Top casino games ranked by house edge & rtp percentage

Blackjack has a low house edge of 0.45% when players use the proper strategy.
Video Poker has one of the highest RTPs, especially when players use the right strategy.
Slot machines have varying RTPs, but there are plenty with rates above 96%, which is very good.

What’s the best casino game to play if you want to win? While that might seem like a trick question — after all, any game at an otherwise reputable casino is regulatory-approved, so they can’t be systematically beating players (outside of blatant cheating and foul play, which no respectable casino resorts to).

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Still, it’s entirely possible for games to have either a high “house edge” or low one.

The house edge represents the average percentage of each dollar that the casino should win back regardless of the outcome. That sounds worse than it really is. For example, a game with a 5% house edge means that for every $100 you wager, you should lose 50 cents on average. It doesn’t mean you will—you could conceivably win $20 on that hundred bucks.

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Just as likely, though, is that you walk away down $1.50 on the hundred dollars. Over time, the statistical likelihood of that average bearing out becomes increasingly probable.

Another way of looking at this is return to player (RTP), which is simply the inverse of house edge—an expression of how much the casino should pay back on average over time. Thus, a game with a 5% house edge has a 95% RTP.

For the most part, gamblers would rather play games with a low house edge (high RTP) and higher potential winning odds.

Types of Casino Games

Different types of casino games have different house edges too. On average, the house edge in table games tends to be lower than that found in random chance games like slot machines and keno.

This is because table games allow (or require) players to make decisions that affect the outcome of a hand or round. Sure, even in blackjack, you’re ultimately at the mercy of the randomness of the draw, but by knowing the card values of the remaining unplayed cards, you can affect the ultimate outcome.

In other words, by taking some amount of skill into account when playing, you can tip the scales in your favor—at least to some degree.

Well, maybe not you. I won’t lie; I get schooled every time I try to play at the .

Still, it is possible to win playing casino games if the stars align properly. And if you consider yourself a skilled gambler, you’ll want to know what games offer the best potential of making that happen.

Let’s take a look at the top ten casino games ranked by the size of their statistical advantage over players—the lower the better.

Top 10 Casino Games from Best to Worst Odds

Blackjack – The king of the pit when it comes to the best casino games to play and win, blackjack offers some of the best chances of winning among gamblers who are looking for games with the best odds. This game carries a strong player advantage when certain strategies are applied, reducing the house edge to less than 0.3%.
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There are many reasons why blackjack is one of the , including its low house edge, high RTP rating, and the fact that betting strategy can be implemented to increase chances of winning.

House Advantage: Up to 0.3% with basic strategy Payback Percentage: 99.4% (with strategy)

The catch, of course, is that it is a catch. While that 0.3% house edge is certainly nothing to sneeze at, it only applies when players adhere to mathematically optimal playing strategies in all situations. That’s easier said than done because while the mathematics may be simple, actually playing the game according to the numbers requires significant practice and discipline. Most players don’t do this. They hit when they shouldn’t hit, stand when they should hit, hit again, and then complain about losing thirteen buck fifty to the house. Even using a simple basic strategy chart while playing blackjack online can be tempting to divert from. If you forego the optimal strategy and revert to playing blackjack the way your great aunt Edna does on her bi-annual visit to Atlantis Casino, the house edge can swell to 0.7% to 1% or more on those stupid deuce-based games many casinos now offer.

In addition, many land-based casinos that allow joe public to play with unlimited numbers of decks also place ridiculous time limits on players who fail to signal for a new shoe when they should have. This makes it difficult to count cards, another ploy some clever soul once thought up as a means of tipping the odds in blackjack. But again, if you learn proper basic strategy and card counting etiquette in a non-intrusive way, you can reduce the house edge by quite a bit and give yourself a decent shot of being the winner in blackjack.

Another thing to keep in mind is that blackjack pays off at 3:2 on full hands, so each bet essentially has a 1.5x multiplier on it—a nice boost indeed. Also, blackjack is an exciting game, which keeps player tracking interesting throughout the entirety of each hand.

