The casino games with the best odds are a few bets inside a few games, not whole games. The best odds in a casino are the craps pass line with 3-4-5x odds, at a house edge of 0.37%, and blackjack with basic strategy at 0.44% (six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack pays 3:2).
| # | Game and bet | House edge | Expected loss per $100 bet | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craps: pass line plus 3-4-5x odds | 0.37% | $0.37 | computed: dice combinations |
| 2 | Blackjack: 6 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, pays 3:2, basic strategy | 0.44% | $0.44 | our simulation, 800 million hands |
| 3 | Blackjack: 6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, pays 3:2, basic strategy | 0.64% | $0.64 | our simulation, 200 million hands |
| 4 | Craps: pass line plus 1x odds | 0.85% | $0.85 | computed: dice combinations |
| 5 | Baccarat: banker (5% commission) | 1.06% | $1.06 | computed: every 8-deck deal |
| 6 | Baccarat: player | 1.24% | $1.24 | computed: every 8-deck deal |
| 7 | Craps: don’t pass | 1.36% | $1.36 | computed: dice combinations |
| 8 | Craps: pass line | 1.41% | $1.41 | computed: dice combinations |
| 9 | Craps: place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | $1.52 | computed: dice combinations |
| 10 | Blackjack: 6 decks, pays 6:5, basic strategy | 1.77% | $1.77 | our simulation, 200 million hands |
| 11 | Roulette: single zero | 2.70% | $2.70 | computed: 37 pockets |
| 12 | Roulette: double zero | 5.26% | $5.26 | computed: 38 pockets |
| 13 | Craps: field (2 and 12 pay 2 to 1) | 5.56% | $5.56 | computed: dice combinations |
| 14 | Slot machines, Nevada average | 7.13% | $7.13 | Nevada Gaming Control Board, 12 months to 30 September 2026 |
| 15 | Roulette: five-number bet, double zero | 7.89% | $7.89 | computed: 38 pockets |
| 16 | Baccarat: tie (pays 8 to 1) | 14.36% | $14.36 | computed: every 8-deck deal |
| 17 | Craps: any 7 | 16.67% | $16.67 | computed: dice combinations |
What house edge means for your money
House edge is the expected loss as a share of each bet. It is a long-run average. One session can end anywhere, but the average result of a bet settles on its edge as the number of bets grows. Multiply the edge by 100 and you have the expected loss per $100 wagered.
Three rows from the ranking show the spread. A pass line bet with 3-4-5x odds costs $0.37 per $100 wagered. A double-zero roulette bet costs $5.26. The Nevada slot average costs $7.13. The last two figures are more than ten times the first.
The expected result of playing any bet in this table is a loss. No betting pattern changes that. The edge belongs to each bet, and a sum of bets that each lose on average also loses on average, whatever their order or size. Raising the stake after a loss, or lowering it after a win, changes how much is wagered. The edge on each dollar stays the same.
Blackjack, craps and baccarat: the low-edge games
Blackjack’s 0.44% comes from 800 million hands dealt by computer, with every decision made by basic strategy. The rules were six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack pays 3:2, double on any two cards, double after split, split to four hands (aces once, one card each), no surrender, dealer peeks for blackjack, and a reshuffle after 75% of the shoe. The margin of error on that run puts the edge between 0.43% and 0.44%.
The rules move the number. When the dealer hits soft 17, the edge rises to 0.64% over 200 million hands. When a blackjack pays 6:5 instead of 3:2, it rises to 1.77%, also over 200 million hands. At 6:5, blackjack costs more than the baccarat banker bet (1.06%) and the baccarat player bet (1.24%).
Craps edges are exact. They come from counting every way two dice can land. The pass line carries 1.41% and don’t pass carries 1.36%. After a point is set, the odds bet pays at true odds and has no house edge. Adding it to the pass line spreads the same edge over more money: 0.85% with 1x odds and 0.37% with 3-4-5x odds. The place 6 or 8 bet is 1.52%. The field (2 and 12 pay 2 to 1) is 5.56%, and any 7 is 16.67%, the highest edge in the ranking.
Baccarat was computed over every possible deal from an 8-deck shoe. The banker bet is 1.06% after the 5% commission on wins. The player bet is 1.24%. The tie, paying 8 to 1, is 14.36%. Two of the three bets on the same table are among the lowest in the ranking, and the third is among the highest.
Roulette and slot machines
Roulette is the simplest count. A single-zero wheel has 37 pockets and carries an edge of 1/37, or 2.70%. A double-zero wheel has 38 pockets and carries 2/38, or 5.26%. Every standard bet on a double-zero wheel carries that 5.26% except one. The five-number bet carries 7.89%.
Slot machines have no fixed published edge per machine in this data. Each machine’s return is set by its own program. The Nevada Gaming Control Board does publish what machines kept, which it defines as the reported win divided by the total dollar amount played. Across Nevada, slots kept 7.13% of the money played over the 12 months to 30 September 2026.
The rate differs by denomination, without a steady trend. Of the denominations named in the report, 1-cent machines kept the most over the 12 months, 8.77%, and $5 machines kept the least, 4.37%. The table gives every group. Each figure is an average over every machine in that group, and it says nothing about the setting of any one machine.
| Slot denomination | Machines (12-month average) | Kept, 12 months to 30 Sep 2026 | Kept, September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cent | 27,423 | 8.77% | 9.01% |
| 5 cents | 522 | 6.23% | 6.02% |
| 25 cents | 2,071 | 7.54% | 7.36% |
| $1 | 4,638 | 6.23% | 6.63% |
| $5 | 395 | 4.37% | 4.40% |
| $25 | 65 | 7.46% | 6.50% |
| $100 | 51 | 5.33% | 4.04% |
| Multi-denomination | 89,645 | 7.01% | 7.34% |
| All slot machines | 125,689 | 7.13% | 7.41% |
Keno
Keno draws 20 numbers from 80, and you pick which ones you are betting on. The chance of catching every number you pick falls fast as you pick more. With 1 spot it is 25%. With 4 spots it is 1 in 326. With 10 spots it is 1 in 8,911,711.
The house edge depends on the pay table each game posts, so no single edge applies to keno. That is why it has no row in the ranking. To know the edge of a keno game, you need that game’s pay table.
Sports betting against casino games
A sportsbook takes its cut through the margin built into its prices, while a casino takes its cut through the house edge.
Our comparison of sportsbook margins with casino house edges sets the two side by side.
Playing within limits
Every bet in the ranking carries a house edge above zero, from 0.37% to 16.67%. The odds bet in craps, at 0%, appears only combined with the pass line, because it cannot be placed on its own.
Set a budget before you play and a time limit for the session, and stop when either runs out. Our responsible gambling guide covers time limits, deposit and loss limits, and self-exclusion.
*House edges computed by Scores and Stats from each game’s rules (dice combinations, wheel pockets, every 8-deck baccarat deal) and a simulation of 800 million blackjack hands, November 2026; slot figures from the Nevada Gaming Control Board Monthly Revenue Report, September 2026, read 5 November 2026 (02:21 UTC).*