KEY TAKEAWAYS
CONTENTS
The lowest house edge in the casino belongs to craps free odds at 0%, followed by blackjack with basic strategy at about 0.5% at a typical 3 to 2 table, then the Banker bet in baccarat at 1.06% and the Player bet at 1.24%. Craps line bets come next at 1.36% to 1.41%, and European roulette follows at 2.70%. At the other end, side bets and proposition bets can cost more than 14% of every dollar wagered.
The house edge is the average percentage of each bet the casino keeps over the long run. It never reaches zero on its own, because free odds in craps can only be placed on top of a line bet that does carry an edge. Understanding the ranking is useful because two bets that look equally simple can differ in cost by a factor of ten or more.
This guide ranks the main casino bets from cheapest to most expensive, explains how to turn a percentage into an expected loss, and shows why a low house edge is not the same as a winning bet. All figures assume the standard rules named in the table, and rules vary by casino.
What the House Edge Means for Comparing Bets
The house edge is the average share of each wager that the casino keeps over many bets. RTP, or return to player, is 100% minus the house edge, so a 2% edge means a 98% RTP. Both numbers describe the long run, not a single session. For a plain-English walkthrough, see how the house edge works.
The house edge is calculated per bet, not per game. A single game can contain bets with very different costs: at a roulette table, a straight-up bet and a red bet cost the same, while on an American wheel the five-number bet costs more. At a craps table, the gap is far larger. The right unit for comparison is the individual bet, which is why the table later in this guide lists bets rather than whole games.
It is also important not to confuse the house edge with the chance of winning. A bet on red in European roulette wins about 48.6% of the time, yet its house edge is 2.70%. A bet can win often and still cost money, because the payout is slightly less than the odds require.
Finally, the house edge assumes the rules stated. A blackjack table that pays 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 raises the edge by about 1.4 percentage points, and a table that hits on soft 17 adds about 0.2 more. Rules change the number, so the figures here are a guide, not a promise about any particular table.
How to Turn a Percentage Into an Expected Loss
The house edge becomes meaningful when it is multiplied by the amount wagered. Expected loss is roughly the total amount wagered times the house edge. Wagering $1,000 at 2.70% costs about $27 on average, and the same $1,000 at 14.36% costs about $143.60. These are averages across many bets, not predictions for one session.
The total amount wagered depends on three things: the size of each bet, the number of decisions per hour, and the number of hours. That is why a fast game with a small edge can cost more per hour than a slow game with a larger edge. A craps table and a roulette wheel both move quickly, while a baccarat or blackjack table may deal fewer decisions an hour when the table is full. Speed varies by table and by dealer, so any decisions-per-hour figure is an assumption.
For a fair comparison between two games, hold the budget and the pace constant, then compare the edges. If the same $10 is bet 60 times an hour in each game, the game with the lower edge costs less, no matter which one feels more exciting. Variance still matters in the short run, since any single hour can end well ahead or well behind the average.
Worked Example: The Hourly Cost of Five Bets
Suppose a player bets $10 on each decision and plays 60 decisions in an hour, so $600 is wagered. This pace is an assumption chosen for the example, not a typical figure. At about 0.5%, blackjack with basic strategy costs about $3.00 on average over that hour, assuming a 3 to 2 table.
The Banker bet in baccarat, at 1.06%, costs about $6.36. European roulette, at 2.70%, costs about $16.20. American roulette, at 5.26%, costs about $31.56. The same $600 on the baccarat Tie at 8 to 1, at 14.36%, costs about $86.16. Each result is the $600 multiplied by the house edge.
The ordering is the useful part. The player who chooses the Banker bet instead of the Tie keeps about $80 more on average per hour at the same pace and bet size. The player who picks European instead of American roulette keeps about $15 more. The differences compound with time, since each hour repeats the same average cost.
None of this guarantees a result. In a single hour, a player on the Tie could win several bets and finish ahead, and a player on blackjack could lose. The percentages describe what happens on average across a very large number of bets.
