If you’re taking a break from online slots —where you know the average RTP is around 96% — to try your hand at casino table games, it’s worth knowing what you’re looking at odds-wise for each game.
The most popular casino card games have varying odds, and you’ve got a better chance of winning at some than you do at others. If you can’t make up your mind about which game you’d like to play, it’s worth checking out which game has the best odds in the casino and trying your hand at that.
Keep in mind that many of these games have several variations in an online casino, so these odds could differ according to the exact game you are playing and the particular bet you are playing.
Here are the best casino card games and their house edge, which dictates the overall odds.
Blackjack
If you’re looking for the best odds in casino table games, look no further than blackjack. The rules of blackjack are simple: Use your hand to create a number that’s higher than the dealer’s, but that doesn’t add up to more than 21.
Now, if there were no other factors at play and you simply went off the outright odds of the game, there would be a blackjack house edge of around 8%, which isn’t very good for the player at all. However, blackjack gives you the biggest chance of improving your odds out of all card games, and if you approach it correctly, you could push the house edge so far down that you get the best odds at the casino.
With a solid strategy and a good understanding of the rules, you can reduce the house edge to less than 1%. Of course, the precise house edge will depend on several factors, like the house rules, how many decks are in play, and so on. With favorable rules, a couple of blackjack online casino games can have a house edge of 0.2% or lower.
How Rules Affect Blackjack Odds
There are a few rules that get tweaked all the time in blackjack games, which can significantly alter the casino game’s odds. First, whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17, where their hand includes an ace valued at one. Standing on a soft 17 is to the player’s benefit, tipping the odds in their favor.
Another such rule is the blackjack payout odds, as in what you receive when hitting a natural “blackjack” hand of 21 on the deal. Some casinos pay 3:2 odds, which gives players a better return, while others pay 6:5.
Baccarat
Two hands are dealt in baccarat, and you’ll have three betting options: bet on the banker, the player, or a tie bet. If you bet on a player or banker, the tie will become a push. Baccarat odds and payouts are set up so that the banker will always win more than the player, with the banker winning 45.9% of hands and the player winning 44.6%. Tie bets are around 9.5%.
Given that the banker wins more than it loses, there’s a 5% commission on winning banker bets, meaning a house edge of 1.06%. Winning player bets don’t pay commission and have an edge of 1.24%. Tie bets have a massive 14.4% house edge and don’t offer good odds.
All decisions on drawing a third card to the two-card starting hands are automatic under set rules. You make no hit/stand decisions and can’t change the odds. Your impact on your chances of winning comes from deciding whether to bet on banker or player, while ignoring the tie bet.
Then there are side bets. What are side bets in baccarat? They’re simply bets that aren’t part of the usual three betting options, and they differ from game to game and in different casinos. These bets make the game a little more exciting and offer much better payouts than the even-money payouts on banker or player bets. However, the house edge on side bets is significantly larger, and playing these bets could burn through your baccarat bankroll very quickly.
Banker vs. Player Bets
The banker bet in baccarat is considered the safer option, as it has the highest chance of winning. Casino card game odds never offer a complete 50/50 chance, so getting as close to 50% is the best you can ask for, which a banker bet delivers. A player bet offers similarly good odds, only marginally smaller than a banker bet, but over the course of several hands, that margin will add up and set you back.
Poker
There are so many different poker card game variants, but there’s one thing in common: they don’t have a house edge. In a typical game of poker, there’s no house edge because you play against other players and the casino simply takes a percentage of each pot (known as a rake). This is very different than playing around the kitchen table with friends.
However, in single-player versions of poker, such as video poker, a house edge exists. Thankfully, skill can help minimize the house edge in these games, but how much can it actually affect the odds?
In single-player video poker, where you play against the house, your skill caps out at a certain level. That’s because there’s no bluffing element that can change the core math underpinning the game. As is the case whenever you play against the house, luck vs skill in casino games leans in favor of luck.
Will You Find Better Odds Online?
Could online casinos have better odds than live casinos? Maybe, as online casinos have smaller overheads, like rent, electricity, and fewer staff to pay. Online jackpot slots are an excellent example of having better odds.
However, odds vary hugely according to the casino you’re in, the game you’re playing, and more. Some games, like blackjack, have odds that can be reduced because they’re also based on the skill of the player instead of relying on sheer luck. Look for the best RTP online casino games to make sure you have the best odds of coming away with a win under your belt.
Get Exceptional Odds With BetMGM
Whether you want to play online slot games, table games, live dealer games, or other games of chance, take advantage of the great odds at BetMGM Casino. Register with BetMGM and play your favorite casino games.
