Last Updated on July 31, 2026 by Maurya
Winning at a casino is never guaranteed. Every legitimate casino game is designed with a mathematical advantage for the operator, commonly known as the house edge. However, that advantage is much smaller in some games than in others.
Choosing a game with a low house edge will not guarantee a profitable session, but it can reduce your expected losses and help your bankroll last longer. The difference is significant: a well-played blackjack or video poker game may have a house edge below 1%, while certain side bets can carry an edge of 10%, 15% or even higher.
The UK Gambling Commission defines house edge as the percentage a casino expects to retain, on average, from each hand or spin under normal patterns of play. It is a long-term mathematical measurement—not a prediction of what will happen during one session.
So, which casino games offer the best odds of winning?
Under favourable rules and correct strategy, full-pay video poker, blackjack, baccarat Banker bets and low-edge craps bets generally offer some of the best odds in a casino. This guide explains how they compare, what rules to look for and which expensive bets to avoid.
Casino Games with the Lowest House Edge
| Casino game or bet | Approximate house edge | Important condition |
| Full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better | 0.46% | Requires optimal strategy |
| Favourable-rule blackjack | Around 0.4%–0.8% | Requires correct basic strategy |
| Baccarat Banker bet | 1.06% | Usually includes 5% commission |
| Baccarat Player bet | 1.24% | No strategy decisions required |
| Craps Don’t Pass | 1.36% | Base bet only |
| Craps Pass Line | 1.41% | Base bet only |
| European single-zero roulette | 2.70% | Avoid double- and triple-zero wheels |
| American double-zero roulette | 5.26% | Same edge on most standard bets |
| Triple-zero roulette | 7.69% | Significantly worse than single zero |
| Baccarat Tie bet | 14.36% | One of the game’s poorest wagers |
These figures are theoretical estimates. The exact return may change according to the paytable, number of decks, dealer rules, commissions, available actions and the quality of the player’s strategy.
What Does “Best Odds of Winning” Actually Mean?
The phrase “best odds” can be misleading because it may refer to several different measurements.
House edge
The house edge shows the casino’s theoretical profit as a percentage of the player’s total wagers over the long term.
For example, a 1% house edge represents an expected loss of £1 for every £100 wagered. This does not mean you will lose exactly £1 after betting £100. You might win £50, lose £80 or break even during an individual session. The percentage becomes more meaningful as the number of bets increases.
Return to player
Return to player, or RTP, expresses the same long-term concept from the player’s perspective.
A game with a theoretical RTP of 99% has a corresponding house edge of approximately 1%. A 96% RTP would represent a house edge of approximately 4%.
RTP is not the percentage of sessions that end in a win. It also does not mean a player will receive £99 back immediately after wagering £100. Actual short-term returns can differ substantially because of variance and volatility. The Gambling Commission specifically notes that RTP is measured over a large number of games and that normal session results will vary.
Probability of winning a single bet
A bet can win frequently but still provide poor long-term value.
For example, an even-money red or black wager on double-zero roulette wins on 18 of the wheel’s 38 positions, giving it a 47.37% win probability. Despite winning almost half the time, the bet still has a 5.26% house edge because both zero and double zero lose.
For comparing casino games fairly, house edge is usually the most useful measurement.
Full-Pay Video Poker
Video poker can offer some of the best casino odds available, but only when the paytable is favourable and the player makes mathematically correct decisions.
One of the best-known examples is 9/6 Jacks or Better. The “9/6” refers to a machine that pays nine coins for a full house and six coins for a flush. With optimal strategy, its theoretical return is approximately 99.54%, leaving a house edge of just 0.46%.
That makes full-pay Jacks or Better more competitive than most table games.
However, the attractive percentage comes with several conditions:
- You must find the correct 9/6 paytable.
- You must play the maximum number of coins when the royal-flush payout requires it.
- You must follow a strategy designed for that exact paytable.
- You must accept that royal flushes and other premium hands are rare.
