Casino Game Odds & House Edge
Roulette, craps and baccarat house edges enumerated from the actual outcomes, not copied from another table. See what each bet costs you an hour.
Sixty decisions an hour is a rough middle for a busy table. Set it to what you actually play — the hourly figure is just the edge multiplied by your stake and how often you bet.
Per bet made is what an evening costs. Per bet resolved removes the hands that push, and is higher wherever a push is possible — the two figures being quoted interchangeably is why published tables disagree with each other.
How these numbers were arrived at
- Every figure here is computed, not quoted. Roulette is arithmetic on the pockets, craps is enumerated over the thirty-six dice outcomes including the point-before-seven races, and baccarat is a full enumeration of the drawing rules over a real eight-deck shoe.
- The edge per bet MADE and the edge per bet RESOLVED are different numbers wherever a bet can push, and lists that do not say which they mean are the usual source of the conflicting figures you will find elsewhere. Both are shown.
- Free odds behind the pass line is the only wager in the building with no house edge at all — it pays exactly true odds. That is why the amount you are allowed to put behind is capped: the house makes nothing on it.
- A single-zero wheel charges 2.70% on every bet and a double-zero wheel 5.26%, so the same hour of the same game costs nearly twice as much depending only on which table you sit at. On an American wheel the five-number bet is worse still at 7.89%.
- The house edge is a rate, not a schedule. It says what the game costs on average over a great many decisions and says nothing at all about tonight, which is the gap every gambling story lives in.
- Video poker is not included, and that is deliberate. Its return depends on playing all 2,598,960 hands optimally against a specific pay table — that is a solver, not a formula, and quoting a number without computing it is the habit this page exists to avoid.
How to use
- Pick the wheel and shoe your casino actually uses.
- Set your bet size and how often you play a hand.
- Sort cheapest first and read what the difference costs an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Where do these house edges come from?
They are computed here rather than quoted. Roulette is arithmetic on the pockets, craps is enumerated over the thirty-six dice outcomes including the point-before-seven races, and baccarat is a full enumeration of the drawing rules over a real shoe — every four-, five- and six-card deal, weighted by what is left as the cards come out.
What is the best bet in a casino?
Free odds behind the pass line at craps, which has no house edge at all — exactly zero, not nearly. It pays precisely what the point-before-seven race is worth, which is why the amount you are allowed to put behind the line is capped. The house makes nothing on it, so it will only let you have so much.
Why do published odds tables disagree with each other?
Usually because they mix up the edge per bet MADE with the edge per bet RESOLVED, which differ wherever a bet can push. Don’t pass at craps is 1.36% one way and 1.40% the other, and both numbers appear in print with no label. Both are shown here, so you can see which is which.
Is the banker bet in baccarat really better after commission?
Yes, and it is close. The banker wins about 45.9% of hands to the player’s 44.6%, because the banker acts second and draws knowing what the player drew. That asymmetry is worth more than the five per cent commission takes back — 1.06% against 1.24% — which is exactly why the commission exists.
How much does the extra zero on a roulette wheel cost?
Nearly double. A single-zero wheel charges 2.70% on every bet and a double-zero wheel 5.26%, for the identical game. A triple-zero wheel charges 7.69%, and on an American wheel the five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 is worse still at 7.89% because 6:1 does not divide 38 pockets.
Why is video poker not included?
Because its return depends on playing all 2,598,960 possible hands optimally against one specific pay table, which is a solver rather than a formula. Quoting a figure without computing it is the habit this page exists to avoid, so the honest thing is to leave it out and say so.
Does a low house edge mean I will win?
No. The edge is a rate over a great many decisions and says nothing about tonight. What it does tell you reliably is the price of the entertainment: your bet size, multiplied by how often you bet, multiplied by the edge, is what an hour costs on average. That figure is in the last column.
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