Overall, if played correctly, it’s easily one of the best games to play at a casino.
Video Poker – The second spot on the best casino games to win list goes to video poker, which has a solid house edge ranging anywhere from 0.46% to 0.05%. Similar to blackjack, video poker allows players to use a fair amount of skill and strategy to improve their odds. Additionally, many video poker titles on the casino floor offer over 99% RTP with ideal play and maximum coins wagered.

House Advantage: 0.54%, on average Payback Percentage: 99.54% (full pay version with proper play)

Like the poker games they aped, the best casino video poker games feature not a house, but other players as the opposition. Instead of playing against other gamblers, though, VP players compete against a virtual machine that dispenses wins according to the goodness of the five-card hand they draw. Unlike the slots (next), all VPs allow some element of input and choice from players, allowing those familiar with poker rankings to defeat the machine’s pay scale by as much as 10 points on every draw. Learning to play video poker can be intimidating due to the need to learnrankings, outs, and proper playing strategy. However, doing so can go a long way toward making you a winner at the casino.

Because they allow players to use actual skill and strategy to change the odds, video poker games come in many different variations, each with its own pay table and strategic nuances.

As a general rule, the better the pay table on a VP machine—particularly the amounts paid for straight flushes and royals—the worse the other pays on the machine. This is illustrated by the two Jacks or Better machines shown here.

All pays equal or greater than a pair of jacks play the same (100/75/50/40/25/8/4/1), but the top game on the left pays 5000 credits for a royal flush, while the bottom game on the right pays 4000.

Everything else being equal—and in this case, everything else is equal—this means the top game pays 200 for a straight flush where the bottom game only pays 160.

Checking all the pays on a VP machine before sitting down to play is always a good idea. It will give you an idea of whether studying and using optimal strategy on the machine is worth the trouble.
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By shopping around for the best games and playing with near-perfect strategy—which gets easier with each year of poker experience—VP aces can chalk up an impressive 100.97% average return on their bets. That’s right: a positive house advantage!

Unfortunately, most video poker players are most decidedly not aces—in poker parlance, they check out early in the first few hands or reveal their weak hands. Identifying these suckers is child’s play, which is why casinos give video poker a slightly negative house edge despite the existence of acceptable games.

Next time you’re playing, take a moment to eavesdrop on the other players. I guarantee you’ll hear plenty of “Break-even or better!” throughthe night.

One final point: almost all casinos that offer VP also have similar-looking gambling machines called “virtual gaming terminals,” or VGTs. These are not video poker machines, per se, but digital versions of popular casino games like craps, baccarat, and various forms of table poker.

Despite superficial appearances to the contrary, these are little more than sophisticated slot machines. While rules and payouts vary from one type of VGT to another, none of them provide anything approaching a player-friendly pay table—or anyone who follows those tables any favors.

Specific houses vary, but these digital variants are far and away the worst games in the house—by a wide margin.
Slots – Slots are often considered one of the best casino games to win real money, and depending on the title, this can definitely ring true. The generic term “slots” encompasses a wide variety of gambling machines, from simple three-reel mechanical bandits to complex multi-line video bonanza games and beyond.

The house edge on most modern slot machines ranges from about 3% to as much as 15%, with progressive jackpot slots on the higher end of that spread.

House Advantage: 4.0%, on average Payback Percentage: 96.0% (on average)

Contrary to popular belief, the reels of slot machines are not, in fact, rigged. Regulated games are programmed, not mechanized, which means there’s no "reel" nonsense going on—just a string of random number generators waiting to see if the resulting combinations match the symbol layouts on the virtual wheel.

Some of these symbols correspond to winning combinations on the pay table, while others simply reset things for the next spin. Various regulations govern the programming of slot machines, but house advantage is never regulated—and in most jurisdictions, the specifics of a casino’s slot software is considered proprietary information.

That said, individual regulators and various private industry sources publish average slot houses for various jurisdictions, and these do vary considerably from one locale to another.

Generally speaking, slot machines with complex bonus games and progressives pay a higher house edge to cover the cost of all the free chips and prizes they hand out during those features.