Small paytable changes can make a major difference. For instance, 9/5 Jacks or Better has a published theoretical return of approximately 98.44%, while 8/6 Jacks or Better returns approximately 98.39% under correct play. That is more than a full percentage point below the return of the 9/6 version.
How to recognise full-pay Jacks or Better
Check the payout screen before inserting money or placing a real-money wager. Look specifically at the full-house and flush payouts.
A full-pay game should display:
- Full house: 9 for 1
- Flush: 6 for 1
Do not assume that every machine or online version uses the same paytable simply because the title says “Jacks or Better.”
Is video poker the easiest casino game to win?
Not necessarily. It offers an excellent theoretical return, but achieving that return requires more knowledge than pressing the deal button and keeping obvious winning cards.
Optimal video poker strategy changes according to the cards dealt and the machine’s paytable. A seemingly minor mistake—such as holding a high card instead of a low pair—can reduce the expected return.
Best for: Players willing to study a strategy chart and inspect paytables carefully.
Blackjack
Blackjack is often described as the casino game with the best odds because players make meaningful decisions on almost every hand.
Unlike roulette or baccarat, where the outcome is decided after the bet is placed, blackjack allows the player to hit, stand, double down, split or sometimes surrender. Choosing correctly can reduce the house advantage substantially.
Under a favourable ruleset and accurate basic strategy, the house edge can be around 0.5%, although the exact figure depends on the number of decks and table rules. One commonly analysed Atlantic City-style ruleset produces an edge of approximately 0.43% with correct play.
Blackjack rules that improve your odds
Look for tables where:
- A natural blackjack pays 3:2.
- The dealer stands on soft 17.
- Doubling after splitting is allowed.
- Players can double on any first two cards.
- Late surrender is available.
- Aces can be resplit.
- Fewer decks are used, assuming the other rules remain equally favourable.
No single rule should be considered in isolation. A six-deck game with excellent doubling and surrender rules may be better than a single-deck game that pays only 6:5 on blackjack.
Avoid 6:5 blackjack
The most important rule to check is the natural-blackjack payout.
Traditional blackjack pays 3:2. This means a £10 blackjack wins £15. A 6:5 table pays only £12 on the same £10 wager.
Changing the payout from 3:2 to 6:5 increases the house advantage by approximately 1.39 percentage points. That single change can turn a strong blackjack game into a comparatively expensive one.
Always check the table felt, sign or game-information screen before playing.
Basic strategy is essential
Basic strategy is a mathematically calculated set of decisions based on:
- Your hand
- The dealer’s visible card
- The number of decks
- Whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17
- The table’s doubling and surrender rules
It does not predict the next card, and it cannot eliminate the casino’s long-term advantage. It simply identifies the decision with the highest expected value in each situation.
Playing based on intuition can be costly. Under one published ruleset, a “never bust” approach created a 3.91% house edge, while copying the dealer’s fixed hitting rules produced an edge of 5.48%.
Best for: Players prepared to learn basic strategy and search for a 3:2 table.
Baccarat
Baccarat offers some of the best odds in the casino without requiring the player to memorise a strategy chart.
The player normally chooses among three main wagers:
- Banker
- Player
- Tie
After bets are placed, drawing decisions are controlled by fixed game rules. The player does not decide whether either hand receives another card.
In a standard eight-deck game, the published house edges are approximately:
- Banker: 1.06%
- Player: 1.24%
- Tie paying 8:1: 14.36%
Why Banker is the best baccarat bet
The Banker hand wins slightly more frequently because of the game’s drawing rules. Casinos normally charge a 5% commission on winning Banker bets to account for this advantage.
Even after commission, Banker remains the lowest-edge standard baccarat wager.
The difference between Banker and Player is small, so both are relatively competitive by casino standards. The Tie bet is a different matter. Its large advertised payout may look attractive, but its house edge is more than ten times higher than that of Banker.
