What Are The Odds Of Most Popular Casino Games?
We bet, you know many punters that couldn’t care less about math when it comes to casino games. They can bet on a roulette wheel, sit at a blackjack table or enjoy the spirit of craps comradeship but do not have any idea about their chances to win or lose.
The latter is called the odds …
… and, in fact, a very important part of the whole plot. Why?
The answer is pretty simple: unless you are not a lucky bugger with an infinite bankroll, you want to make the best of your money and, if anything, buy more time for fun.
Even newbies are usually well-aware that the house edge may vary greatly depending on the game’s variant but how many casino regulars realize not all bets have equal odds?
In gambling, these numbers mean nothing but the ratio of payoff to stake usually expressed either as a fraction or in percentage. Although a bit confusing at the beginning, the odds charts tell you how likely and how much money you can win with one or other bet.
So, how do casino edges fit into probabilities of each game? And how those probabilities relate to the odds? This topic is definitely worth attention – just a little bit of research will pay off much sooner than most players think.
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Roulette
While the basic house edge on the American double-zero roulette is 5.26%, the European single-zero counterpart gives us a reason for optimism taking only 2.7% of all wagered money.
By the way, the best odds are provided by French roulette, which uses the single-zero wheel and provides for a special rule called “La Partage”. The latter decreases the edge for even-money bets up to pleasant 1.35%.
Back to the two main versions …
… your odds are 37 to 1 in the first case (you have 37 chances to lose and 1 chance to win) and 36 to 1 if you spin the wheel with just one zero. But these are true odds and they do not reflect actual payouts. At this point, the house edge has a say making the odds 35 to 1 in both variants and, therefore, paying you less.
From here on out, all even bets come with the odds of 46.37% on American and 48.6% on the European wheel, while single numbers, of course, have much weaker outlooks: 2.63% and 2.7% respectively.
| American | European | |||
| Bets | Payout | Odds | Payout | Odds |
| Even/Odd | 1:1 | 46.37% | 1:1 | 48.6% |
| Red/Black | 1:1 | 46.37% | 1:1 | 48.6% |
| 1 – 18 | 1:1 | 46.37% | 1:1 | 48.6% |
| 19 – 36 | 1:1 | 46.37% | 1:1 | 48.6% |
| 1 – 12 | 2:1 | 31.58% | 2:1 | 32.4% |
| 13 – 24 | 2:1 | 31.58% | 2:1 | 32.4% |
| 25 – 36 | 2:1 | 31.58% | 2:1 | 32.4% |
| Single Number | 35:1 | 2.63% | 35:1 | 2.7% |
| Combo of 2 Numbers | 17:1 | 5.26% | 17:1 | 5.4% |
| Combo of 3 Numbers | 11:1 | 7.89% | 11:1 | 8.1% |
| Combo of 4 Numbers | 8:1 | 10.53% | 8:1 | 10.8% |
| Combo of 6 Numbers | 5:1 | 15.79% | 5:1 | 16.2% |
| “The beast” (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) | 6:1 | 13.16% | / | / |
Despite what some punters think, overlapping bets cannot boost your odds but certainly can “help” you lose more money in the long run. It’s always a good idea to ask the croupier if “surrender” is allowed because using this option may halve the house edge for popular bets such as Red/Black or Even/Odd.
Blackjack
The American variant of 21 is hugely popular all around the world, and not without reason. More precisely, due to a whole set of perky attributes, one of them is, undoubtedly, one of the lowest house edges on casino floors.
However, to swing the odds in your favor …
… you not only have to learn the basics but also use some proven betting strategies. Blackjack is not strictly a game of chance, your choices do affect the outcome, therefore to reduce the house edge to less than 1%, you have to apply your knowledge and skills.
Every time your hand total is between 12 and 16, you need to choose whether to hit or to stand. But let’s take a look at the odds of busting on the next card drawn on any of possible hands.
| Hand Total | Odds of Busting |
| 11 | 0% |
| 12 | 31% |
| 13 | 39% |
| 14 | 56% |
| 15 | 58% |
| 16 | 62% |
| 17 | 69% |
| 18 | 77% |
| 19 | 85% |
| 20 | 92% |
| 21 | 100% |
Blackjack is so eclectic that really a lot depends on various details such as the number of decks used or sequences of the dealt cards. As a rule, the more decks are in play, the greater the house advantage. Similarly, when large cards are taken out of play, your chances are getting weaker.
Craps
A true champion among its peers when it comes to the number and diversity of bets, craps has something for everyone. Punters tend to prefer Dos and frown upon Don’ts, often putting the team spirit above the benefits of the low house edge built into some “wrong” options.
By the way, online casinos remove the aforementioned and other drawbacks giving players the full freedom of choice, so you can play the way you really want rather than just act in line with the desires of others.