On the other hand, some of the bigger progressive jackpots are run by an external agency and contribute little or nothing to the base game house edge. These include Mega Moolah, Mega Fortune, and Hall of Gods, which all routinely seed in the millions and regularly grow to jackpots of fifteen million dollars or more.

So much for the slots in general. What are the best slot games to play and win? Well, that depends on your tastes and preferences, as slot machines come in many different flavors and varieties—some based on well-known brands and entertainment properties while others are original creations.

Just starting out? Then consider reading our Beginner’s Guide to Online Slots.

When it comes to statistics, the best slot machines to play—in terms of pure winning odds—are three-reel single line games that don’t permit max coins and feature a jackpot that exactly matches your wager.

Unfortunately, such machines are extremely rare outside of museums and private collections.

Even if you prefer more sophisticated slot machines with multiple lines and wagering options, learning the RTP rates and house edges of a variety of slot machines can help you find the best titles to play.

Of course, just because you can find that information doesn’t mean the casino’s RTP numbers haven’t been deliberately rounded, which makes comparing the houses of similar games irrelevant.

The 2023 pick for best online slot machine is Nitro Circus from SG Digital. Based on the popular TV show and films of the same name, this medium-volatility slot features a 96.35% RTP and plenty of fun features.

Other top picks for the best online slot machines with great RTP percentages include:

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Ugga Bugga from Playtech – 99.32% RTP
Goblin’s Cave from Playtech – 99.32% RTP
Mega Joker by NetEnt – 99% RTP
Jackpot 6000 by NetEnt – 98.80% RTP
Book of Dead from Quickspin – 96.01% RTP
Push Gaming’s Fat Rabbit – 97.01% RTP
Blood Suckers by NetEnt – 98% RTP
Secret Code from NetEnt – 98% RTP
Simsalabim by NetEnt – 97.50% RTP
The Eternal Love from NetEnt – 96.36% RTP

Craps – Dice games like craps might not have the lowest house edge, but they do offer some intriguing betting options coupled with relatively low houses.

House Advantage: 1.41%, on average Payback Percentage: 98.6%, on average

Also seen as one of the top casino games for winners, craps has a bad rap as one of the most confusing casino games for beginners to understand.

Many novices think that craps is a hard game to learn and master. Yes, it has a large table and a plethora of Prop, Combination, and Includes bets that can confuse even seasoned gamblers.

But the truth of the matter is that learning the top wagers to make can have the house edge rate lowered significantly.

Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets are the easiest wagers to make when playing craps, and both carry a small 1.41% house edge. You can further decrease the rate to just 0.67% with a Pass Line wager accompanied by a Maximum Take Bet.

Even the more complex “lay odds” bet on the “Don’t Pass” side has a low 4.76% house edge.

For a more detailed explanation of the top bets available in craps, check our guide to the .

With so many different wagers available, it’s easy to see how players can surreptitiously increase the house edge to 10% or more by merely guessing on come-out and point rolls.

For this reason – and the fact that shooters usually are alone at the table rather than receiving assistance or advice – craps sometimes ranks as one of the worst casino games in terms of actual player returns.

Still, when all bets are considered, craps remains one of the better games in the pit—especially for those comfortable making Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets.

Both of these wagers offer respectable 1:1 pays, but the Don’t Pass bet is the smarter play of the two as it tips the scales 1.41% in its favor instead of the Pass Line’s 1.41%. The difference is slight enough that it’s really not important for most players, though, especially considering that stickman often starts paying the Pass Line betters last.
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Pai Gow Poker – Pai Gow Poker carries a substantial house edge when a player plays using chance hands and the banker plays with optimal strategy hands. The house edge can range from 1.46% to 7.71%, depending on how generous the casino is with the payment schedule for hands made by the banker.

House Advantage: 1.46% to 7.71%, on average Payback Percentage: 95.75% (with optimal strategy vs a banking house w/ a 5.5% commission) – 86.45% (vs a banking house that takes no commission)

Pai gow is a Chinese domino game that has evolved into a poker variant in American casinos. While commonly believed to be an ancient game, pai gow literally means “make nine” in Cantonese and wasn’t published in any of the standard sets of Chinese card games used during the 1900s.

