by If you want to find the lowest house edge casino games, you’re probably trying to achieve a precise goal. You may want better chances of winning. Or you hope to extend your time of play without crushing your bankroll.
All casino games carry a house edge or slight advantage that serves as a casino’s way of making money and staying in business.
The house edge of slots and video poker machines is calculated over thousands of plays. The advantage of table games such as cards and roulette lies in how the game is structured.
But different games carry different house edges, and that’s what we’re about here. We’ll cover the casino games with the lowest house edge and how to improve your odds when you play them.
What is Casino Edge and How Does It Work?
The house edge is calculated similarly as a return to player (RTP) percentage, only from a different perspective.
If the house edge of a game is 2.5%, the RTP is 97.5%, and players are expected to emerge with 97.5% of the money they play while the casino gets a 2.5% take.
Lowest House Edge Casino Games
Now you know what the house edge is, it’s time to look at the games with the lowest house edge and how to get the most out of them
| CASINO GAMES | HOUSE EDGE | RTP |
| Blackjack | 0.28% – 1.5% | 98.5% – 99.72% |
| Video Poker | 0.46% – 5% | 95% – 99.54% |
| Baccarat | 1.06% – 1.5% | 98.04% – 98.5% |
| Pai Gow Poker | 1.3% – 2.5% | 97.5% – 98.6% |
| Craps | 36% – 5% | 95% – 98.64% |
| Roulette | 2.5% – 5.2% | 94.8% – 97.5% |
| Slots | 2% – 10% | 90% – 98% |
| Bingo | 4.8% – 30% | 70% – 95.2% |
| Scratch Cards | 4% – 40% | 60% – 96% |
| Keno | 25% – 30% | 70% – 75% |
How We Found the Lowest House Edge Games
We gathered information on house edges from a combination of trusted sources, casinos, game software providers, and experience. We’ve played and studied the casino games over thousands of plays and know what wins.
The percentage ranges account for variables such as versions of games, best playing strategies, and where you play. For instance, you may notice the wide range of house edges on scratch cards.
That’s because a scratch-off from a state-sponsored lottery generally offers a much higher house edge than a card from an online site.
Top Games With The Lowest House Edge in 2023
The House Edge is one thing. Knowing what to look for and how to play a game are other factors that can increase your odds. Here are the lowest house edge casino games and a little more about them.
#1 Blackjack
Blackjack is the casino game with the lowest house edge and is so simple to learn and play. You are trying to get as close to a total of 21 without going over. Face cards count as 10, numbered cards count the number, and an ace can be 1 or 11, your choice.
The dealer gets two cards, and the player two, and either can take one or more extra cards to get closer to 21. If you get a ten and an ace, you get Blackjack and are paid extra, usually 3:2.
The slight house edge comes from the order of play. The dealer acts last and sees players’ cards and their moves before taking action. There are a lot of blackjack variations, but the basic game is the one to play for the best odds.
Since you have decisions to make to improve your chances of winning, there is some strategy involved to improve your odds. You can choose to hit, split, or double down.
How to Lower the House Edge With Blackjack
- Find a suitable game: Look for a game that pays 3:2 for Blackjack, makes the dealer hit 16 and allows splitting more than once and doubling down on splits. Single-deck Blackjack is a better game for counting cards, but it doesn’t matter with most online games
- Memorize a chart: A blackjack strategy chart tells you what to do with any card combination
- Don’t play insurance, even money or side bets: They can be fun, but they increase the house’s edge.
#2 Video Poker
This game is the video version of basic five-card draw poker but with just a single or ante bet.
You get five cards and try to make the best poker hand possible with one draw of as many cards as you need. You are paid according to a paytable of ranked hands, with the royal flush paying the most and one pair the smallest. If you find the right machine, the house edge is minuscule.
Video Poker has several wild-card versions, but the standard Jacks or Better game offers the lowest house edge. The house edge doesn’t get better with multi-hand versions.
