If you want your money to last at the casino, the game you pick matters more than luck. Here are the most popular casino games ranked by house edge — the built-in percentage the casino expects to keep — from best to worst.
| Rank | Game | Best Bet | House Edge | Skill? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Video Poker | 9/6, max coins | 0.46%* | Yes |
| 2 | Blackjack | Basic strategy | ~0.5% | Yes |
| 3 | Craps | Pass Line + max Odds | Under 1% | Partial |
| 4 | Baccarat | Banker | 1.06% | No |
| 5 | Three Card Poker | Play Q-6-4+ | ~2.0% | Partial |
| 6 | Ultimate Texas Hold'em | Raise 4x early | 2.19%/ante (0.53% e.o.r.) | Partial |
| 7 | Roulette | Any (all equal) | 5.26% | No |
*Video poker's 0.46% applies only on a full-pay 9/6 machine with perfect play and 5 coins bet. The wrong machine or imperfect play pushes it well above blackjack.
On a full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machine, perfect play returns 99.54% — a 0.46% house edge, technically the lowest in the building. But it comes with conditions the other games don't have: you must find a true 9/6 paytable (stingier 8/5 machines jump to about 2.7%), bet the full 5 coins for the royal-flush bonus, and play every hand's optimal hold flawlessly. Get all three right and nothing beats it; miss any one and the edge climbs fast. Our video poker trainer shows the exact best hold every hand.
With correct basic strategy, blackjack's house edge drops to roughly 0.5% — the lowest you'll find at a table game, with none of video poker's machine-hunting. Your decisions consistently change the outcome: hitting, standing, doubling, and splitting at the right moments is what earns that low number. Play it wrong and the edge climbs to 2% or more, so the strategy is the whole point.
The Pass Line bet is 1.41%, but craps has a secret weapon: the Odds bet, the only wager in the casino with a 0% house edge. Backing your Pass Line with maximum odds pulls your overall edge below 1%. Stick to Pass/Come with odds and avoid the center-table proposition bets.
Baccarat is the simplest game here: bet Banker and you face just a 1.06% edge with no decisions to make. Skip the Tie bet — its 14.36% edge is one of the worst on the floor.
Three Card Poker is played against the dealer, and the whole strategy is a single line: play Queen-Six-Four or better, fold everything worse. Follow it and the Ante-Play game runs about 2% as an element of risk (per dollar actually wagered) — better than roulette and easy to learn. The optional Pair Plus side bet is a steeper 2.32%.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em is Hold'em against the dealer. Its house edge is usually quoted as 2.19% of the ante, but because a typical hand commits about 4.15× the ante, the element of risk is only ~0.53% — genuinely among the lowest in the casino. The catch is the strategy: you get one Play raise that shrinks each street (4× → 2× → 1×), so you must raise big early with the right hands. Misplay it and the edge climbs fast.
Every bet on an American (double-zero) roulette wheel carries the same 5.26% edge — the lone exception is the five-number bet (0-00-1-2-3) at 7.89%. Betting red is no safer than a single number in the long run. If you can find a single-zero European wheel, the edge drops to 2.70%.
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A full-pay 9/6 video poker machine returns 99.54% with perfect play — a 0.46% edge, the lowest in the house, but only with the right machine and flawless play. Blackjack with basic strategy is next at about 0.5%, craps with Pass Line + max odds dips under 1%, and baccarat's Banker bet is 1.06%.
American roulette (5.26% on nearly every bet) and sucker bets like craps Any Seven (16.67%) or the baccarat Tie (14.36%). Stingy 8/5 video poker machines (~2.7%) and slot machines (often 5 to 15%) are worse than they look.
Yes, in video poker, blackjack, craps, and Three Card Poker. Video poker rewards holding the right cards, blackjack rewards basic strategy, craps lets you take 0%-edge odds, and Three Card Poker has a one-line Play/Fold rule. Roulette and baccarat are pure chance.