House Edge Explained: What It Is, How to Calculate It, and the Full Game-by-Game Chart

The house edge is the casino's built-in mathematical advantage, expressed as the percentage of each wager the house expects to keep over the long run. If a game has a 2% house edge, that means for every $100 you bet in total, the casino expects to keep $2 on average — not on any single spin or hand, but averaged across thousands of bets.

A few things this definition does not mean, which trip up most players:

• It is not the percentage you lose per session. In a single session you might win big or lose everything; the edge describes the long-run average.
• It is not applied to your buy-in — it applies to your total amount wagered (your "action"), which is usually far larger than your buy-in because you re-bet winnings.
• It is not a fixed law for every game. The edge shifts with the rules, the bet you choose, and how well you play.

Think of the house edge as a small, permanent gravity pulling on your bankroll. Good players don't pretend gravity isn't there — they pick the games where it pulls the least.

Every figure in this guide is a general, well-established gambling-math value or comes from our fact sheet. Actual numbers vary by casino, table rules, and specific game — always check the rules or paytable of the exact game you're playing.

The house edge exists for one simple reason: casinos pay out winning bets at less than the true odds of the event happening. That gap between the true odds and the payout odds is the edge.

The cleanest example is a roulette single-number bet. On a European wheel there are 37 pockets (0–36), so the true odds of hitting your number are 36-to-1 against. But the casino pays a winning straight-up bet at only 35-to-1. That missing unit, spread across all outcomes, is the house's margin.

This is closely tied to expected value (EV) — the long-run average result of a bet. Because payouts are shaved below true odds, the EV of virtually every casino bet is negative for the player. The house edge is just that negative EV expressed as a percentage of your wager.

Crucially, the casino doesn't need to cheat, and results don't need to be rigged. A fair game with honest random outcomes still produces a reliable profit because the math is baked into the payout structure itself. The randomness protects the player in the short term (anything can happen) but guarantees the house in the long term (the average always reasserts itself).

The core formula is:

House Edge = − (Expected Value of the bet ÷ Amount wagered) × 100

Equivalently, you sum up every possible outcome multiplied by its probability and its payout, then express the shortfall as a percentage.

Worked example: European roulette straight-up bet

• Bet: $1 on a single number
• Chance of winning: 1 in 37
• Payout if you win: 35-to-1 (you keep your $1 and get $35)
• Chance of losing: 36 in 37 (you lose your $1)

Expected value per $1 bet:

EV = (1/37 × +$35) + (36/37 × −$1) EV = $0.9459 − $0.9730 = −$0.027

So you expect to lose about $0.027 per $1, which is a 2.70% house edge — matching the known European roulette figure.

Worked example: American roulette straight-up bet

Add the second zero (00) and there are now 38 pockets, but the payout stays 35-to-1:

EV = (1/38 × +$35) + (37/38 × −$1) EV = $0.9211 − $0.9737 = −$0.0526

That's a 5.26% house edge — nearly double, purely because of one extra pocket. This single example is the best argument in gambling for reading the rules before you sit down.

The table below ranks major games and bets from lowest edge (best for you) to highest. All figures are typical, well-established values and vary by casino, table rules, and specific game — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

The pattern is clear: skill-based games with good rules sit near the bottom; luck-only games and exotic bets climb fast.

Blackjack offers one of the lowest edges in the casino — roughly 0.5% to 1% when you play basic strategy (the mathematically correct hit/stand/double/split decision for every hand). That range moves with the rules: the number of decks, whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, whether you can double after splitting, and — critically — whether blackjack pays 3:2 or the much worse 6:5. A 6:5 table can add roughly 1.4% to the edge on its own, so it's worth walking away from. Without basic strategy, the edge for a casual player is far higher.

The core craps bets — Pass Line and Don't Pass — carry a low edge of around 1.4%. Craps has a unique feature: once a point is set, you can back your line bet with an odds bet, which pays at true odds and carries no house edge at all. Adding odds doesn't lower the 1.4% on the original bet, but because it dilutes the edge across more money wagered, the effective edge on your total action can push toward 0%. That makes maxed-out odds one of the best mathematical propositions on the floor. Meanwhile, the flashy center-table proposition bets carry much higher edges and should be treated as entertainment, not strategy.

