Which casino game has the lowest house edge?

Every casino game, without exception, has an integral mathematical edge over the player. This edge, commonly known as the ‘house edge’, ensures that the casino will always win in the long-term and maintain an operating profit. That said, the house edge varies, quite widely, from one casino game to another and, fairly obviously, the games with the lowest house edge give the player the best chance of winning.

It is not without good reason that casinos, in Las Vegas and elsewhere, offer six-deck blackjack – that is, blackjack played with cards dealt from a multiple-deck shoe, containing 310 cards at the start of the shoe – as standard; six decks of cards increase the house edge by 0.42% against the basic blackjack strategy player when compared with a single deck of cards. Of course, the house edge for six-deck, or even eight-deck, blackjack still compares very favourably with that for other, less demanding games, such as keno or slots. However, if you can find a single-deck blackjack game with a suitable minimum bet, you can take advantage of a house edge of just 0.58%, or possibly lower, with basic playing strategy.

Similar comments apply to craps, insofar as the many rules of the game are off-putting to newcomers, with the added complication of a wide house edge spread. Some so-called ‘sucker’ bets, such as ‘Proposition 2 or 12’, ‘Proposition 3 or 11’ and ‘Any 7’ offer a house edge well into double-figures, percentage-wise, and should be avoided. At the other end of the scale, though, craps does offer some of the lowest house edge bets available, including pass/come at 1.41% and don’t pass/don’t come at 1.36%.