Pai gow poker is an American invention developed by Sam Torosian, a California citizen, who filed a federal lawsuit against several casinos trying to claim copyright to the game. He based his suit on the argument that he was entitled to exclusive rights to the name because he had popularized the game.

The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear arguments but declined to do so, sending the case back down to the appellate court level, where it was dismissed.

Today, Pai Gow Poker is one of the more popular card games in American casinos and is commonly filled with players eager to put the luck of the draw to the test against the skill of strategy employment.

The house edge in PGP varies considerably, depending upon the pay table used by the casino—which is regulated in most jurisdictions. The standard pay table features a 2.85% commission paid to the house on all wins, which translates to a 1.46% house edge.

Strip casinos often feature pay tables that don’t include that commission, but many of these houses take no holes—or charge a higher commission if the banker’s hand wins.

To find casinos that offer favorable pay tables, always compare the amounts listed in the “To Beat” column for hands containing twos, threes, and fours—the weaker hands at the bottom of the pay scale.

Pai gow poker is one of the more social casino games, as players interact with each other and their hands over the course of a typical draw. Proper strategy in this game is somewhat complex and involves both traditional poker strategy elements and knowledge of the pay table in use—including the commission percentage, if any.

Players acting as the banker have the advantage in this game, but since the house takes a commission from winners, the net edge in this situation is minimal.

PGP is considered one of the more beatable casino games for smart players, but in reality, the vast majority of individuals who plunk their butts in these seats and blindly rearrange their hands every few minutes deserve to lose money.

If you’d like to learn how to play and become more familiar with the game, consider playing free pai gow poker games at DuckyLuck Casino.

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Roulette – Roulette is a classic gambling game with a reputation for being one of the best casino games to win real money. While the house edge isn’t terrible, it’s definitely on the higher side compared to other casino games on this list, particularly if you make certain bets.

House Advantage: 2.70%, on average Payback Percentage: 97.3%, on average

Depending upon the bets they make, players enjoying a game of roulette may enjoy odds as low as 5.26% or as high as 7.89%.

The American two wheel nightmare, wheels located in most American casinos, approach the latter with a 7.89% house edge, while all other wheels top out at 5.26%.

The best bet on the board is an even-money wager on red or black, which leaves the caster owing 1.39% on the American wheels or 2.70% on the rest.

This compares quite favorably to the cryptocurrency casino alternative, but not so much when stacked up against the 0.35% house edge on high limit French wheels.

Roulette has long been considered a sophisticated gambling alternative, but in today’s casino world, it’s often overlooked by casual players in search of thrills who have all the excitement they need played out in front of their computer screens or smartphones.

That’s their loss, as roulette remains one of the most flexible gambling games in common use today.

Most roulette playing strategists recommend avoiding all American wheels like the proverbial plague, and for beginners, this is sound advice. After all, the average house edge versus the median house edge makes it look like the game varies from place to place.

In reality, the typical casino will have several smaller wheels placed around the felt on each roulette table. In most cases, at least one of those wheels will be an American design, while the others are more beneficial to players.

Asked which wheel the croupier is using, the boxman will always reply that all the wheels on his section are in play. And technically, he’s correct, so it’s always a good idea to ask which wheel has the lowest house edge and put your money down on red or black alongside whoever it’s been hitting lately.
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If that seems too aggressive for your tastes, you can always take a seat at a French wheel and make the same bet with a 1.35% house edge.

As with all gambling games involving random numbers, skill has nothing to do with the outcomes produced by the roulette wheel. The only real strategy decision players face in this game is choosing which wheel to play and which bets to make on that wheel.

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Baccarat – Historically considered one of the most elite and prestigious gambling games in the casino, baccarat has recently gained popularity and is often featured on James Bond movies. And while it has a higher house edge compared to other casino games, the three available betting options allow players to choose between odds as low as 1.06% and as high as 12.5%.