House Edge Ranking: Casino Bets From Lowest to Highest
The table lists common bets in order of cost, using the standard rules named for each one. Read the note column, because several figures depend on the number of decks, the zero count or the paytable. Figures for Casino War come from a published analysis by Wizard of Odds, and rules and paytables vary by casino.
| Bet | Payout | House edge | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craps free odds (behind Pass or Don’t Pass) | 2 to 1, 3 to 2 or 6 to 5 | 0% | Needs a line bet first |
| Blackjack, basic strategy, 3 to 2 blackjack | 3 to 2 on a natural | About 0.5% | Typical figure; varies with the rules |
| Baccarat, Banker bet | 1 to 1 less 5% commission | 1.06% | Eight decks |
| Baccarat, Player bet | 1 to 1 | 1.24% | Eight decks |
| European roulette, even-money bet with la partage or en prison | 1 to 1 | 1.35% | Only where offered |
| Craps, Don’t Pass | 1 to 1 | 1.36% | 12 pushes at most casinos |
| Craps, Pass Line | 1 to 1 | 1.41% | |
| Craps, Place 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% | |
| European roulette, any standard bet | Varies by bet | 2.70% | Single zero |
| Sic Bo, Big or Small | 1 to 1 | 2.78% | Loses on any triple |
| Casino War, always go to war | 1 to 1 | About 2.88% | Six decks, no bonus on a second tie |
| Craps, Place 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% | |
| American roulette, any bet except five-number | Varies by bet | 5.26% | Double zero |
| Craps, Field | 1 to 1, 2 to 1 on 2 and 12 | 5.56% | 2.78% if 12 pays 3 to 1 |
| Craps, Place 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% | |
| Triple-zero roulette, any bet | Varies by bet | 7.69% | Three zeros |
| Blackjack insurance | 2 to 1 | About 7.7% | For a player not counting cards |
| American roulette, five-number bet | 6 to 1 | 7.89% | 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 |
| Craps, Any Craps | 7 to 1 | 11.11% | |
| Baccarat, Tie bet | 8 to 1 | 14.36% | 9 to 1 gives 4.84% |
| Craps, Any 7 | 4 to 1 | 16.67% |
The ranking shows three clear tiers. The cheapest bets sit between 0% and about 1.5%: free odds, basic-strategy blackjack, baccarat Banker and Player, and the craps line bets. The middle tier runs from about 2.7% to 5.6% and includes European roulette, Sic Bo, Casino War, American roulette, the Field and the craps place bets on 5 and 9. The expensive tier starts around 7% and includes triple-zero roulette, blackjack insurance, the five-number bet and the proposition bets.
The same game can appear in every tier. Craps contains the cheapest bet in the casino and one of the most expensive, and baccarat contains the Banker and the Tie. Choosing the bet matters more than choosing the game. For a closer look at two of the entries, see American vs. European roulette, Pass Line vs. Don’t Pass and the baccarat Tie payout.
Common Mistakes and Myths About Low House Edge Bets
The first myth is that a low house edge means a winning bet. Every bet in the table has a house edge above zero except free odds, and those require a line bet that has one. A low edge only means a slower average loss. For a player who is not counting cards, no entry in the ranking has an average gain.
The second mistake is believing that a betting system can lower the edge. Doubling after a loss, adding to a winning streak or following patterns changes how the results are spread, not the average cost per dollar. A sequence of bets with a negative average still has a negative average, as explained in why the Martingale betting strategy fails.
The third mistake is picking an expensive bet because the payout looks large. A bet that pays 7 to 1 or 8 to 1 only wins rarely, and the arithmetic usually favors the casino by a wide margin. A big payout is often the sign of a big edge. The same goes for insurance in blackjack, which looks like protection but carries about a 7.7% edge, as covered in what insurance is in blackjack.
Lastly, a few players assume the ranking holds at every table. It does not. A blackjack table that pays 6 to 5, a roulette wheel with three zeros or a craps field that pays 3 to 1 on a 12 changes the figures. Always check the rules posted at the table.
Practical Tips for Keeping Costs Down
Start by reading the rules at the table. The posted rules decide which row of the ranking applies: the blackjack payout, the number of zeros on the wheel, the craps odds limit and the baccarat commission. A table that offers better rules is cheaper for the same amount wagered.
Next, set a budget before sitting down and treat it as the price of entertainment, as explained in how to buy in at a casino table. A budget limits the cost, while the house edge only describes it. If the budget is gone, the session is over, and money needed for essential expenses should never be wagered.
Finally, avoid the most expensive bets unless entertainment is the only goal. Side bets and proposition bets can be fun, but they cost several times as much per dollar as the main bets.
Where to Go Next
To go deeper into the cheapest tier, the natural next topics are the rules and payouts of each game and how basic strategy lowers the cost in blackjack. The ranking is a starting point for choosing a bet, not a way to win, and every figure here is a long-run average. Understanding why the casino keeps its edge, and how rules change it, makes every game easier to judge.