Baccarat side bets—such as pairs, bonuses and specific card combinations—should also be treated carefully. They generally offer larger payouts in exchange for a significantly higher mathematical advantage for the casino.
Best for: Beginners who want a simple game with a low house edge and no strategy decisions after betting.
Craps
Craps has a reputation for being complicated because the table contains dozens of possible wagers. In reality, only a few bets are necessary if your priority is finding the best casino odds.
The standard Pass Line bet has a house edge of approximately 1.41%. The Don’t Pass bet is slightly better at around 1.36%.
After a point is established, players may usually add an odds bet behind their Pass Line or Don’t Pass wager.
The odds portion is unusual because it is paid at mathematically fair odds and therefore carries a theoretical house edge of 0%. The casino still has an advantage on the original Pass or Don’t Pass wager, so the complete combination is not a positive-expectation bet.
At a table offering 3x-4x-5x odds, the combined house edge per total amount wagered can fall to approximately:
- Pass Line with maximum odds: 0.374%
- Don’t Pass with maximum odds: 0.273%
These percentages look exceptionally low, but adding odds also increases the total amount of money exposed on each decision. A lower percentage edge does not automatically mean lower financial risk.
Craps bets to avoid
Many of the most colourful bets in the centre of the table have significantly worse odds.
Published examples include:
- Any Craps: 11.11% house edge
- Hard 4 or Hard 10: 11.11%
- Hard 6 or Hard 8: 9.09%
- Big 6 or Big 8: 9.09%
- Field bet paying only 2:1 on 12: 5.56%
A simple approach is usually best: stick to Pass, Don’t Pass, Come or Don’t Come and use odds only when the additional stake remains within your budget.
Best for: Players who enjoy an interactive table game and can ignore high-edge proposition bets.
European Roulette
Roulette is easy to understand, but its house edge is generally higher than blackjack, baccarat or carefully selected craps bets.
The version of roulette matters more than the type of standard bet you place.
European single-zero roulette
A European wheel contains the numbers 1 to 36 plus a single zero, creating 37 possible outcomes. Standard bets have a house edge of approximately 2.70%.
American double-zero roulette
An American wheel adds a second green space marked 00. With 38 outcomes, most standard wagers carry a house edge of 5.26%.
Triple-zero roulette
Triple-zero games add another losing green position for standard red, black, odd, even and number bets. The resulting house edge rises to approximately 7.69%.
For the best roulette odds, choose a single-zero wheel. Where special rules such as la partage or en prison apply to even-money bets, the effective house edge may be reduced further.
Do outside roulette bets have better odds?
Outside bets such as red, black, odd, even and high or low win more frequently than straight-up number bets. However, they do not normally have a lower house edge on the same wheel.
On double-zero roulette, red and black have the same standard 5.26% house edge as most individual-number, split, street, corner and dozen bets. The difference is volatility: outside bets produce smaller but more frequent wins.
Best for: Players who prioritise simple rules and lower volatility, provided a single-zero wheel is available.
Are Slots Good Games for Winning?
It is impossible to assign one universal house edge to all slot machines because each game may have a different theoretical RTP, volatility level, reel structure and bonus system.
Before playing an online slot, open the information or help section and look for its published RTP. A game with 97% RTP is mathematically better than an otherwise comparable version returning 94%, although neither percentage predicts what will happen in one session.
Volatility is also important:
- Low-volatility slots tend to produce smaller wins more frequently.
- High-volatility slots may produce long losing stretches followed by occasional larger payouts.
- Progressive jackpot games may allocate part of each wager to the jackpot, which can affect the base-game return.
Fast play creates another practical disadvantage. Even when a slot has a respectable RTP, completing hundreds of spins per hour increases the total amount wagered and therefore increases expected losses.
GambleAware warns that fast-paced gambling products with quick, repetitive outcomes can make it more difficult to track time and spending.
How to Improve Your Casino Odds
You cannot control random outcomes, but you can control the games, rules and bets you select.
