What Is A Casino Advantage?
For a gambling site, it’s important to make money at all times. No one needs a casino business that generates losses. A casino makes consistent profits by having an advantage over players. The advantage is ensured through specific rules, multipliers, and other rules and characteristics of the game. For example, if blackjack paid 3 to 1, the game would become very beneficial for players. But the reality is that blackjack is only paid 3 to 2.
In the long run, a casino always wins more than all its clients taken together. But don’t give up just yet! This doesn’t mean you’re bound to lose.
First, the advantage we’re talking about is an average value, i.e. it takes thousands and thousands of wagers to make it show. Second, there is always such a fickle and unpredictable factor as luck. If luck happens to be on your side, you’ll beat the casino despite the advantage it has. Third, the house edge changes from game to game. You can pick the most player-friendly game and stick with it. If you’re fulfilling the wagering requirements, you can reduce the house edge to as low as 0.1-1%.
How Your Winning Odds Change
A common mistake among gamblers is that they underestimate the true importance of using winning strategies. Many players believe that optimal strategies have no practical effect. However, in some games, using a reliable strategy can turn the tables. Let’s take craps, for example. Originally, the house edge in craps stands at 16.67%. However, armed with a strategy, you can bring the casino advantage down to 1.36%. A difference that huge can’t be ignored!
The same goes for baccarat. If you’re not a fan of strategies, prepare the face the house edge of 15.75%. A winning strategy can reduce that scary value to 1.01%. Do you still consider optimal strategies useless?
As already mentioned, the house edge varies depending on the game you’re playing. The game that best illustrates this is roulette. In American roulette, the house edge stands at 5.26%, while European and French roulette look more player-friendly with only a 2.7% advantage. Since winning strategies don’t actually work for roulette, you simple need to pick the right version with the lowest edge.
When it comes to blackjack, you need to be very careful when choosing the variation with the lowest house edge. For example, 1-deck blackjack is the safest, with a house edge at 0.17%. But if you’re a fan of 8-deck blackjack, you’ll have to settle for a 0.66% casino advantage.
For some of you, the difference may seem insignificant. But this is just an illusion. Even in the short run, the difference will be quite notable.
Your goal is to find an advantageous game where a player can gain an advantage over a casino. Okay, challenge accepted! Let’s find the best gambling game to play!
Roulette
Roulette is among the games which are immune to any kind of winning strategies. This means that there is no way of making consistent winnings at roulette. Different roulette versions have different casino advantages.
American roulette:
- Maximum edge – 7.89%;
- Minimum edge – 2.63%;
- Most of the time, the game tends to have a 5.26% advantage.
The Surrender rule brings down the casino advantage to 2.63%. Unfortunately, it’s not always available.
European roulette:
- Maximum edge – 2.70%;
- Minimum edge – 1.35%;
The game tends to have a 2.7% advantage. However, by using the En Prison and La Partage rules, you can save the situation and reduce the value to 1.35%.
French roulette has the same values as its European colleague.
Keno
Keno is one of those games where a casino edge leaves you speechless. How about a 25-29% house edge? We strongly recommend you to ignore Keno and choose another game unless you want to say “goodbye” to all your money.
Casino War
Casino War is another game that can be very dangerous for your bankroll. Regardless of your strategy, you won’t be able to push the house edge below 8.41%. It’s still a very high value.
Blackjack
An advantageous game, finally! In some blackjack variations, you can reduce the house edge to less than 1%. The only way to do that is by using the optimal blackjack strategy:
- Maximum edge – 16%;
- Minimum edge – 0.05% (If you’re playing blackjack to release a bonus, you have all chances to beat the house).
In blackjack, the casino advantage changes within a pretty wide range. The major factor that determines the casino advantage is whether or not you’re sticking with the optimal strategy. However, there are other factors that have a say in your winning odds. Pay close attention to how many decks your selected blackjack variation is using. The more decks are used, the higher is the casino advantage:
- 0.66% for 8 decks;
- 0.64% for 6 decks;
- 0.6% for 4 decks;
- 0.46% for 2 decks;
- 0.17% for 1 deck.
Blackjack rules also have an effect on your chances to succeed. If your blackjack variation allows Resplits, your winning odds go up. The more Resplits are available, the better for a player. Each Resplit decreases the house edge by 0.01%. If Resplits are not allowed, the casino advantage grows by 0.1%.
The rule allowing players to resplit Aces reduces the house edge by 0.8%. If the rules say that the dealer must hit on Soft 17, the casino advantage climbs up to a whopping 5.5% (without the optimal strategy, the number gets even bigger!)
Popular blackjack variations
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Black jack game
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Special conditions
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Casino advantage
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|
Classic Blackjack
|
|
0.43%
|
|
Double Exposure
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Standard rules
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0.70%
|
|
Pontoon
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1 card deck, optimal strategy
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0.17%
|
|
Caribbean 21
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1 card deck, optimal strategy
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0.20%
|
|
Spanish 21
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6-8 card decks, optimal strategy
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0.40%
|
|
Super Fun 21
|
|
0.75%
|
|
Blackjack Switch
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Optimal strategy
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0.05%
|
Baccarat
Luckily for players, baccarat has pretty simple rules and effective optimal strategy. Here are the house edge limits for this game:
- Maximum edge – 15.75%;
- Minimum edge – 1.01%.
A curious thing about baccarat is that your winning odds directly depend on your type of bet. Take a look at the main types of wagers and their respective casino advantages:
- Tie – 7%-15.75% (the least beneficial option);
- Banker – 1.01%-1.06%
- Player – 1.24%-1.29%.
To achieve the best possible winning chances, bet on Banker.
Poker
Poker comes in dozens of variations, each of which has its own optimal strategy. The best way to ensure the highest winning odds is to by religiously following your selected strategy. If your goal is to make money, poker is no place for experiments and improvisations. Some poker variations are advantageous, i.e you have a chance to gain an advantage over a casino.
House edge for major poker variations
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Poker game
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Special conditions
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Casino advantage
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|
Red Dog Poker
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1-card deck
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3.15%
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|
Red Dog Poker
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8-card deck
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2.75%
|
|
Caribbean Draw Poker
|
|
0.80%
|
|
Caribbean Stud Poker
|
|
5.22%
|
|
Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker
|
|
0.50%
|
|
Casino Hold’em Poker
|
|
2.1%
|
|
Hold’em High Poker
|
|
2.3%
|
|
Triple Pocket Hold’em Poker
|
|
3%
|
|
3 Card Poker
|
|
2%
|
|
Oasis Poker
|
|
0.50%
|
|
Pai Gow Poker
|
strategy
|
1.2%-1.46%
|
|
Let it Ride Poker
|
|
3.5%
|
|
Tequila Poker
|
|
2.6%
|
Craps
Craps is an extremely entertaining but – alas! – non-advantageous game. Craps is known for its dynamic gameplay and big variety of bet types. The game is very sensitive to the strategy you’re using.
- Maximum edge - 16.67%;
- Minimum edge – 1.36%. (on the condition that you’re using a strategy).
Your winning odds also depend on your selected type of bet:
- Don’t Pass – 1.41%;
- Pass – 1.41%;
- Horn Bet – 12.5%;
- All bets – 5.5%.
