Casino Odds Explained: House Edge by Game and Bankroll
This page applies to any casino. It is not about a particular brand. Two numbers decide what a session costs on average: the house edge of the game and the total amount you bet. The rest of this page puts figures on both and shows which bankroll habits change the outcome and which only feel as if they do.
The Two Numbers That Decide What a Session Costs
The house edge is the share of every bet the game keeps on average over the long run. The turnover is the total of all your bets, not your deposit. Expected loss is simply the two multiplied together.
Worked example: a $100 deposit played on a slot with 96% RTP (a 4% edge) at $1 per spin. If you play 500 spins, your turnover is $500, not $100, because winnings are bet again. The expected loss is 4% of $500, which is $20. The deposit sets how much you can lose, but the turnover sets how much you lose on average.
House Edge by Game
The figures below are the standard published values for the usual rules. Individual tables and machines can differ, so check the rules or the RTP shown in the game's information panel.
| Game and bet | House edge | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack, basic strategy | about 0.5% | Depends on rules; a 6:5 blackjack payout adds about 1.4% |
| Video poker, 9/6 Jacks or Better | about 0.5% | Only with perfect strategy; worse pay tables cost more |
| Baccarat, banker bet | 1.06% | After the 5% commission |
| Baccarat, player bet | 1.24% | |
| Craps, pass line | 1.41% | Free odds bets behind it have no edge |
| French roulette, even-money with La Partage | 1.35% | Half the stake returned when zero hits |
| European roulette (single zero) | 2.70% | Same for every standard bet |
| Three Card Poker, ante/play | about 3.4% | |
| Slots | 100% minus RTP, commonly 3–6% | Check the RTP in the game's info panel; the same title can run at several RTP settings |
| American roulette (double zero) | 5.26% | The five-number bet is 7.89% |
| Blackjack insurance | about 7% | Without counting cards |
| Baccarat, tie bet paying 8:1 | 14.36% | |
| Keno | often 20% or more | Varies widely by pay table |
What an Hour of Play Costs on Average
Expected loss per hour = bets per hour × stake × house edge. The game speed figures below are assumptions for illustration. Online games are often faster than physical tables.
| Game (assumed pace) | Stake | Expected loss per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Slot, 4% edge (500 spins) | $1 | $20.00 |
| European roulette (50 spins) | $10 | $13.50 |
| Baccarat banker (60 hands) | $10 | $6.36 |
| Blackjack, basic strategy (60 hands) | $10 | $3.00 |
The table holds a surprise: a $1 slot can cost more per hour than a $10 blackjack hand, because of speed and edge together. If your aim is to make a budget last, pace matters as much as stake size.
Bankroll Rules That Change How Long You Last
None of these rules changes the house edge. What they change is how fast you lose and how large the swings are, and that decides whether a budget lasts an evening or ten minutes.
- Set the session budget before you start, from money set aside for entertainment and never from money needed for bills. Divide a monthly amount by the number of sessions you plan.
- Size each bet as a small share of the session budget. At 1–2% per bet, a $100 budget means $1–2 bets, which gives normal swings room before the budget runs out. At 10% per bet, a short losing run ends the session.
- Match volatility to the budget. High-volatility slots pay rarely but in larger amounts, and long dry spells are normal. With a small budget, low-volatility games last longer for the same edge.
- Use a stop-loss and keep to it. Raising the stake to win back losses increases turnover at the same edge, so it increases the expected loss too.
- Treat bonuses as more turnover. A 35x wagering requirement on deposit plus bonus turns $1,000 into $35,000 of bets. At a 4% edge that is about $1,400 of expected loss. See the bonuses page for the full sum.
Why Betting Systems Do Not Beat the Edge
Progressions such as the Martingale, Fibonacci or D'Alembert change the size of your bets, not the odds of each one. Every bet keeps the same edge, so the total expected loss is still the edge times the turnover.
The Martingale shows the risk clearly. You double after each loss on an even-money bet at European roulette, starting at $10. After seven losses in a row you have lost $1,270 and must bet $1,280 just to win back the original $10. Seven straight losses happen with a probability of (19/37)7, about 0.94% per sequence. That sounds rare, but over a few hundred sequences it is more likely than not to happen at least once, and table limits often stop the doubling before then.
The Gambler's Fallacy
Each spin, hand or reel result is independent. After five reds in a row, the chance of black on the next European roulette spin is still 18/37. A slot is not "due" a win after a dry spell, and a machine that just paid is not "cold". Certified random number generators have no memory, and any system built on patterns in past results is built on nothing.
Responsible Play
The house edge means the casino profits over time. Treat play as paid entertainment with a fixed budget, not as a source of income. Licensed operators must offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. Set them when you open the account, not after a bad session.
If you are chasing losses, borrowing to gamble or hiding your play, stop and get support. GamCare, BeGambleAware and Gamblers Anonymous offer free, confidential help, and most countries have a national helpline.
Questions About Casino Odds
Which casino game has the lowest house edge?
Among common games, blackjack with basic strategy and full-pay video poker played perfectly come in around 0.5%. Baccarat's banker bet (1.06%) and craps pass line (1.41%) come next. Even so, the edge is never zero, and playing fast raises the hourly cost.
Does a higher RTP mean I will win?
No. RTP is an average over a very large number of spins. In a single session, volatility matters far more than the difference between 95% and 97%. A higher RTP only lowers your expected loss across a lot of play.
How much should I bet per spin or hand?
A common rule is 1–2% of the session budget per bet. With $100 for a session, that means $1–2. Larger bets end sessions quickly during ordinary losing runs, even though they don't change the house edge.
Can a betting system make roulette profitable?
No. Betting systems change how big your bets are, not the probability of winning them. Every bet keeps the 2.70% (European) or 5.26% (American) edge, so the expected loss is the same over the same turnover. Systems like the Martingale also add a small chance of a very large loss.