Have you ever heard the phrase ‘The house always wins’ with regard to gambling and casinos? Well, in the long run, this is true… but why? Basically, this is because of the ‘House Edge’, which is true of all games. But what is it and why does it mean that, in the end, the casino will always win?
Essentially, although licensed and regulated online casinos are all fair and legit, the games are always stacked in their favour – and they are very open about it. The house edge is simply the advantage that the casino has over the player in a particular game – and all games have different house edges. The lower the house edge, the better.
You will usually see the house edge of a casino represented as a percentage. And the higher the percentage, the bigger the casino’s advantage. So, if the game, for example, has a 1% house edge, then for every £100 you spend on it, you should expect to lose, on average £1. If a game has a 5% house edge, then for every £100 you spend, you should expect to lose an average of £5.
Although this doesn’t seem like a lot of profit for a casino, all the online casinos at Casinos.com are open 24/7 – with players playing from all over the world – so the profits are coming in pretty steadily. If they made the house edge too high, let’s face it, no one would play!
The House Edge for The Most Popular Casino Games
It’s worth remembering that the house edge doesn’t just depend on the game, but also on the bet you make. Here are some of the house edges for the most popular casino games and bets:
- Baccarat: If you bet on banker it’s 1.06%, if you bet on player, it’s 1.24% and if you bet on a tie, it’s as much as 14.36%.
- Blackjack: The lowest of all house edges – if you play with the liberal Vegas rules, it is just 0.28%
- Caribbean Stud Poker: If you play the popular Caribbean Stud Poker game, there is a 5.22% house edge.
- Casino War: When you go to war on a tie, the house edge is 2.88%. However, if you opt to surrender on a tie, there is a 3.70% house edge. If you bet on a tie, then the house edge goes up to a massive 18.65%.
- Craps: Because there are so many different bet types, there are various house edges to consider. The worst bet you can make are bets on any 7 – with a house edge of 16.67% or 2, 12 or all hard hops – all with a house edge of 13.89%. However, a Pass/Come bet has a house edge of just 1.41% and a don’t pass/don’t come bet is even lower – at 1.36%.
- Keno: This lottery game has a pretty horrific house edge between 25% to 29% – although it offers massive potential wins.
- Pai Gow: This is a well-loved Asian dominoes game with a house edge of 1.50%
- Pai Gow Poker: Has an even better house edge of just 1.46%
- Roulette: If you make an outside bet such as red/black, high/low or odds/evens, there is a house edge of 2.70% in European Roulette and 5.26% in American Roulette because of the 00.
- Sic Bo: The house edge in Sic Bo varies on the bet you place and ranges between 2.78% and 33.33%
- Slot Games: This depends on the slot game you are playing, but most will have a house edge between 7% to 2%.
- Video Poker: Games such as Jacks or Better have a house edge of around 0.36% – although some games are even lower.
The Higher the Risk, the Higher the House Edge
It’s worth remembering that when you play a game, if you choose a higher-risk bet with bigger potential wins, then the chances are the house edge will be a lot higher. So, although it may sound exciting to place your money on a bet that could pay out big, the chances are that you aren’t getting paid enough to mitigate the risk you are taking.
Conclusion
For as long as casinos have been around – and for as long as they will be around in the future, the house edge will be a big part of your gaming experience.
Its main purpose, ultimately, is to simply ensure that it makes money and has the advantage over the players, which is essential for it to run successfully as a business. There are some games, such as Keno and certain slot machines (and even side bets on popular casino games) that have a much larger house edge. However, these are the games that offer huge wins – big enough for players to keep coming back anyway. It’s important to gamble responsibly and understand you can win big and lose big too. So have your wits about you and understand house edge to allow you to be more strategic in the way you play.
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