Casino game odds, with the math shown
Most pages about casino games tell you what to bet. This one tells you what it costs.
Every game below has a fixed, calculable house edge. It does not change with a system, a streak, or a feeling. Once you can read the number, the rest of the advice writes itself: play the bets with a small edge, skip the ones with a large edge, and understand that “small edge” still means negative.
The number that matters
House edge is the share of each bet the operator keeps on average over the long run. A 1% edge on $10 bets costs about $0.10 per bet. A 16.67% edge on the same bet costs $1.67. That is the entire difference between the pass line and a one-roll seven — same table, same dice, ten times the cost.
| Bet | House edge | Cost per $100 wagered |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack, 3:2, basic strategy | 0.4–0.6% | $0.40–0.60 |
| Craps — pass line with 3-4-5× odds | 0.37% | $0.37 |
| Video poker — 9/6 Jacks or Better, optimal | 0.46% | $0.46 |
| Baccarat — banker | 1.06% | $1.06 |
| Craps — pass line, no odds | 1.41% | $1.41 |
| Roulette — European single zero | 2.70% | $2.70 |
| Three Card Poker — ante/play | 3.37% | $3.37 |
| Roulette — American double zero | 5.26% | $5.26 |
| Blackjack, 6:5 payout | 1.8–2.0% | $1.80–2.00 |
| Craps — any seven | 16.67% | $16.67 |
| Keno — typical | 25–30% | $25–30 |
Two lines in that table are worth reading twice. A blackjack table paying 6:5 instead of 3:2 on a natural costs roughly four times as much per hand as the same game paying 3:2 — same dealer, same cards, one line of small print. And keno is not a slightly worse lottery; it is the most expensive game on most casino floors by an order of magnitude.
How to use this site
Each section starts with the rules, then the odds, then the strategy that actually moves the number. Where a strategy chart exists, we print the whole chart rather than a summary of it. Where a bet is unbeatable, we say so instead of proposing a system.
Nothing here will make a game profitable. Correct play in blackjack takes the edge from roughly 2% down to roughly 0.5%; that is a 75% reduction in cost, not a win.