The chart below gives a pretty good idea of your chances with different craps bets.
| Craps Best | True Odds | Payout Odds | House Edge |
| /Come | 251 to 244 | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Don’t /Don’t Come | 1031 to 949 | 1:1 | 1.36% |
| /Come Free Odds |
2:1 on 4 or 10 3:2 on 5 or 9 6:5 on 6 or 8 |
Same as true | 0% |
| Don’t /Don’t Come Free Odds |
1:2 on 4 or 10 2:3 on 5 or 9 5:6 on 6 or 8 |
Same as true | 0% |
| Any 7 | 5:1 | 4:1 | 16.67% |
| Yo 11/ 3 | 17:1 | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| 2/12 | 35:1 | 30:1 | 13.89% |
| Craps | 8:1 | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| Field | 5:4 | 1:1 on 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 2:1 on 2 or 12 |
5.56% |
| Field alternative | 5:4 | 1:1 on 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 2:1 on 2 3:1 on 12 |
2.78% |
| Whirl/World | 2:1 | 26:5 on 2 or 12 11:5 on 3 or 11 0:1 on 7 (push) |
13.33% |
| Hard Way 4 or 10 | 8:1 | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| Hard Way 6 or 8 | 10:1 | 9:1 | 9.09% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 7:5 | 4% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Big 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 1:1 | 9.09% |
| Horn | 5:1 | 27:4 on 2 or 12 3:1 on 3 or 11 |
12.50% |
As you can see, Don’ts really come with the lowest house advantage. And what about Buy or lay bets created for making players feel better about their chances to win? Can they offer better odds for a 5% charge?
The truth is, Buy bets (or their opposites) still cannot rival the 1.36% of Don’t and Don’t Come alternatives. Still, if you’re playing with casinos that take the commission only in the case of a win, then the house edge can decrease up to pretty attractive 1.67% for buying 4 or 10.
| Craps Bet | True Odds | Payout Odds (plus 5% commission) | House Edge |
| Buy 4 or 10 5 or 9 6 or 8 |
2:1 3:2 6:5 |
Same as true | 4.76% |
| Lay 4 or 10 5 or 9 6 or 8 |
1:2 2:3 5:6 |
Same as true | 2.44% 3.23% 4.00% |
Texas Hold’em
Poker extends far beyond pure math, being a unique fusion of true strategic mastery and courage. Comprising an element of luck, it’s seen by the gambling world primarily as a game of skill – that’s why so many people watch thrilling poker tournaments with bated breath.
While the term „poker“ covers a broad range of variations including Draw Poker, Caribbean Stud, Red Dog and Pai Gow, the most popular of all is fabulous Texas Hold ’em. Incidentally, if you’ve ever followed one of the glamorous tourneys on TV, then you are familiar with the latter.
Almost everybody thinks …
… they can play but, of course, without gaining a good perspective of basic rules and strategies, your chances to win are close to statistical error.
It’s impossible to squeeze the entire wealth and diversity of Texas Hold’em into just one table, therefore we did our best to compile some odds and probabilities essential to master this card game.
Also, there is a pretty simple way to calculate poker odds. In fact, all you need is to count the “outs“ left in the deck. Now, multiply this number by four and figure out the likelihood of getting a winning card on the turn or river. In this manner, multiply the number of „outs“ by two after the turn to find out your chances to strike lucky on the river.
First, let’s take a closer look at the pre-flop odds, which are our of a player’s control but still significant to what happens next. So, what is the probability of certain cards being dealt?
| Two suited cards | 3.25:1 or 23.5% |
| Any single Ace | 5.7:1 or 15% |
| Any pocket pair | 16:1 or 5.9% |
| Pocket Aces or Kings | 110:1 or 1% |
| A-K (suited or offsuit) | 81.9:1 or 0.9% |
| Pocket Aces | 220:1 or 0.5% |
Since the flop is the turning point of a Hold’em hand, here is some data to help you figure out if going ahead with your draw is worth it.
Your odds to complete a Full House on the turn with two pair or a set are 10.8:1 (8.5%) or 5.7:1 (14.9%) respectively. Similar, the probability of completing four cards to a flush or an open-ended straight is 4.2:1 (19.1%) or 4.9:1 (17.9%).
Looking a bit forward, in the situation with two cards to come, your chances to complete some hands by the river on the flop are the following:
- Two pair to at least a Full House – 5:1 (17.7%)
- Three of a kind to at least a Full House – 2:1 (33.4%)
- Four cards to a Flush – 1.9:1 (35%)
- An open-ended straight – 2.2:1 (32%)
- An open-ended straight flush draw – 10.9:1 (8.4%)
Slots
Being a 100% game of luck, slots have pre-set odds determined by sophisticated Random Number Generators (RNG) able to generate up to 4 billion numbers for every single spin.
The outcome of each spin is entirely independent of the previous or consecutive rounds.
One-armed bandits traditionally have a higher house edge than table games. The payout percentage may vary greatly since the legal minimum is often set under 80%, which is, of course, too low.
Naturally, the majority of casinos do not try to test the players’ nerve, hence fashionable venues in Las Vegas usually report decent RTPs between 92% and 96%.
In the case, you live far from the City of Lights …
… such generous returns can be rather elusive, that’s why more and more punters take advantage of video slots offered by web-based casinos famous for the lowest house edge on the market – some titles give back as much as 98% of all staked money.
In addition to that, the information on RTP of each game is transparent and easily accessible being a part of either a paytable or game’s rules.
