If you’re wondering what casino game has the best odds, you came to the right place.
You saunter into the casino, the smell of stale cigarette smoke assaulting your nostrils. The sounds of spinning roulette wheels and rolling dice is like music to your ears.
The games offered at brick and mortar casinos are numerous and come with a dizzying amount of odds. We'll take a sampling of the most played casino games: Keno (Worst) Slots Roulette Craps Paigow Poker / Most Table Games Baccarat Blackjack (Best) Keno. Keno has by far the worst odds in the entire casino. For those looking for a specific casino to frequent or a certain machine offering the very best slot odds, it is hard to separate the hoopla from the reality. The Gaming Control Board statistics do not reveal the results casino by casino or machine by machine. And the claims made by the casinos. Slots with The Best Odds While it may not be possible to use strategies to improve your chances of making a profit, your odds of winning can vary a lot with the games you choose to play.
You’re dressed to the nines, attracting appreciative glances from the other patrons as you nab a martini from the tray of a passing server. Meanwhile, the pit bosses are eying you like sharks sizing up a drowning man. They’re ready to eat you alive.
But not this time. This time, you’re going to win the jackpot. And that means knowing what casino game has the best odds.
Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with this list of the best casino games that you actually have an outside chance of winning.
Remember, the house always wins…but at least in these games, you can even the odds just a little.
What Casino Game Has the Best Odds? A Comprehensive Countdown
Okay, to help you out in your quest for untold riches (or at least some extra spending cash), we’ve compiled a shortlist of some of the games that have the best odds of winning at a casino.
Bear in mind, it doesn’t necessarily follow that you will win at these games. That still requires a great deal of skill and, of course, luck. But by playing games with a lower house edge, your chances of winning that coveted jackpot are that much greater.
1. Craps
The venerable game of craps is also considered one of the most favorable.
Craps is a table game played by shooting dice, and its common American version was an innovation of the New Orleanian Bernard de Marigny, an avid philocubist. Basically, craps is a typical game of chance, and it offers a great opportunity to make real money.
The house edge on craps is only about 1.4%. And that’s not bad, considering that you’ll only lose about a penny for every dollar you bet on a bad roll.
2. Three-Card Poker
This is a variation on poker that is both fast and a lot of fun to play. For these reasons, three-card poker has become very popular in casinos.
In this game, you only play against the dealer, not the other players. You and the dealer receive three cards apiece, and the usual poker strategy typically applies.
The house odds are 1.5% for three-card poker. For the best strategy, play all hands that are better than Queen, Six and Four, and fold on all that are worse.
3. Baccarat
Most Americans probably think “baccarat” is the name of a famous singer-songwriter.
But it’s actually the top casino game in the world, largely thanks to its popularity in Asia. Baccarat is an iffy proposition for casinos, but it’s a great bet for players.
The house edge on baccarat is around 1.09%, and that means there is the potential for a serious payout. It’s a pretty simple card game: you bet on the Player or the Banker, and the dealer does the rest. Whichever draws a hand closer to nine wins.
The odds are pretty good in baccarat, but that means the wager amounts are serious. So while there’s a chance for a huge jackpot—there’s also a good chance you could lose a lot of money.
So do yourself a favor and only place a bet when the odds of winning are the most favorable.
4. Video Poker
Video poker games can have a house edge as low as 0.5%, giving it one of the best casino game odds.
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It’s a computerized game based on five-card draw poker, with a few innovations thrown in to make things interesting. When you play, you’re given five cards, which you can exchange for new ones. A winning hand is one that matches the combinations on the paytable.
5. Roulette
Roulette—the famous casino standby. Everything about the game evokes thoughts of the old gambling saloons in the wild frontier towns of the nineteenth century.
Roulette is almost a 50/50 game…almost, but not quite. You see, the house edge varies according to whether you’re playing European roulette or American roulette.
The sophisticated Continentals have an edge of only about 2.7%, with the addition of the green “0” tile; this is much more sporting. The sneaky Americans, on the other hand, have an edge of around 5.2%, by adding another green tile with the number “00”.
Still, roulette is a classic and a lot of fun. The live version is best, but it also works as a fun online casino game.
6. Pai Gow Poker
Pai gow poker is a variant of the Chinese game pai gow, played with cards instead of dice.
It’s also called double-hand poker, and it offers players an added chance to win by forming two hands from the seven dealt cards. The house edge on this one is about 2.5%, which isn’t too bad for players.
7. Backgammon
This ancient game dates back to the very beginnings of known civilization—over five thousand years.
It’s a two-player game of dice and strategy, and can be found in some casinos. The house edge ranges from about 5% to 6.3%, which isn’t the greatest on this list. Nevertheless, a skillful player can still earn a substantial payout.
What Game Has The Best Odds At A Casino
8. Slots
That’s right, even the ubiquitous slot machines made it on the list.
The typical payouts for slot machines may not be as great as the table games, but a little skill and practice can change that. And if you’re looking for the real jackpot, check out the progressive slot machines. These machines are linked across casinos and can yield payouts in the tens of millions.
