Playing at online casinos can be fun (as long as you gamble responsibly, of course). Live casino games like roulette and blackjack, as well as slots, are all thrilling games, but for most people, the thought of beating the house edge is the most exciting aspect of all. But to beat the house edge, you need to first know how large it is.
In fact, the casino’s house edge changes from game to game, and even from slot to slot. A more technical definition of the house edge is the Return-to-player ratio or RTP. The higher the RTP, the lower the house edge – so gamblers looking at beating the casino will want to choose games with a higher RTP. Below you can see the RTP of the most popular casino games, helping you make the right decision about which games to play.
Roulette
The game of roulette is perhaps the most famous one in the casino. It’s certainly the most beautiful and watching the white ball rattling along the red and black chequered wheel excites even the hardest of hearts. But how much does it payout? Well, it depends on which variety you play. European roulette has just one 0 number and 36 colored numbers, giving a house edge of just 2.7% (an RTP of 97.3%). That’s quite nice – but beware of American roulette. This wheel has two 0’s, giving the house an edge almost twice as big as the European version, of 5.26%. For this reason, the American game has fallen I popularity in recent years, and it’s hard to find a live casino that offers it in 2020.
Blackjack
Blackjack is famous for being the game where skill is almost as big a factor as luck. Depending on your knowledge of basic strategy and the speed at which you can crunch the numbers, the house edge on classic blackjack can go as low as 0.59%, giving you an RTP of 99.41%. You have to be as sharp as a needle to get there, though, and always face the risk of ending up like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation.
Poker
Poker is a game with no intrinsic house edge, as in its most basic form, it is a zero-sum game, where players compete against each other for the share of the money. In the online world, however, poker rooms tend to be hosted by operators such as Mr Green casino, and they take a cut of the pot (usually called a rake) beforehand to cover their costs. How much is the rake? Well, it varies – we have seen this go as low as 2.5%, and as high as 10%.
Slots
Slots also have variable house edges – although online slots have significantly higher RTP’s (and thus, lower house edges) than land-based slots. In Las Vegas or your high-street casino, you can expect an RTP of just 90%. That means for every $10 you put in the machine; you can expect just $9 back. In the online slot world, an average RTP is around 96%. However – increasingly, slot developers will allow casinos to adjust the RTP lower and keep more money for themselves – so when that fun new slot loads, make sure to click on the info tab, which will reveal exactly how much the actual RTP is!
And that’s it. By choosing casino games with a higher RTP, the greater your chances of beating the house. Which online casino game will you play next?