Another game that offers players decisions, you can play video poker with basic strategies for all variations. The tactics are simple and easy to memorize.
Lowering The House Edge With Video Poker
- Play full-pay Jacks or Better: This variation is the video poker game with the lowest house edge. Full pay is considered the 9/6 game – you win nine times your bet for a full house and six times for a flush. You should get double for two pairs. You are not paid for anything lower than a pair of jacks.
- Hold any pair: Even with a low pair, in Jacks or Better, you stand a better chance of drawing two pair or three of a kind than drawing five or going for something else.
- Hold one or two face cards or aces: Even with a single face or ace, you have a better chance of matching it or drawing higher.
#3 Baccarat
Baccarat is a table card game often associated with high-rollers, but you can find low-limit games online.
There are various versions of Baccarat, but you will most likely see the “punto banco” version. Some versions offer a bonus side bet, but we don’t recommend it for the best odds.
In Baccarat, you bet on one of three choices, “player,” “banker,” or “tie.” A player win yields even money. So does a banker win, but the casino gets 5% of that? A tie pays 8-1. There is an involved formula for the order of the deal and what wins. But you don’t have to make an extra bet during the deal, so no real strategy is involved.
The house edge is less than 2% with the right choice. Because of the game’s rules, you don’t have choices after the initial bet, so there is no playing strategy.
You bet on a player, banker, or tie, and the dealer does the rest.
How to Reduce the House Edge Playing Baccarat
- Play the standard version: Most baccarat games are the standard punto banco versions. But, if you run into a bonus side bet version, don’t bite. It may be more exciting, but it makes the house edge higher.
- Bet banker: Even though the house gets a cut of the banker’s win, the deal order makes the banker bet more advantageous in the long run.
- Don’t bet tie: Yes, you get 8-1 on a tie win, but the chances of getting a tie are 9.3%, giving the house a little more advantage.
#4 Pai Gow Poker
This exciting version of poker offers players a chance to build two hands – a five-card hand and a two-card hand – to beat the dealer. So, you get seven cards and separate them into the two hands to try to beat the dealer in both or at least one.
Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard deck plus a joker. The Joker can count as any card only to complete a straight or flush. Otherwise, the Joker is an ace.
Standard poker hand rankings are used to determine the winner. By rule, when you have pairs, your two-card hand must not be stronger than your five-card hand. You are paid even money if you win both hands. If you win just one, it’s a push or tie.
Some casinos charge a 5% commission on your winnings. If you find one that doesn’t, the house edge is just 1.3%.
Dropping Casino House Edge With Pai Gow Poker
- Separate high cards: When you have no pair or better, put the highest card in your high (five-card) hand and the next highest card in your low hand. Split pairs: With two pair, where the top pair is aces, split or make a pair in each hand.
- With a top pair of kings, split except when the other pair is deuces, then play them together and play the two highest remaining cards in the low hand.
- Keep straights and flushes together: Always play a straight or flush in your five-card hand.
#5 Roulette
Roulette is the age-old casino wheel game that has plenty of betting options with odds that range from even money to 35-1. The table layout includes red or black numbers and spaces where you place bets.
You can bet on just one space or spread your bets to as many spots as the table’s wagering limit allows. Then the wheel spins with the little ball that bounces around and lands on a number from 1 to 36. If the ball lands on your number or space, you win.
You can bet on a number, block of numbers, high/low, even/odd, or red/black, all with various payouts. But the green number zero gives the casino much of its house edge.
The American version of roulette has a zero and a double zero, while the European layout has a zero. So, the European version has a lower house edge, around 2.5%. Roulette is essentially a lottery-type game of numbers, so little gameplay strategy is needed.
Most roulette strategies are betting systems that call for betting on 1-1 odds spots and varying bet amounts according to previous results. But there are some game techniques you can use to increase your chances.
Tips to Reduce Casino House Edge in Roulette
- Play the European version: With even-money wagers, the table with the single zero has a significantly lower house edge than the American with 0 and 00.