Baccarat is refreshingly simple to analyze because there are really only three bets:

• Banker: ~1.06% — the best bet on the table, even after the standard 5% commission on wins.
• Player: ~1.24% — slightly worse, but no commission.
• Tie: 14%+ — a sucker bet despite the tempting payout.

The takeaway is almost embarrassingly easy: bet Banker, ignore the Tie, and you're playing one of the lowest-edge games in the building with zero required skill.

Roulette is the textbook example of how the same game can have wildly different edges:

• American roulette: 5.26% — the double-zero (0 and 00) wheel. Avoid it if a single-zero table is available.
• European roulette: 2.70% — a single zero cuts the edge nearly in half.
• French roulette: ~1.35% on even-money bets — thanks to the La Partage rule (half your even-money bet returned when the ball lands on zero) or En Prison (your bet is imprisoned for one spin instead of lost).

Same wheel, same spinning ball — but choosing French over American roulette cuts your expected loss to roughly a quarter.

These two look similar but sit at opposite ends of the edge spectrum.

Slots typically run a 2% to 15% house edge, depending entirely on the game's programmed RTP. You can't influence a slot's outcome, so your only lever is choosing higher-RTP titles. Because slots also spin very fast, even a moderate edge chews through a bankroll quickly.

Video poker is the opposite: with optimal play, some paytables drop under 1% — for example, full-pay Jacks or Better at ~0.46%. The catch is that this low edge only applies if you make the correct hold/discard decision on every hand, and it depends on the specific paytable posted on the machine. Two machines that look identical can have very different edges.

3 Card Poker blends a base game with an optional side bet, and the two carry very different edges. The main Ante/Play portion, played with correct strategy (raise on Queen-Six-Four or better), sits in the low single digits — reasonable for a table game. The Pair Plus side bet and any bonus wagers carry noticeably higher edges. As with most casino poker variants, the base game is fair-ish entertainment; the side bets are where the casino makes its real margin. Exact figures vary by paytable, so check the table before betting.

These are two sides of the same coin. RTP is the inverse of the house edge:

RTP = 100% − House Edge

So a slot advertised at 96% RTP has a 4% house edge. Blackjack with a 0.5% edge has a 99.5% RTP. "Payout percentage" is just another name for RTP.

The difference is mostly framing. Casinos and slot marketers love RTP because a big number ("96%!") sounds generous. Sharp players prefer house edge because a small number ("4%") makes the cost obvious. Neither figure promises you'll get 96% of your money back in a session — both describe the long-run average across all players. Your individual result depends on volatility and luck.

If minimizing the math working against you is the goal, this is your shortlist:

1. Video poker (full-pay, optimal play) — as low as ~0.46% on Jacks or Better.
2. Blackjack (basic strategy, good rules) — ~0.5%.
3. Baccarat – Banker — ~1.06%, no skill required.
4. Craps – Pass/Don't Pass with maximum odds — effective edge pushing toward 0%.
5. French roulette even-money bets — ~1.35% with La Partage.

Notice the pattern: the lowest edges either require skill (video poker, blackjack) or a specific rule/bet choice (Banker, odds, La Partage). There is no game that's both effortless and rock-bottom in edge — you trade one for the other.

At the other end, these quietly cost you the most:

• Baccarat Tie bet (14%+) — a big payout that's mathematically terrible.
• American roulette (5.26%) — always pick European or French if available.
• High-variance / low-RTP slots (up to ~15%) — check the RTP before spinning.
• Most casino side bets — see below.
• Keno and "money wheel" games — often carry double-digit edges.

A useful rule of thumb: the bigger and flashier the advertised payout, the higher the edge usually is. Casinos pay for excitement with math.

Side bets are the casino's quiet profit engine, and almost nobody talks about them. Bets like Perfect Pairs and 21+3 in blackjack, Pair Plus in 3 Card Poker, and the Tie in baccarat all sit on top of a low-edge base game — but they carry dramatically higher edges themselves, frequently in the double digits.