House Advantage: 1.24% to 6.96%, on average Payback Percentage: 98.76% (with a 5.06% commission on the Bank hand) – 94.89% (when the Player bet always los regardless of who has the edge)

The best bet on the board carries a house edge of just 1.06%, but players have to be willing to take odds that the dealer will receive a natural eight when dealing from a single deck of cards.

Since there are only three possibilities for the first bid (-8 being impossible), lay traders offering 1.06:1 on that proposition wouldn’t be in business long.

The next best thing, house edge-wise, is the 1.24% available on the Banker’s hand when no commission is taken. Unfortunately, most casinos set a 5% commission on that wager, which increases the average house edge to 1.24% or the median house edge to 1.06%, depending upon the volume of bets placed on the Board or Banker sides.

A word of caution here: Casinos that offer no commission typically allow players to take 10% instead, so comparative shoppers should be sure to shop where the 1.24% house edge is available without having to swap commissions.

Baccarat has long been considered the casino game of choice for international crime figures and other nefarious characters, but its use in various spy movies over the last decade or so has helped dispel that particular myth.

Truth be told, the various cinematic 007 has at his disposal and usually prefers to baccarat chemin de fer, a restricted gambling game once popular with the European nobility.

Most modern casinos feature only the banque version of baccarat, which uses eight.5 decks of cards shuffled together and deals from an automatic shoe that slowly feeds cards into the air via a tiny metal arm.

Players have just three wagers available to them in this game: Player, Banker, or Tie. The 8-deck game uses a scoring method that assigns each card a value ranging from zero (most cards) to three (the J, Q, K). The two-card total nearest to (but not exceeding) nine wins each round.

Eights are worth zero, while aces are worth one. When added together, the scores of the two cards in each hand are added together to determine the winning bidder.

No skill is involved in this game, so all the different score sheets and strategy cards sold on the internet are little more than expensive wallpaper.

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Three Card Poker – Three card Poker has a high house edge when a player plays using chance hands and the dealer plays utilizing optimal strategy hands. The house edge can range from 2.0% to 7.28%, depending on how generous the casino is with the payment schedule for hands made by the dealer.

House Advantage: 2.0% to 7.28%, on average Payback Percentage: 97.79% (with optimal strategy vs a dealing house w/ a 0.5% ante post) – 93.49% (vs a dealing house that takes no antes)

Three card poker is yet another casino creation modeled after a game no one had ever heard of until gambling companies started publishing it in the 1970s.

Originally called “Bonanza Poker,” this three-card derivative became Anaconda Poker when it was marketed by Julius Siegel’s company and finally Three Card Poker when Derek Webb licensed the game for commercial use.

Webb’s version of the game is similar to strip poker as played by Americans, as the dealer always wins. At the end of a long night, the player is usually left holding very little – both clothing and money-wise.

Players attempting to beat the house in Three Card Poker ANTERbet must contend with a 6.77% house edge when betting $1 aposterum and playing out all three cards. This figure drops to 3.30% when 100 ante bets are made per hour but falls to just 1.56% when the player puts $50 aposterum every hand.

Needless to say, the amount of action played at that pace isn’t conducive to wise- Guy style money management, especially for amateurs who may get mesmerized by the speed of the play and the potential to lose so much so quickly.

Unlike traditional poker games, Three Card Poker ANTEBET requires players to commit two separate bets to each hand. The larger wager, known as the anchor or evenson bet, is paid after the player has looked at their three cards and chosen to advance to the next deal.

The smaller ante bet, meanwhile, is collected by the house regardless of whether the player folds or not.

Because the house takes the ante bet whenever they deal a losing hand, this portion of the wager acts like an additional commission. Under normal circumstances, the casino’s 0.5% ante post gives the house an overall edge of 2.0% on this bet.

Players who decline the ante bet to make a regular Three Card Poker bet and are paid 1:1 on their anchor bet if they are dealt a pair or better. Unpaided hands are not returned, so declining the ante produces effectively the same results as folding.

Despite its reputation as one of the better casino games for winners, TCP is normally dominated by players who couldn’t find their butt if their hands were attached.

