House advantage, or sometimes called ‘house edge’, is one of the most important gambling concepts to understand because it implies that when you gamble, you should expect to lose money. And make no mistake, the house always has the advantage.
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House advantage is usually presented as a percentage of a game’s wagers that a gambling service provider expects to keep from players over time. It’s not always a big number—it doesn’t have to be for the house to earn a lot of money, since we’re talking about taking a small amount from many players over time.
For example, the house advantage for someone playing blackjack with basic strategy—which means they understand how to place strategic bets to maximize their likelihood of winning—is only approximately 0.5 percent. But the reality is that very few gamblers know the ideal moves to make in every situation, so the true house advantage is much higher.
All forms of gambling favour the house—slots, poker, blackjack, all of them. There’s no trick to it. If you keep playing, you are more likely to walk away with less money than when you started. Even the lottery has a house advantage.
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Return to player (RTP) can be seen as the opposite of house advantage. For example, if a slot machine is programmed with a house advantage of 8 percent, the average RTP will be 92%, meaning that over time the machine will keep about 8% of all money bet and will return 92% in the form of winnings and prizes to players over the life-time of the machine. Like the house advantage, the return to player is typically calculated on initial bets only and not on additional bets or side wagers.
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Poker & Poker Style Games | House edge |
---|---|
Three card poker |
Per Initial Bet |
Basic (Ante) | 2.01% |
Pair Plus | 5.57% |
Four Card Poker |
Per Initial Bet |
Basic (Ante with Bonus Payouts) | 3.40% |
Aces Up | 3.37% |
Texas Holdem Bonus |
Per Initial Bet |
Basic (Ante) | 2.04% |
Bonus Bet | 8.54% |
Ultimate Texas Holdem |
Per Initial Bet |
Basic (Ante and Blind) | 2.19% |
Trips Side Bet | 1.90% |
Let It Ride |
3.51% |
Baccarat | House edge |
---|---|
Midi Baccarat / Mini Baccarat |
Per Initial Bet |
Banker | 1.06% |
Player | 1.24% |
Tie | 14.36% |
Pairs | 10.36% |
Dragon Bonus Baccarat |
Per Initial Bet |
Dragon Bonus - Banker | 9.37% |
Dragon Bonus - Player | 2.65% |
EZ Baccarat |
Per Initial Bet |
Banker | 1.02% |
Player | 1.24% |
Tie | 14.36% |
Dragon 7 Side Bet | 7.61% |
Panda 8 Side Bet | 10.19% |
No Commission Baccarat |
Per Initial Bet |
Banker | 1.46% |
Player | 1.24% |
Tie | 14.36% |
River 6 Side Bet | 15.82% |
Craps | House edge |
---|---|
Multi Roll Bets |
Per Roll |
Pass | 0.42% |
Don't Pass | 0.40% |
Taking Odds 6 and 8 | 0.00% |
Taking Odds 5 and 9 | 0.00% |
Taking Odds 4 and 10 | 0.00% |
Laying Odds 6 and 8 | 0.00% |
Laying Odds 5 and 9 | 0.00% |
Laying Odds 4 and 10 | 0.00% |
Place 6 and 8 | 0.46% |
Place 5 and 9 | 1.11% |
Place 4 and 10 | 1.67% |
Don't Place 6 and 8 | 0.56% |
Don't Place 5 and 9 | 0.69% |
Don't Place 4 and 10 | 0.76% |
Buy 6 and 8 | 1.46% |
Buy 5 and 9 * | 1.32% |
Buy 4 and 10 * | 1.19% |
Buy 6 and 8 ** | 0.69% |
Buy 5 and 9 ** | 0.56% |
Buy 4 and 10 ** | 0.42% |
Lay 6 and 8 * | 1.22% |
Lay 5 and 9 * | 0.90% |
Lay 4 and 10 * | 0.61% |
Lay 6 and 8 ** | 0.69% |
Lay 5 and 9 ** | 0.56% |
Lay 4 and 10 ** | 0.42% |
Hard 6 and 8 | 2.78% |
Hard 4 and 10 | 3.40% |
Craps | House edge |
---|---|
Proposition Bets (Next Roll) |
Per Roll |
2, 12, and all "Hard" Hop Bets | 5.56% |
2, 12, and all "Hard" Hop Bets | 11.11% |
2, 12, and all "Hard" Hop Bets | 13.89% |
2, 12, and all "Hard" Hop Bets | 16.67% |
3, 11, and all "Easy" Hop Bets | 5.56% |
3, 11, and all "Easy" Hop Bets | 11.11% |
3, 11, and all "Easy" Hop Bets | 16.67% |
Any Craps (2, 3, or 12) | 11.11% |
Any Craps (2, 3, or 12) | 5.56% |
Any Seven | 16.67% |
Field Bets (Next Roll) |
2.78% |
Pass/Come & Taking Full Odds |
Combined Per Roll |
(Odds 3X - 4X - 5X) | 0.11% |
Fire Bet (Side Bet) |
20.76% |
Sharp Shoot (Side Bet) |
21.87% |
Other Casino Games | House edge |
---|---|
American Roulette |
Per Initial Bet |
Double Zero | 5.26% |
Pai Gow Tiles (Pai Gow Tiles) |
Per Initial Bet |
Player not Banking | 2.38% |
Player Banking | 0.54% |