What Is The House Edge In Casino Games
The casino’s profit margin, known as the house edge, can vary from one game to another. In a nutshell, it represents the portion of placed wagers that the casino doesn’t pay back to players as winnings.
Different games have different house edges. Knowing these differences can help you make informed decisions about which games to play, especially when wagering your bonus.
Let’s take a look:
| Game | House Edge |
|---|
| Pokies | 2% to 10% (most slots are 3% and over) |
| Video Poker | 0.46% to 3% |
| Blackjack | 0.25% to 2% |
| Roulette | 1.35% to 7.69% |
| Baccarat | 1.06% on the banker’s hand and up to 14.36% on a tie |
| Poker | 1.5% to 7.28% |
| Keno | 25% to 40% |
| Sic Bo | 2.78% to over 30% |
As you can see, there is a notable difference between table games and pokies:
- Games like Blackjack, with a house edge as low as 0.25%, offer a higher return of 99.75%.
- Pokies tend to have a high house edge, often being 3% and even going as high as 10%. This means the return can be as low as 90%, and you’ll have less chance of winning real money.
- The increased house edge in pokies is one of the main reasons many bonuses are only valid on pokies. Essentially, they are more profitable for the casino.
Top Tip
Pick Low House Edge Games
When you play games with a higher house edge, only a small portion of your bet is returned as winnings, meaning you wager your bonus very slowly. To increase your chances of winning real money , always look for games with a lower house edge.
What Is RTP In Casino Games
RTP stands for ‘return to player’ and is the direct opposite of house edge. In other words, it’s the percentage of placed bets a game returns to players as winnings.
If you deduct a game’s house edge, you’re naturally left with its RTP. This means RTP expresses exactly the same thing as the house edge, only from the player’s perspective.
RTP is the term we broadly use when talking about a pokie’s profitability. And when we talk about table games or live casino games, we usually talk about their house edge.
RTP is calculated over an incredibly large number of spins.
Here’s the formula:
RTP = (Total Bets / Total Winnings) x 100
If a pokie has a 96% RTP, you should theoretically expect to win back $96 for every $100 wagered. The remaining $4 is the casino’s profit.
Since RTP percentages are averages based on an incredibly vast number of spins, they don’t necessarily reflect what you’ll win during an individual gaming session.
Sure, if you played a pokie with an RTP of 96% on autoplay with an infinite bankroll, you’d eventually recoup 96% of your wagers. But in reality, you’d go bust long before you’d reach that statistical advantage point. And even then, you’d be at a 4% loss.
The reality is that casino games are based on luck and always favour the house. So, pick high RTP games to maximise your chances of winning, but take these figures with a pinch of salt and set reasonable expectations.
RTP is common for pokies, while House Edge is more broadly used when discussing table games.
Let’s look at the key differences between high and low RTPs:
| High RTP Games (above 96%) | Low RTP Games (below 90%) |
|---|
| A 96% RTP is good, but higher is even better. With a higher RTP, you have a better chance of getting back a good chunk of your bets over time. It can also help you wager your bonus quickly. | Games lower than 90% give you fewer chances to win. It’s best to keep short gaming sessions with low RTP games. The longer you play, the less likely your returns will balance in your favour. |
Why You Should Understand RTP and House Edge
Understanding RTP and the house edge isn’t just about grasping casino jargon; it helps you make smart choices when playing to win. Understanding these concepts lets you align your gaming strategy with better odds.
Here’s why it matters:
- You Can Play Games With Better Payouts: Although it’s not a guarantee, a high RTP gives you the best statistical chance to win. Knowing about RTP helps you pick games that are most likely to pay out more in the long run. Higher RTP pokies increase your chances of having a successful session.
- You Can Convert Bonuses Into Real Cash: To wager a bonus, you need to sustain your bonus balance long enough to clear its wagering requirements. And to do that, you need to win. That’s why high RTP slots are also the best choice when you’re trying to convert a bonus to real money. However, a game’s volatility also comes greatly into play.
Online Pokies With The Highest RTP
As we’ve already established, high RTP pokies are hands down the best choice when you’re trying to turn your bonus into real money or hit the biggest possible win.
But with literally thousands of pokies to choose from, you may not know where to start. We’ve made it easy for you by handpicking five excellent high RTP pokies that are appreciated worldwide:
Blood Suckers (98%)
Blood Suckers was released back in 2009 but has stood the test of time. With an eerie vampire theme seamlessly weaved into several creative bonus games, this classic slot has lingered on casinos’ top lists for years. This popular pokie has a standard 5×3 reel setup, 25 pay lines and a sky-high RTP of 98%.
White Rabbit (97.72%)
White Rabbit was released by Big Time Gaming in 2017 but remains a favourite to this day. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, this pokie features extra wilds and randomly triggered bonus rounds. White Rabbit features a 5×3 reel setup, a great RTP of 97.72% and a win potential of up to 10,000x your bet.