The only way an average player can hope to win at this game is to learn the optimum strategy for playing three card poker and memorize the proper moves. The 5.4% house edge at the expert level makes this game one of the toughest plus expectations ventures to attempt.

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Vegas Craps – Craps is another game on this list and the version played in Vegas boasts relatively low house rates for some propositions. However, some bets have significantly higher rates, which can raise the average house edge.

House Advantage: 1.41% to 16.67%, on average Payback Percentage: 98.6% (on a single roll Don’t Pass or Don’t Come bet with a 1.41% house edge) – 91.3% (on a 2 or 12 out bet)

Although often mistaken as a difficult game for novices to learn, is pretty straightforward. Players simply make one of several bets on the pass line and hope that the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 to pass the bet, or a 2, 3, or 12 to lose the bet.

If the shooter rolls either an 11 or a 12, all pass line bets win automatically. Conversely, a 2 or 3 on the first roll automaticaIcally causes all come bets to win. A roll of 7 or 11 has the same effect on come bets as it does on pass line bets.

Any other number causes the dealers to establish a point and continue crapping out until the point is repeated or a 7 is rolled. Pass line bets remain in play until a 7 appears, while come bets must see a 7 or the established point to lose such wagers automatically.

Several other proposition bets are available in Vegas craps, including single and multiple roll bets. Some of these side wagers offer surprisingly low house edges, making them a good choice for smart players seeking action.

The best example is the any 7 bet, which offers 1.41% and tips the tables a 49.29% chance of rolling a seven before throwing a six and five other numbers.

Other good choices include the 6 and 8 bets, which carry a 1.52% house edge and a 48.15% probability of winning. The 5 and 9 bets aren’t quite as desirable, tipping the house 1.82% and providing a 46.30% shot at victory.

Other single-roll wagers include the 4 and 10, which have 2.78% and 44.30%; the 2 and 12, which sport 14.07% and 6.71%; the 3 and 11, which carry 2.44% and 41.59%, and the 7 bet, which has a 16.67% house edge and a 34.15% probability of success.

Multiple roll bets in Vegas craps include the “Any 11” wager, which carries a 2.78% house advantage and a 48.15% win rate. Betting on “Ace Deuce” (AD) or any Craps (2+3) totalling 5, tips the house 4.76% and provides a 21.88% chance of success, while the Yo (11+12) or 12X bet has a 14.07% house edge and a 6.71% success rate.
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Finally, players in Vegas casinos offering the 007 bet can tip the tables 4.76% of the time for a 6.71% probability of success.

Despite its reputation, craps is often filled with losers at the tables. The key to succeeding at this game is understanding what you’re doing and sticking to the plan. Newbies should avoid making coming out or place bets on the pass line unless they fully understand the disadvantageous odds associated with such wagers.
Spanish 21 – Spanish 21 has a lower house edge than traditional blackjack thanks to the updated blackjack payouts and other rule modifications. However, there are many variations of the game, which can greatly alter the house edge.

**House Advantage**: 0.44% to 4.0%, on average
**Payback Percentage**: 99.70% (with basic strategy)

Spanish 21 is a variation of classic Blackjack that has been around for decades but only gained popularity in recent years. This game differs from traditional Blackjack in several ways, including the use of a Spanish deck, modified payouts, and unique rules for certain hands.

In Spanish 21, the deck is composed entirely of cards with no tens, which alters the mathematical probabilities associated with the game. Specifically, the absence of tens makes it more difficult to achieve Blackjack and reduces the player’s edge slightly.

However, Spanish 21 compensates for this by offering improved payouts for certain Blackjacks and introducing several rule changes that benefit the player. Let’s take a closer look at these factors:

### Payouts

In Spanish 21, Blackjack pays 3:2, which is the same as traditional Blackjack. However, there is a twist: When you have Blackjack, the dealer also checks for Blackjack even if it appears you would lose. This is known as “Late Blackjack.”

In addition, some variations of Spanish 21 offer an even more lucrative payout for certain types of Blackjack. For instance, in some versions, you may receive 7:1 or 3:1 payouts if your Blackjack contains all jokers (cards with values of