Compare rules before playing
Do not choose a game based only on its name. Check:
- Blackjack payout and dealer rules
- Video poker paytable
- Number of zeros on a roulette wheel
- Baccarat commission and Tie payout
- Craps odds limits
- Slot RTP
- Side-bet payout tables
Two versions of the same game can have very different mathematical returns.
Use the correct strategy
Strategy matters most in blackjack and video poker. Downloading or memorising a strategy chart designed for a different ruleset can still lead to errors.
Baccarat and roulette do not require complex playing decisions, but bet selection remains important. Choosing Banker rather than Tie in baccarat, or single-zero rather than double-zero roulette, has a measurable effect on expected loss.
Avoid side bets
Side bets are designed to add excitement through large payouts and rare outcomes. They often have a much higher house edge than the main game.
Examples include blackjack insurance, baccarat Tie and Pair wagers, roulette special combinations and the centre-table proposition bets in craps.
Slow down
Expected loss depends on three main factors:
Average wager × number of bets × house edge
A £5 game can become more expensive than a £10 game if it is played several times faster. Taking breaks and choosing slower games can reduce the total amount wagered.
Ignore betting systems
Systems such as Martingale, Fibonacci and reverse Martingale change the size of future wagers but do not change the probability or expected value of the next independent outcome.
A progression may produce many small winning sessions, followed by one loss large enough to erase them. Casino limits and finite bankrolls prevent indefinite doubling.
Set limits before starting
Decide in advance:
- How much money you can afford to lose
- How long you will play
- The maximum size of each bet
- Whether you will stop after reaching a win or loss limit
Never borrow money to gamble, and never increase bets in an attempt to recover previous losses.
FAQs
What casino game has the best odds of winning?
Full-pay video poker and favourable-rule blackjack can offer some of the lowest house edges in a casino. A 9/6 Jacks or Better machine returns approximately 99.54% with optimal play, while good blackjack games can have a house edge around 0.5%. Both require accurate strategy.
What is the easiest casino game to win?
Baccarat is one of the easiest low-edge games to play because the drawing rules are automatic. Betting on Banker produces a house edge of approximately 1.06% in a standard eight-deck game. Ease of play does not guarantee a win.
Is blackjack or baccarat better?
Blackjack can offer a lower house edge than baccarat, but only when the rules are favourable and the player uses correct basic strategy. Baccarat requires less knowledge and offers a consistent 1.06% edge on the standard Banker bet.
Which roulette bet has the best odds?
On a standard roulette wheel, most conventional wagers have the same house edge. The most important choice is the wheel itself. Single-zero European roulette has a 2.70% edge, compared with 5.26% for double-zero roulette and 7.69% for triple-zero roulette.
Can a casino game have a 100% RTP?
Some rare video poker paytables may theoretically exceed 100% when played perfectly, but availability is limited and the calculation may depend on maximum-coin play, extremely rare premium hands or promotional conditions. A theoretical return above 100% also does not guarantee a profit during any finite session. Published analysis lists certain full-pay Deuces Wild paytables above 100% under optimal play.
Does a low house edge mean I will win?
No. House edge describes the average expected result over a very large number of wagers. Short-term results are driven heavily by variance. You can lose quickly in a low-edge game or win significantly in a high-edge game, but the lower-edge option is mathematically less expensive over time.
Final Verdict
For players who are willing to study strategy and check paytables, full-pay video poker and favourable-rule blackjack offer the strongest mathematical returns.
For players who want simple gameplay, the Baccarat Banker bet is one of the best choices. In craps, Pass or Don’t Pass combined with sensible odds bets can also keep the effective house advantage low.
Roulette players should choose European single-zero roulette, while slot players should compare RTP percentages instead of assuming every machine offers the same return.
Most importantly, remember that better odds are not the same as guaranteed profits. House edge can help you make informed decisions, but it cannot eliminate randomness or prevent losses. Treat casino gambling as paid entertainment, set firm limits and never wager money you cannot comfortably afford to lose.
