Casino games are available today in abundance with even simple games, like Blackjack, coming in many different forms. With the advancement of online gambling, the variations of popular games has only increased, and with so many different types of game now available, it\u2019s become common for players to question exactly what games they should, and shouldn\u2019t be playing to maximise their odds of winning and reduce the house edge.<\/p>\n
On this page, we\u2019re going to look at the 5 best, and the 5 worst games and bets you can play, as well as covering important factors that can affect the variance and profitability of games.<\/p>\n
While the lowest house edge section focused on purely games, in this section, you\u2019ll find both games and specific bets within a game so you can always make the right decision \u2013 even when playing what appears to be a low house edge game.<\/p>\n
While Blackjack itself is known as being a game with a low house edge, it\u2019s possible to reduce the house edge to a minimal percentage of just 0.28% when the game conditions are suitable. To enjoy a house edge this low, you must follow optimal Blackjack strategy, play a game where the dealer stands on soft 17, and have the ability to late surrender.<\/p>\n
With a house edge of just 1.06%, the Bank Bet is one of the best casino bets you can place, as the casino hold a very narrow edge over the player. Unlike the player bet, the bank bet is where a wager is placed on the dealer\u2019s hand beating the players.<\/p>\n
With a 1.24% house edge, the Player Bet is the second-best bet in Baccarat. The player bet \u2013 as the name would suggest \u2013 is betting on your own hand, pitting your luck against that of the dealers.<\/p>\n
Notorious for being one of the best casino games to play due to an extremely low house edge, there are four bets within Craps that \u2013 if the casino offers high enough odds \u2013 can reduce the house edge to just a mere fraction of a percentage, and these bets are: the Pass Bet, the Don\u2019t Pass Bet, the Come Bet, and the Don\u2019t Come Bet.<\/p>\n
This popular Video Poker variant is one of the best games you can play at a casino, due to its incredibly low house edge of just 0.46% when played correctly. While not all Jacks or Better Video Poker machines offer this extremely low house edge, there are a couple of ways you can determine whether a machine does indeed use this low house edge. Firstly, the machine you play needs to pay 9:1 on a full house and 6:1 on a flush. Odds any lower than these, and the machine\u2019s house edge is higher and worth avoiding. Secondly, it\u2019s important you are familiar with the best strategy to use; you can find further details of how to play Video Poker here, where you\u2019ll find the best strategy tips for reducing the house edge.<\/p>\n
In this section we look at specific bets, and games, that offer the highest house edge (the worst odds for YOU), so you can always make the right decision, even when playing what appears to be a low house edge game.<\/p>\n
While Baccarat was mentioned in the best 5 casino bets list, it\u2019s important to note that only applied to the player\/banker bet; the tie bet is first up on the worst casino bets you can place, and it\u2019s the only bad bet available at a typical Baccarat table. Featuring a 14.36% house edge, it\u2019s one you\u2019ll generally want to avoid!<\/p>\n
Blackjack \u2013 as seen earlier \u2013 can be a fantastic game for players to lower the house edge to sub 1%, and while the game itself offers great gameplay, the insurance bet is one you are going to want to avoid if you\u2019re interested in minimising the house edge. Assuming the game uses 8 decks of playing cards (most Blackjack games today use this figure), if you are offered insurance, you\u2019d be wise to decline it \u2013 the house edge is a whopping 7.47% \u2013 an increase of over 6% compared against regular play!<\/p>\n
Another game that was featured on the best 5 list, Craps is indeed one of the best games you can play, but that excludes the Props bet! Choose to play the Craps Props bet and the house edge will increase to between 5% and 17%. Types of bets categorised as Props Bets include the Hardway and One Roll bet.<\/p>\n
While the house edge can differ greatly in Video Slot games, many games feature a house edge (known as a Return to Player, or RTP) as high as 17% and, with the gameplay so fast, big losses can amount relatively quickly, so be careful while playing ANY slot game!<\/p>\n
Notorious for offering one of the highest house edges in history, Keno is a lottery-based game, which features odds almost as bad, and while payouts can be life-changing, Keno boasts a whopping house edge of 25%, the highest you are likely to find at a casino!<\/p>\n
While we\u2019ve listed some of the best and worse bets you can place in a casino, there are a couple of other games worth mentioning thanks to their low house edge.<\/p>\n
A game that has rapidly gained popularity in land-based UK casinos recently, Three Card Poker features a range of betting options with the main game offering a house edge of just 2% and the Pair Plus bet \u2013 an optional side bet where you can win up to 35X your stake \u2013 offering a house edge of 2.3%.\u00a0Played correctly (which means avoiding the \u2018Prime\u2019 side bet), Three Card Poker is almost a coin toss against the player and dealer. While winning and losing swings work both ways, this can be a game that offers fantastic winning potential to players both on and offline.<\/p>\n