The trap is psychological: you sit at a 0.5% blackjack table (great) and then place a side bet with a 5%–15% edge (terrible), erasing much of the value of the game you chose. Side bets are optional by design. Treating them as occasional fun rather than a strategy is one of the easiest ways to protect your bankroll. Exact figures vary by paytable — but the direction is always the same: side bets favor the house far more than the main game.

The house edge isn't unique to casino games — bookmakers have their own version, called the margin, overround, or vig (vigorish). Instead of shaving payouts on a wheel, a sportsbook prices both sides of a market so the implied probabilities add up to more than 100%.

For example, a coin-flip market (true 50/50) might be priced at odds implying 52% on each side — 104% total. That extra 4% is the overround, the betting equivalent of the house edge. To find it, convert each side's odds into implied probability, add them up, and the amount over 100% is the book's margin.

Just like casino games, tighter margins mean better value for the bettor. Comparing prices across books to find the lowest overround is the sports-betting equivalent of choosing a low-edge casino game.

"The house always wins" isn't a threat — it's arithmetic. Over enough bets, the law of large numbers ensures actual results converge on the expected value. Individual players win all the time; that's what keeps games exciting and what casinos count on. But aggregate every bet across every player and the house edge delivers a remarkably predictable profit.

Two forces make this inevitable:

1. Negative expected value — every bet, on average, returns less than it costs.
2. Volume — casinos process millions of bets, so short-term luck cancels out and the average takes over.

The practical lesson: the longer you play a negative-EV game, the more certain you are to end up behind. Short sessions preserve luck's protection; long sessions surrender to the math.

Two players can face the same house edge and have wildly different experiences. That's where these deeper concepts come in.

Element of Risk

House edge is traditionally measured against your initial wager. But in games where you can raise or add money mid-hand (like Ultimate Texas Hold'em or Let It Ride), the element of risk is a fairer measure: it's your expected loss as a percentage of the total money you actually put at risk, including raises. It's usually lower than the headline house edge because the denominator is bigger.

Standard Deviation and Volatility

Volatility, measured statistically as standard deviation, describes how far short-term results swing away from the expected loss the house edge predicts. A low-edge, high-volatility game (like a jackpot slot) can wipe you out fast or pay big; a low-volatility game grinds closer to its average. Understanding volatility explains why a "low house edge" game can still feel brutal in a single session — the edge tells you the destination, volatility tells you how bumpy the road is.

Hold vs House Edge

The house edge is theoretical — the long-run percentage of wagers the casino expects to keep. Hold is what the casino actually wins as a percentage of the buy-in (chips purchased). Hold is usually much higher than the house edge because players re-bet the same money many times over a session, so the edge gets applied repeatedly to the same buy-in. Hold reflects reality; house edge reflects the underlying math.

How Comps Work

Casino comps (free rooms, meals, credit) are calculated from your theoretical loss, which is:

House Edge × Total Action

And your total action depends on your average bet size and hands (or decisions) per hour. This is why a fast-playing high-roller on a low-edge game can still generate large comps: the volume of action multiplies even a small edge into a meaningful theoretical loss the casino rewards.

The honest answer: for the vast majority of players, no — the house edge cannot be beaten over the long run. But there are narrow, legitimate situations where the math can tip in the player's favor.

• Card counting (blackjack): In physical games with favorable rules and deck penetration, skilled counters can shift the edge slightly toward themselves by betting more when the deck favors them. It's legal but casinos will bar suspected counters, it requires serious skill, and it doesn't work against online RNG or continuously-shuffled games.
• Optimal video poker on positive paytables: Some rare full-pay machines combined with slot-club rewards can push the total return above 100%. These are increasingly hard to find.
• Bonus EV / promotions: A generous deposit bonus or promotion can, on paper, create positive expected value — but only if the wagering requirements, game weightings and terms allow it. Most bonuses are structured so the house edge still wins over the playthrough. Always read the T&Cs.