9. Blackjack
Yes, we wrap up this list with the classic blackjack.
With a house edge of about 1%, blackjack (particularly single-deck games) is considered to be the game with the best gambling odds. The key to winning at blackjack is to have a strategy. If you learn to play smart and manage your money well, you can win big.
Play These Games for the Biggest Payouts
So now you know what casino game has the best odds. If your goal at the casino is to actually win some money, steer for these games.
But even in the games with the best odds, remember that everything’s stacked against you. After all, the casino is in the business of making money, not losing it.
Best Odds At A Casino
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Ever since the 1980s, casinos have discovered that they make more profits off their slot machines than they do from their table games. This is just as true of online casinos as it is of land-based gambling halls. In Las Vegas, where free drinks and loyalty rewards have long been used as inducements for slot play, the latest promotional craze is bragging about payback rates. Where are the biggest jackpots being hit? Who can offer the best slot machine odds?
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If you listen to Las Vegas locals, they say never play the slots at casinos that line Las Vegas Boulevard. “Strictly for tourists,” they will tell you. Then, they’ll point downtown where many of the city’s oldest casinos are grouped within easy walking distance from one another and add, “The best payouts are along Fremont Street.”
But what do the actual numbers say? Is Vegas street wisdom to be believed? And what to make of claims made by casinos themselves? Who really has the loosest slots in town?
What Is The Best Odds At A Casino
Downtown vs. the Strip
Overall, slots generate nearly 60% of Nevada’s annual gaming revenues and almost twice as much as table games. The Nevada Gaming Control Board breaks down its Las Vegas slot statistics in two major tourist areas: downtown and the Strip. Additionally, there is a large locals market, which reports of gaming revenue classify as the Boulder Strip and North Las Vegas areas.
In the full fiscal year between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, the payback percentages for all slots in Clark County were 93.51%. By area, the downtown paid back 93.47% and the Strip returned 92.62%, so there is a certain ring of truth to the locals’ claim. However, what goes unsaid is that North Las Vegas slots returned 93.91% and the Boulder Strip slots paid back 94.76%, so the best advice is to avoid the tourist areas and play where the locals play.
Compared to fiscal 2011, all of the areas except the Boulder Strip showed a slight reduction in paybacks in 2012. Slots located along Boulder Highway paid out exactly the same year on year; they include the machines of such popular casinos as Sam’s Town, Arizona Charlie’s, and Boulder Station, to name a few.
Odds by Slot Type
The Gaming Control Board statistics also indicate which slots pay out the best in order of the denomination of credit played. In fiscal 2012, Megabucks progressive slots showed the worst payback percentage overall, just 87.16%. However, the appeal of a massive jackpot obviously outweighs the poor odds during hard economic times, as Megabucks revenues rose 59% versus fiscal 2011—the biggest gain among all types of slots.
At the other end of the spectrum, the very best payback percentages came from high roller slots. Those accepting denominations of $5, $25 and $100 returned 94.67%, 96.52% and 96.30%, respectively—proving once again that it takes money to make money.
For those whose champagne tastes come with beer budgets, the most fruitful games are on the nickel and quarter slots, which also include video poker machines of those denominations. Fully 94.48% of all 25¢ wagers were returned in fiscal 2012. Coming in right behind were nickel slots, paying back 94.40%.
Many slot players enjoy multi-denomination slots, which were a reasonably good bet in 2012 with a 94.65% payback rate. Meanwhile, dollar machines were not bad performers, yielding a 94.42% return of the cash invested. Much less favorable to players were penny machines, returning just 89.33%—the worst bet other than Megabucks.
What About Other Games
If slots aren’t your cup of tea, and you much prefer real money blackjack, then visit our dedicated page to online blackjack. United States Blackjack typically affords better odds than the slots, especially if players are willing to learn card counting. Bet your real money wisely with the tips you garner from reading legitimatecasino.com.
Who’s Really #1?
For those looking for a specific casino to frequent or a certain machine offering the very best slot odds, it is hard to separate the hoopla from the reality. The Gaming Control Board statistics do not reveal the results casino by casino or machine by machine. And the claims made by the casinos themselves have to be taken with a grain of salt.
For example, in 2010 the Palms Casino Resort launched a massive advertising campaign based upon the results of an “independent survey by the Las Vegas Advisor (that) indicates Palms’ slots and video poker returns are better than the average payback percentages in Nevada.” Their claim was that Palms’ slots were “28.278 percent looser than Clark County and 36.856 percent looser than the Strip.”
Not to be outdone, in 2011 the downtown’s El Cortez Casino shot back with advertising claiming that their slots were “39% looser than the Strip,” implying looser than the Palms’ slots by inference. Most lists of “hot slots” in Las Vegas mention the two properties as #1 and #2, but with three Megabucks jackpots awarded since 2004, perhaps the Palms deserves a slight edge. The El Cortez has paid no Megabucks winners to date.