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The house edge is the casino's built-in advantage on a bet, shown as a percentage of your original wager. The Wizard of Odds defines it as "the ratio of the average loss to the initial bet". A 1% edge means that over a very large number of bets you'd expect to lose about $1 for every $100 wagered. It says nothing about any one session. In the short run anything can happen, and you can lose a lot quickly.
The reverse figure is RTP (return to player): a game with a 4% house edge has a 96% RTP. Both describe the same thing over the long run.
All figures below are from the Wizard of Odds house edge table (last updated Aug 3, 2026; checked Oct 13, 2026). They assume optimal or near-optimal strategy where the game involves decisions.
| Game / bet | House edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack (liberal rules, basic strategy) | 0.28% | Rules matter a lot; Atlantic City rules are listed at 0.43% |
| Video poker: Jacks or Better (full pay) | 0.46% | Only for the full-pay table played with correct strategy |
| Baccarat: Banker | 1.06% | |
| Baccarat: Player | 1.24% | |
| Craps: Don't Pass / Don't Come | 1.36% | |
| Craps: Pass / Come | 1.41% | The "odds" bet behind it has 0% edge |
| Roulette: single zero | 2.70% | European / French wheel |
| Roulette: double zero | 5.26% | American wheel |
| Slot machines | 2%–15% | Range based on one major manufacturer's available returns |
| Baccarat: Tie | 14.36% | One of the most expensive bets on the table |
| Keno | 25%–29% |
Blackjack's edge depends on the rules at that table: how many decks, whether the dealer hits soft 17, and what doubling and splitting are allowed. The same is true of video poker pay tables. Read the game's rules or help screen before you assume a figure applies.
The low figures for blackjack and video poker assume you play correctly. The Wizard of Odds also publishes casino "comp" figures that reflect real player mistakes, which show blackjack at 0.75% instead.
A low edge on a fast game can cost more per hour than a higher edge on a slow one. Expected cost is roughly house edge × average bet × number of bets. For example, at a 1.06% edge, 100 bets of $10 has an expected cost of about $10.60. That's arithmetic on the average, not a prediction of your result.
A lower edge means your entertainment budget tends to last longer on average. That's it. No bet on this list has a positive expected value for the player, and no strategy turns a casino game into a way to make money. Decide your budget first, then choose games you enjoy within it.
In the cited table, blackjack under liberal rules with basic strategy (0.28%) and full-pay Jacks or Better video poker (0.46%) are lowest, followed by the baccarat Banker bet (1.06%). Source: Wizard of Odds, checked Oct 13, 2026.
No. House edge is a long-run average. Short sessions swing widely either way.
It pays well when it hits, but it hits rarely enough that its house edge is 14.36% in the cited table.
Table game math follows the rules, so the same rules give the same edge. Slots vary game by game; check the RTP in each game's info screen where it's shown.
Related: keno vs slots · baccarat basics
Source: Wizard of Odds, House Edge of Casino Games Compared (updated Aug 3, 2026; checked Oct 13, 2026).