Despite the inevitable slump in revenue during 2020, American casinos are experiencing record-breaking revenues this year, as business returns to normal.
Are you ready to join the crowds rushing back to the USA’s gaming halls? First, take some time to refresh your memory on the casino games with the best odds.
That way, you, too, can profit from your outing.
Where to Find Casino Games With the Best Odds
Before you visit the casino, you should understand the term ‘house edge’. This is closely related to the belief that the house always wins and is also known as the house advantage.
These terms refer to the profit that the casino makes from its players when they lose at casino games. House edge refers to both online and land-based casinos, and it’s based on the laws of probability.
In the case of online games, random number generators (RNGs) determine the outcomes of games. Both online and physical casinos undergo regular audits by third parties to ensure they’re playing fair.
The house edge figures are well-established and refer to how much the casino can expect to win on average per game. For instance, in the game of roulette, the casino loses around $2.70 on every $100 that a player wagers on a spin.
Odds vs House Edge
Odds refer to how much a player can expect to win based on every dollar they wager. In simple terms, house edge refers to the casino’s chances of winning, whereas odds refer to the players’ chance of winning.
Most games offer the same odds regardless of whether you play them online or at a brick-and-mortar casino. According to research, you get the worst odds when you play slot machines at airports, resorts, and on cruise ships.
Yet, online casinos feature more variations of well-established games. So, you’ll often find lower house edges and better odds online, than you will at land-based casinos.
That’s why analysts expect this industry to grow at 10% per year until 2026 to reach a value of $100 billion.
1. Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the simplest and best-known casino games and offers favorable odds. It’s been around since at least the end of the 16th century, and it’s mentioned in the book ‘Don Quixote’.
When you play blackjack, you have almost a 50% chance of winning.
That’s because you only play against the dealer, and so does everyone else at the table. Most casinos have a house edge of 1% on Blackjack, so it’s a fair fight.
You have a 49% chance of winning when you play this game at a table.
Blackjack depends heavily on the luck of the draw and requires almost no skill. All you need to do is beat the dealer’s hand by accumulating cards that add up to more than theirs do, without going over 21.
If you know how to count cards without getting caught, it’s possible to win at Blackjack every time. Counting cards isn’t illegal, but casinos can ask you to stop playing if you start eating into their profits too much.
2. Craps
Craps is a dice game with odds of around 49% depending on your bet, and the house odds are between 5% and 16%. The true odds of craps depend on probability since there’s nothing you can do about how the dice rolls.
In this game, one person is the ‘shooter’, and they roll the dice. The others bet on the outcome.
On the first roll, the shooter wins if the combined total of the dice equals seven or eleven. If they roll any other number, that number becomes the ‘point’, which becomes their new target.
The shooter must achieve the ‘point’ before they can win off a seven again.
The easiest bet to win in craps is wagering on whether the shooter will win or lose on their roll. This gives you a 50/50 chance of winning or losing.
You can also bet the shooter will score a specific number on their roll.
The more complicated your bets, the worse you’ll stack the odds against yourself, but the more you stand to win.
3. Roulette
Roulette is one of the world’s most popular casino table games and a regular feature in James Bond movies.
The game centers on a wheel marked with 38 numbers colored either red or black, with the zero being green. The roulette dealer, or croupier, places a small ball inside the wheel and then sets the wheel spinning.
When the wheel comes to rest, the ball stops at one of the numbers.
In roulette, you can place various bets. These are:
- Black or red
- Low or high
- Odd or even numbers
- A range of numbers
- A single number
You place your bets by putting a casino chip in the relevant space on a mat marked with the various choices. You can bet on as many winning combinations as you want.
The safest bet in roulette is black or red, where you have a 50% chance of winning. The odds decrease when you bet on other combinations, but you win more if the ball lands on one of your numbers.
Nobody can determine where the ball will land. On one occasion it landed on a red number 36 times a row and once landed on the number 19 seven times in a row.
4. Baccarat
Baccarat’s another aged game, dating back to the 14th century in Italy. Originally, Baccarat had complicated rules, but nowadays, it’s simplified to include just three betting options.
Nowadays, the only bets are win, lose, or tie. You can bet on the player’s hand or the banker’s hand.
This game has a low house edge of around 1%, but it jumps to over 16% on a tie bet. Your odds of winning at Baccarat average about 44% for a win or lose bet and 9.5% on a tie bet.
The dealer hands out two cards at a time, and the aim is to score as close to 9 as possible by adding up the total of the cards.
Tens and face cards have zero points, while all other cards carry at face value. The ace has a value of one point.
If the total equals more than ten, the second digit of the total is the hand. So a six and a nine, which equals fifteen, have a value of five.
Hands with a value of less than nine get an additional card. If a hand equals more than eight or nine, the dealer won’t hand out an extra card.
The dealer only deals out a maximum of three cards and then determines the winner.
5. Poker
Poker’s another one of the world’s best-known games, but it’s not the best place to start learning the ropes at gambling.
It’s one of the most lucrative games for casinos because they don’t bet anything. The players use their own money, and the casino fulfills the role of dealer and banker.
If a player goes on a winning streak, they collect their earnings from the losing players. That means there’s no house edge in poker.
The aim is to achieve the highest-scoring combination of cards without seeing your adversaries’ hands. Winning hands include:
- Royal flush comprising the ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of one house
- A straight flush, which is consecutive numbers of the same house
- Four of a kind, which means four of the same value cards
- A full house is a combination of matching numbers, e.g. four nines and two kings
- A flush comprises five cards from the same house
- A straight comprises consecutive numbers from different houses
- Three of a kind is three cards of the same denomination
- Two pairs, i.e. two pairs of cards with the same denomination
- One pair, two cards of the same denomination
- No pair / High card means achieving one ace
You start the game by placing a bet, and the dealer gives you five cards.
During each round, you hand in any cards you don’t want, place a bet and the dealer gives you the same number of new cards. The odds of winning at poker depend on how much you bet on accumulating a winning hand but the time the players ‘stand’ or stop betting.
The casino makes its money by charging the players a small commission on winnings, or from tournament fees when hosting professional games.
In some games, mostly online versions, players bet against the casino. So the casino’s odds are the same as any other player. There are a huge variety of modern-day poker games with variations on the traditional rules.
Maximizing Your Time at the Casino
Armed with your newfound knowledge of the casino games with the best odds, you’re all set to enjoy a great night or day out lapping up casino-style luxury.
Remember, the casino experience isn’t all about winning. Always gamble responsibly and take time to enjoy the many amenities offered by high-end casinos too.
Take a break to catch a show, enjoy a meal, or simply lap up the bustling ambiance of your surroundings.
If you’d like more information on the best ways to entertain yourself, keep browsing our website.