For everyone else, "beating" the house edge really means minimizing it: choosing low-edge games, playing correct strategy, avoiding side bets, and quitting while ahead. That's smart play — not a system, and never a guarantee. 18+ only, and no strategy makes gambling a reliable income.

You can turn the house edge into a rough expected cost per hour, which is far more useful than an abstract percentage.

Expected hourly loss = Average bet × Bets per hour × House Edge

Example — European roulette (2.70% edge): betting $10 per spin at ~40 spins per hour:

$10 × 40 × 0.027 = ~$10.80 expected loss per hour

Example — basic-strategy blackjack (0.5% edge): betting $10 per hand at ~80 hands per hour:

$10 × 80 × 0.005 = ~$4.00 expected loss per hour

Same $10 bet, but roulette costs roughly two and a half times more per hour than good blackjack — before accounting for volatility. This math is the whole point of caring about the house edge: it lets you set a realistic entertainment budget and choose games that stretch it further. Remember these are averages — any single session can be much better or much worse.

The underlying math is the same, but a few practical differences matter:

• Online RTPs are often published, especially for slots, making it easier to compare and choose low-edge games.
• Online games can run much faster — no dealer, no other players — which increases your total action per hour and therefore your expected loss, even at the same edge.
• Live-dealer online games typically mirror land-based rules and edges, but check whether they use single or multiple decks and which roulette wheel is in play.
• Land-based table rules vary (6:5 vs 3:2 blackjack, single vs double zero), so read the felt.

House Edge for Operators (iGaming Perspective)

From the operator's side, the house edge is the mathematical basis of the business model: it's the expected margin on each game, and combined with volume of play it produces predictable revenue. Licensed operators must have their game math and RNGs independently tested and certified, which is precisely why RTP/house-edge figures on regulated sites are trustworthy — and why licensing matters when you choose where to play.

You can't remove the edge, but you can shrink its bite:

1. Pick low-edge games. Blackjack, baccarat Banker, craps line bets with odds, and full-pay video poker beat slots, keno and American roulette.
2. Learn the correct strategy for skill games — basic strategy in blackjack, optimal holds in video poker. This is the single biggest lever.
3. Read the rules and paytables. 3:2 not 6:5 blackjack; single-zero not double-zero roulette; full-pay video poker.
4. Skip the side bets. They quietly carry the highest edges in the room.
5. Slow down. Fewer bets per hour means less total action exposed to the edge.
6. Use bonuses carefully. They can add value, but only if the terms actually allow it.
7. Set a budget before you start and treat losses as the price of entertainment.

None of this guarantees a profit — it makes your money last longer and your odds as good as the game allows.

Since the house edge only means anything if the game is genuinely fair, where you play is as important as what you play. Judge a casino on criteria, not marketing:

• Valid licensing from a recognized regulator (e.g. UKGC, MGA, or your local authority). This is non-negotiable.
• Independent RNG and game testing by labs such as eCOGRA, iTech Labs or GLI — this is what makes published RTP/house-edge figures credible.
• Transparent RTP information on games, ideally accessible before you play.
• Fair, readable bonus terms — clear wagering requirements and game weightings.
• Quality live-dealer studios with clearly stated rules (deck count, wheel type) if you play live tables.
• Robust responsible-gambling tools — deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion.

We describe criteria rather than push a specific offer. Always confirm the game rules and paytable of the exact title you're about to play, and check that the site is legal and available in your jurisdiction. 18+ only. T&Cs apply.

The house edge guarantees that, over time, gambling costs money — so treat it as paid entertainment, not income. Practical guardrails:

• Set a loss limit you can comfortably afford before you start, and stop when you reach it.
• Bet small relative to your bankroll so volatility can't wipe you out in one session.
• Never chase losses — the edge doesn't reverse to "make it up to you."
• Take breaks and don't gamble to escape stress or when impaired.
• Use the tools — deposit limits, reality checks, cool-off and self-exclusion.

If gambling stops being fun or feels out of control, free confidential help is available — in the UK via GamCare (0808 8020 133) and BeGambleAware.org, and in the US via the National Council on Problem Gambling (1-800-522-4700). 18+ only. T&Cs apply. Gamble responsibly.