- Concentrate on 1-1 bets: Red/black, even/odd, and high/low, which pay even, and you will hit roughly half the time.
The hitch, of course, is the green zero, which is the casino’s edge. - Third column/black: Look at the table layout. You’ll see that all but four black spaces are in the first two columns.
So, if you bet on the third column and black, you cover 26 numbers in just two bets.
#6 Slots
Slots are casino favorites because of the long-shot chance of hitting a jackpot win, sometimes life-changing. But slots pay in other ways. Playing slots is easy. You pick a bet amount, choose several paylines if there are more than one, and spin the reels. Each slot game is gauged and tested to produce a particular house edge.
Most slots have a house edge of 3% to 5%, but some are set for as low as 2% or as high as 10%.
There is no gameplay strategy for slots. Your only choices are how much to bet per spin and how many paylines to play. With some games, you don’t even have the option of paylines.
Some slots give you choices in advanced bonus rounds but do not significantly change the house edge.
How To Improve Yours Odds at Slots
- Look for 5% or lower games: Plenty of slots have a 5% or lower house edge. Most online casino slots offer RTP percentages, while land-based casinos generally do not.
- Play online: Most online slots have lower house edges because online casinos have fewer overhead costs than brick-and-mortar casinos.
- Low volatility is best for RTP: Slots come with volatility ratings. High-volatility games offer bigger maximum wins but hit less frequently. Low volatility slots may have a small hit but pay more consistently.
#7 Craps
Craps is a fun dice game with great returns when you get “on a roll” of consecutive winners.
There are a lot of wagers available on a craps layout, so it seems complicated. But it is relatively easy when you’re seeking the lowest house edge. With craps, you are betting on the outcome of a dice roll. A round starts with bets on sections marked “Pass” or “Don’t Pass” and the “come out” roll.
If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, Pass wins, and Don’t Pass loses. If the come-out roll is 2, 3, or 12, that’s “craps,” and the Don’t Pass wins while the Pass loses. Any other number starts the “point” round, which opens up the betting for other choices.
If, over the following rolls, the dice come up with the point number 7, there are payouts, and a new round begins. There are other choices for betting, the main ones being odds bets on any number, the “come” bet, which is much like the pass bet, place bets on numbers, and various “hard way” bets that call for matching numbers on dice.
Each bet has different returns based on the likelihood of the dice landing on the number.
Lower House Edge With Craps
- Bet Pass or Don’t Pass: Putting your bet on the Pass or Don’t Pass lines and leaving it offers the lowest house odds. Don’t Pass is slightly better.
- Bet Don’t Come: If a point is thrown on your Don’t Pass bet, then bet on Don’t Come. Don’t Come bet pays out if the shooter lands a 2 or 3 on the next roll, and 12 results in a push.
- Don’t make single-roll bets: Avoid Field, Any 7, or Any Craps. They lift the house edge to more than 10%.
Why Look For Games with low Casino Edge?
Gamblers depend a lot on the whims of Lady Luck. That’s why it’s called gambling and why we love it.
But even with luck involved, you want to pay attention to the house edge. Here are reasons to seek out the lowest house edge casino games.
| Bang For Your Buck | While the casino gets you in the long run, knowing the games with a low house edge can give you a little bargain. |
| Extended Play | Tough luck aside, you can play all day with the lowest house edge games and not worry about crushing your bankroll. |
| Better Odds | With the lowest house edge games, you have the best chance of getting substantial wins during a session of play. If you run into a string of bad luck, you are still assured of at least getting closer to the house edge figure the more you play. |
Boost Your Wins With Low House Edge Games
Few things are certain in gambling. No matter what your previous wins or losses were, you can’t predict the next hand, spin, or draw with certainty.
But knowing and playing the games with the lowest house edge is as good of an advantage as you can have when wagering.
So, pick a game with a low house edge and go to 18Club now! 18Club offer the best bonuses, payment systems, top-flight security, and the most fair games. Besides, you’ll be in for a ton of fun!