Secrets Of Atlantis (97.07%)
Ever heard of Atlantis, the sunken city with legendary wealth? Secrets of Atlantis, a 97.07% RTP pokie from NetEnt, is based on that concept. With a 5×4 reel setup and 40 paylines scattered with jewels, Secrets of Atlantis features win both ways, a shifting extended wild and Colossus Respins with a win of up to 1600x your bet.
Halloween Fortune (97.06%)
If you’re a fan of all things eerie, you’re going to love Halloween Fortune by Playtech. This 97.06% pokie offers magical brews with bonus rounds and a gamble feature where you can double your winnings. The game has a standard 5×3 reel setup and a maximum win of 1014x your bet size.
Starburst (96.09%)
Our rundown of the highest RTP pokies ends with Starburst. NetEnt’s 96.1% RTP pokie has been a hit with players since 2013. The 5×4 reels showcase stunning gems, with features like expanding wilds and re-spins. Although there are only 10 paylines, its win-both-ways feature doubles your winning chance, making it more like 20 paylines.
Table Games With The Lowest House Edge
If you want to play table games and have a good chance of winning real cash, games with the lowest house edge are your best bet since the return to player is high. Here are five excellent table games with the lowest house edge:
Blackjack is a classic with one of the lowest house edges, ranging between 0.5% and 1%. This game relies partially on your understanding of what it takes to win, as well as the luck of the cards drawn.
When it comes to variants, how many decks you play with, as well as any rule differences, all have an impact on the house edge. Find a single-deck game and your odds of winning increase greatly.
Video Poker includes features of both pokies and poker. Nowadays, there are many variations, including progressive and multi-hand games, each with its own paytable and house edge, that can go up to 3%. In fact, games like Jacks or Better commonly have a house edge as low as 0.46%.
Players may not like Baccarat as much as some other games because it involves bigger bets that may seem intimidating. However, if you play it carefully, you could win more as this table game has a very low house edge.
Baccarat is known for straightforward play and a low house edge of around 1.06% and 1.24%. It can be your best bet if you want a no-frills strategy game with a little less action around the table.
Three-card poker is a poker variant widely appreciated for its fast pace and low house edge of 1.5%. Each player and the house gets three cards, and payouts depend on the dealer’s cards.
King High qualifies the dealer and offers the biggest returns, although the traditional poker strategy is also usable. It’s wise to play Queen High whenever possible to get your bet money back and then some.
French Roulette stands noteworthy for its single-zero wheel, which has a house edge of only 1.35%. However, the house edge in Roulette can vary based on the variant being played.
In American Roulette, you can usually get lower returns over time. For better odds, go for the French or European version with a lower house edge. You can also use strategies to try to beat the casino in this popular game.
High House Edge Games To Avoid
While some games provide exciting gameplay with favourable odds, others have a higher house edge, meaning you’ll win less frequently. This makes it harder to sustain your bonus balance.
Moreover, since table games have low weighting percentages, only a small part of each bet counts towards fulfilling the wagering requirement. And this means you’re extremely unlikely to wager a bonus on these games.
Here are a few high-house edge games you should avoid:
Keno — House Edge Around 25%
Keno has varying return percentages based on the house rules and how many numbers you mark on your card. Even though this game tempts with big payouts, its house edge is usually around 25%.
Big Six Wheel — House Edge Up To 24%
The Big Six, or Wheel of Fortune, has a high house edge, making it risky for bonus play. The safest bet is $1 with an 11.11% edge, while $20 bets have a high 22.22%, and bets on the joker/logo go even higher to 24%.
Bonus Six (with Insurance) — House Edge Of 23.83%
Bonus Six is a five-card stud-based game in which you can buy insurance and then get the option to buy a sixth card. The problem with that is that the house edge more than doubles, rising from 10.42% without insurance to almost 24%
Baccarat (Tie) — House Edge Of 14.36%
Baccarat, a card game over 500 years old, has two hands, “player” and “banker.” Betting on player or banker has a low 1.24% house edge, but if you bet on a “tie,” the edge skyrockets to 14.36%.
Sic Bo — House Edge Varies, But Often High
Sic Bo’s house edge varies but is generally high, making it less ideal for bonuses. Luck plays a big role, and some bets carry over 30% house edge. The safest bet is Small/Big, with a 2.78% edge.
Why Game Volatility Also Matters
To fully understand casino games you not only have to grasp RTP and house edge – volatility matters, too. Volatility, also called variance, gauges the risk in a game, deciding how often and how big you might win or lose.
While RTP and house edge indicate the overall returns, a game’s volatility essentially determines how these returns are distributed. Or to put it simply, it determines how often a casino game pays out winnings.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Low Volatility Games: You’ll win more often, but the rewards will be smaller. These pokies are less risky and good if you want to play with steady, smaller payouts for a while.
- Medium Volatility Games: These pokies balance how often you win and how much you win. They have a medium level of risk and are good if you like different payout amounts.
- High Volatility Games: You won’t win often, but the rewards are big when you do. High volatile pokies are good if you want a chance at huge wins, even if you have to tolerate some periods of not winning.
Low-volatility games are ideal since you need to win consistently enough to keep your bonus balance afloat until you clear the wagering requirement. We explain this in more detail in our guide on game volatility.