Casino games differ not just in gameplay but also in how hard it is to beat the house and win. Each release comes with its own RTP (Return to Player), a percentage of how much money you win back. They also come with a house edge (or vig), which is effectively the opposite of RTP. It’s the casino’s profit from each bet shown as a percentage.
The best games have RTPs as close to 100% as possible, or house edges as close to 0% as possible. In this guide, we wanted to talk about the games with the lowest house edge, as the RTP score is primarily used for slots. While slots typically have an average RTP of 96% (house edge 4%), there are plenty of other casino games with more favorable house edges of just 1% or less. Let’s have a look.
Poker: No House Edge or from 1.46% to 5.22%
If you decide to play ultimate poker in designated poker rooms, either for free or with real money, you’re playing against other players. This is important as it means that there’s no house edge in the traditional sense.
Poker is a peer-to-peer game, so the casino doesn’t have a vested interest and thus no mathematical expectation of profit. You win based on your skill level, and some luck, at least when it comes to which cards you might get and how well you can read your opponents.
The poker room typically makes a profit by taking a small cut from the pot, usually 2–10%, or by charging an entry fee for participating in tournaments.
However, if you want to play standard cash games, which are house-banked RNG table games in the form of poker, you will have a house edge. The percentage depends on the poker variant, while there are laos slight deviations depending on which site offers the game. Here are the most common numbers:
- Roughly 2.2% in Ultimate Texas Hold’em
- From 1.46% to 2.5% in Pai Gow Poker
- Roughly 3.37% in Three Card Poker
- Roughly 3.42% in Crazy 4 Poker
- Roughly 5.22% in Caribbean Stud Poker
Pro tip: Avoid side bets. Many poker games where you play against the house have side bets, like a progressive jackpot. The potential wins are big, but the odds are very low, and the house edge here is often 15–30%. Many other casino games also have side bets, and they are never worth it as their house edges are too high compared to the base games.
Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild Video Poker: From 0.46% to 0.76%
Video poker involves a bit of skill and mostly luck, but being house-banked, it has a house edge. However, there are some caveats here. The house edge depends on the exact variant you’re playing, and whether it’s a full-pay game.
A full-pay video poker game is one with the best payout structure that was set by the game’s provider. Specifically, a full-pay video poker game is a 9/6 machine, meaning it pays 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush. You’ll likely need to open the game and check the paytable to determine it’s full pay.
Moreover, you need the Jacks or Better or Deuces Wild variants to get the lowest possible house edge of 0.46%.
A typical 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker game has a house edge of only 0.46%, while a standard 8/6 Jacks or Better variant has a roughly 1.61% edge.
In essence, the house edge drastically rises the lower the payouts are for the two described hands. For example, the lowest 6/5 machine has a 4.74% house edge.
Important note: Bear in mind that you still need to use the standard mathematical strategy you can find online in chart form. It tells you the best possible move you can make based on what you have in your hand, all calculated mathematically.
Blackjack With Liberal Vegas Rules: From 0.3% to 0.5%
Blackjack is the king of low house edge table games, but you need to play the variant with the right rules while using the standard basic strategy. Just like with video poker, this is the mathematically calculated strategy for most optimal play.
As for the rules, here’s what the game needs to have:
- Pay 3:2 for a natural blackjack
- The dealer must stand on soft 17
With all of this in play, the house edge drops to the lowest possible values of 0.5% or even around 0.3%.
If you only manage to find blackjack that pays 6:5 instead of 3:2, which is becoming increasingly more common, the house edge will be around 2%.
Baccarat (Only Banker Bet): 1.06%
Baccarat is the simplest game you can play that happens to have a very low house edge of just 1.06%. However, this edge applies only to the Banker bet, one of three possible bets in a standard baccarat game.
The remaining two bets are different:
- Player bet: 1.24% house edge
- Tie bet: Around 14.4% house edge
As you can see, only the Banker bet is worth it, and somewhat the Player bet as well, while the Tie is worthless. However, since the odds are similar and the gameplay is simple, it doesn’t make sense to play anything other than the Banker bet.
You’ll probably find somewhere that casinos usually charge their commission on the Banker bet, which is true, but this is already factored into the 1.06% house edge.
French and European Roulette: 1.35 to 2.70%
The house edge in roulette is directly determined by the layout of the wheel. European and French Roulette variants have 37 pockets, which results in a fixed house edge of 2.70%.
American Roulette, which, together with the previous two, is the most popular variant and most prevalent one online, has 38 pockets. It has the added 00 pocket, and as a result, the house edge is 5.26%.
Bear in mind that the best possible solution is to play French Roulette with the famous La Partage rule or the En Prison rule. Their addition drops the house edge to 1.35% on all even-money wagers, i.e. the Red/Black and Odd/Even bets. Unfortunately, this version of French Roulette is quite rare online.
Bottom Line
Other games we haven’t covered, like craps and certain Sic Bo games, also have very low house edges, but these are not as commonly found. If they are, you only get a few specific titles that might not have the numbers you want to see.
The casino games we did covered have some of the lowest house edge percentages you can find in gambling sites. Poker is the champion as it has no house edge when playing against players, while video poker and blackjack are top contenders.
You need to consider the caveats like the strategies to use, but if you’re willing to do it, you’re bound to win as much as possible from these games. The house edge is something that plays against you, literally, which is why it’s beneficial to play games with the lowest values.
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