The best odds in casino play belong to blackjack with basic strategy, at roughly 0.5% house edge under good rules, followed by the baccarat banker bet at about 1.06% and the craps pass line at 1.41%. Single zero roulette sits in the middle at 2.70%. The worst odds are in keno, the big six wheel and many slot machines. All figures are approximate and shift with table rules, so the ranking below also tells you what to check.
At the table
Best overall
Blackjack with basic strategy, around 0.5% with good rules.Best with no skill
Baccarat banker about 1.06%, craps pass line 1.41%.Zero edge bet
Craps odds behind the pass line pay true odds.Roulette
2.70% single zero, 5.26% double zero, 1.35% with la partage on even money.Worst odds
Keno around 20% to 35%, big six wheel around 11% to 24%.
The best odds in casino games, ranked
A game's odds are best judged by its house edge: the smaller the share it keeps from each bet, the better for you. Here is the casino floor ordered from lowest edge to highest, with the one bet in each game worth knowing. These are widely published approximations, and the rules on your table can move them.
| Rank | Game | The bet to make | Edge, roughly | Skill matters? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackjack | Any hand, using basic strategy | 0.3% to 1% | Yes, a lot |
| 2 | Video poker, full pay tables | Every hand, with expert holds | about 0.5% | Yes, a lot |
| 3 | Baccarat | Banker | 1.06% | No |
| 4 | Craps | Pass line plus odds | 1.41% on the line, 0% on the odds | No |
| 5 | Roulette, single zero | Red, black and other even chances under la partage, if offered | 1.35% to 2.70% | No |
| 6 | Roulette, double zero | Any bet but the five number line | 5.26% | No |
| 7 | Slot machines | Higher stake machines often return more | 2% to 15% | No |
| 8 | Big six wheel | The lowest paying segment | 11% to 24% | No |
| 9 | Keno | None is good | 20% to 35% | No |
For how each edge is calculated, see what a casino house edge is.
Odds of winning a bet versus the house edge
People often ask which game gives the best chance of winning, meaning how often a single bet wins. That is a different question from cost. A single roulette number wins 2.70% of the time and red wins 48.65% on the same wheel, yet both cost exactly 2.70% over time. Here is how the main near even bets compare by hit rate.
| Bet | Wins | Loses | Neither |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craps pass line | 49.29% | 50.71% | none |
| Red, single zero roulette | 48.65% | 51.35% | none |
| Red, double zero roulette | 47.37% | 52.63% | none |
| Baccarat banker | 45.86% | 44.62% | 9.52% ties push |
The banker bet loses less often than it wins, yet it still carries an edge, because the house takes a 5% cut from every winning banker bet. For more roulette chances, see roulette probability.
Blackjack: the lowest edge, if you play it right
Blackjack earns the top spot only with basic strategy, a fixed chart of when to hit, stand, double and split. With it and good rules, the edge is roughly 0.5%. Guessing instead can push it well past 2%.
Rules matter just as much. The most expensive change is a 6 to 5 payout on a natural in place of 3 to 2, which adds roughly 1.4 percentage points. The number of decks and whether the dealer hits soft 17 also move the figure. Read the felt before you sit down.
Craps and baccarat: low edges with no skill
Both games reward simply making the right bet. In craps, the pass line has a 1.41% edge and don't pass about 1.36%. Once a point is set, you can add an odds bet that pays true odds, with no house edge at all, which pulls your combined cost below 1%. Stay away from the center of the table: a one roll bet on any seven pays 4 to 1 on a 1 in 6 chance, a 16.67% edge.
In baccarat, bet banker at about 1.06% or player at about 1.24%. The tie bet usually pays 8 to 1 and carries an edge near 14.4%, which is among the worst on the floor.
Where roulette ranks for the best odds in a casino
Roulette lands in the middle. It has no strategy that helps and no bet that beats another on the same wheel, so all your control comes from the table itself.
- French rules (la partage or en prison) bring even money bets to about 1.35%, close to craps and baccarat.
- A single zero wheel costs 2.70% on everything.
- A double zero wheel costs 5.26%, and its five number bet 7.89%.
- A triple zero wheel costs 7.69%.
The payouts and odds hub explains why, and European roulette covers the single zero game in detail.
Video poker and slot machines
Video poker is the machine game with real odds you can check. The pay table is printed on the screen. A full pay jacks or better machine returns about 99.54% with perfect play, an edge near 0.46%. Shave one step off the full house and flush payouts and the return can fall to about 97.30%.
Slots are the opposite. The return is set inside the machine and usually not posted on the cabinet. Widely published figures put the edge somewhere around 2% to 15%, often higher on small stake machines. Because slots also play fast, they can cost more per hour than nearly anything else.
The worst odds in the casino
A short list of bets to skip, all with edges far above roulette:
- Keno: around 20% to 35%, depending on the pay table.
- Big six wheel: about 11% on the lowest paying segment and over 20% on the top ones.
- Baccarat tie: near 14.4% at 8 to 1.
- Craps one roll bets: many are above 10%.
- Roulette top line: 7.89% on the double zero table.
How to get better odds on any visit
- Pick a low edge game you understand: blackjack with a strategy card, craps pass line, baccarat banker or single zero roulette.
- Check the rules on the felt: 3 to 2 blackjack, one zero on the wheel, la partage if offered.
- Bet smaller and slower. What you lose on average grows with every unit you put through the game.
- Before the first bet, name a stopping loss and a stopping time, and honor both.
To try roulette's odds without spending anything, spin the practice wheel using play credits, and see the best roulette bets for how bets compare on swing.
Questions players ask
What casino game has the best odds?
With basic strategy and fair rules, blackjack normally carries the smallest edge, roughly 0.5%. If you want no strategy at all, the baccarat banker bet and the craps pass line come next at about 1.06% and 1.41%.
What casino game has the worst odds?
Keno usually has the worst odds, with an edge around 20% to 35%. The big six wheel and many slot machines are also costly. The exact figure depends on the pay table or machine.
Which table game has the lowest house edge?
Blackjack with basic strategy leads among table games. Of the no skill options, baccarat banker at about 1.06% is cheapest, while the craps odds wager pays true odds once a pass line bet is in place.
Are roulette odds good compared with other games?
Roulette is middle of the pack. The European wheel at 2.70% beats slots and keno by a wide margin but trails blackjack, baccarat and craps. A double zero wheel at 5.26% is clearly worse.
What casino game has the best odds for a payout?
Large payouts always come with small chances. A 35 to 1 roulette number costs the same 2.70% as red on a single zero wheel. In most other games, the biggest payouts sit on the bets with the highest edge.
Do slot machines have the worst odds?
Not always the worst, but often close. Their edge is set inside the machine and is commonly put at around 2% to 15%. Keno and the big six wheel are usually worse still.