 50.68% of the time — the casino takes it back with a 5% commission. Net house edge is 1.06%. No skill required, no decisions to make mid-hand. The simplest low-edge game on the floor. Avoid the Tie bet entirely (14.4% edge).
1.06%
Baccarat guide →
Craps — Pass Line Only
No odds, simplest craps bet
Even without the Odds bet, Pass Line is a solid wager. Wins on 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, loses on 2, 3, or 12. All other numbers establish a point. 1.41% edge is better than almost everything else on the floor.
1.41%
Craps guide →
European Roulette — Any Outside Bet
Single-zero wheel only
With a single zero, European roulette carries 2.70% on every bet. Red/Black, Odd/Even, dozens — the edge is the same regardless of what you bet. The game is unbeatable by system, but the edge is reasonable for a pure luck game.
2.70%
Roulette guide →
Fair 2% – 5% House Edge House keeps $2–$5 per $100
Three Card Poker — Ante/Play
Optimal strategy only
With optimal strategy (play Q-6-4 or better), the combined Ante/Play edge is 3.37%. Fast-paced, easy to learn, and the Pair Plus side bet at 7.28% is one you can reasonably skip. See the full breakdown.
3.37%
Three Card guide →
Ultimate Texas Hold'em
Optimal pre-flop and flop raises
The casino poker game with the best odds when played correctly. Optimal strategy brings the edge to 2.19%. The 4× pre-flop raise on strong hands is the key decision point. Trips side bet runs 8.6% — skip it.
2.19%
UTH guide →
American Roulette — Any Bet
Double-zero wheel
Adding a second zero slot doubles the house edge compared to European. The math is that simple. If both wheels are available, there is no strategic reason to play American. The only exception is the Five-Number bet (7.89%) which you should never play regardless of wheel.
5.26%
Roulette guide →
Poor 5% – 10% House Edge House keeps $5–$10 per $100
Slots — Dollar Denomination
Best-case machine slots scenario
Dollar machines are the best slots available, running 95–97% RTP (3–5% edge). Still meaningfully worse than any table game. Slots have no skill component — you are paying purely for entertainment. At dollar denomination, the price is at least reasonable.
3–5%
How slots work →
Craps — Proposition Bets
Any 7, Hardways, Horn bets
The same table that offers a 0% edge Odds bet also carries prop bets running 9–16% house edge. Any 7 is 16.67%. Hardway 4 and 10 run 11.11%. These are on the same layout as the best bet in the casino — placed there to catch people who don't know the difference.
9–16%
Worst bets →
Casino War
Going to war on ties
Simple game, poor odds. The base game runs 2.88%, but going to war on a tie — which the game encourages — pushes the effective edge higher depending on rules. Surrender option on ties reduces edge but rarely offered. Simple enough to play, expensive enough to avoid.
2.88%+
Avoid Over 10% House Edge House keeps $10+ per $100
Penny Slots
Typical Vegas floor machine
The most popular game on the floor runs 8–12% house edge — the worst of any common game. Penny denomination disguises the true bet size (often $0.50–$1+ per spin across multiple lines). Video poker exists at the same price point with a fraction of the edge.
8–12%
Slots RTP →
Baccarat — Tie Bet
8:1 payout version
The Tie bet sits right next to the 1.06% Banker bet on the same layout. It pays 8:1 and carries 14.36% house edge. This is not a fun side bet — it is an expensive distraction from a good game. Never bet the Tie.
14.36%
Baccarat guide →
Keno
All configurations
Keno is a lottery-style game running 20–35% house edge depending on the property and paytable. No strategy reduces this. It exists in casinos because players confuse the lottery format with excitement. The worst expected-value game you will find outside of a carnival.
20–35%
Side Bets — All Types
Lucky Ladies, Royal Match, 21+3, etc.
Every blackjack and poker side bet exists for one reason: the house edge is dramatically higher than the base game. Lucky Ladies runs 24.7%. Royal Match runs 10.1%. 21+3 runs 3.5–8.9% depending on rules. They feel like small bets. They are expensive small bets.
3–25%
Side bets guide →

Quick Reference — Every Bet at a Glance

Sorted best to worst. Use this before you sit down.

#BetHouse EdgeVerdict
1Craps — Pass + Full Odds (3×4×5×)0.37%● Excellent
2Blackjack — Basic Strategy0.44%● Excellent
3Video Poker — Jacks or Better 9/60.46%● Excellent
4Craps — Pass Line1.41%● Good
5Baccarat — Banker1.06%● Good
6Baccarat — Player1.24%● Good
7European Roulette2.70%● Good
8Ultimate Texas Hold'em2.19%● Fair
9Three Card Poker — Ante/Play3.37%● Fair
10American Roulette5.26%● Fair
11Dollar Slots3–5%● Poor
12Craps — Proposition Bets9–16%● Poor
13Penny Slots8–12%● Avoid
14Baccarat — Tie Bet14.36%● Avoid
15All Side Bets3–25%● Avoid
16Keno20–35%● Avoid

* Craps Pass + Odds assumes 3×4×5× table. Blackjack assumes 6-deck, S17, no restrictions. Video poker assumes full-pay 9/6 with optimal play.

The Three-Rule Cheat Sheet

Rule 1: Play blackjack with basic strategy or video poker on a 9/6 machine. These are the best bets available to any player at any skill level.

Rule 2: At craps, stick to Pass Line and take the Odds. Never touch proposition bets.

Rule 3: Skip every side bet. They exist because the house edge is high enough to fund the casino marketing budget. The base game is always better.

Want to practice these bets before you sit down? Our free casino games let you play blackjack, video poker, roulette, and slots with real house-edge math and no money required. Or check the bankroll simulator to see how the house edge compounds over a session.