Casino games with the best odds

Casino games with the best odds: the ranking

The table ranks the common casino bets by house edge, the average share of every stake the casino keeps over the long run. The last column turns that into the average cost of a £10 bet. Figures are the standard game maths published by the Wizard of Odds and checked against the rules each one assumes.

The craps odds bet is the only true zero-edge bet in a casino, but you can only place it on top of a pass or come bet, which carries its own 1.41% edge. That is why the overall 'best odds' crown usually goes to blackjack played well.

What the best odds really means: edge, not win chance

People often use 'best odds' to mean the bet most likely to win. That is a different question. A red bet in roulette wins 18 times in 37 (48.6%), a single number only once in 37 (2.7%), yet both have exactly the same 2.70% house edge on a European wheel. The payout is cut by the same proportion in both cases.

The house edge is the figure that tells you what a game costs. It is worked out from the gap between the true odds and the payout odds: Hannum and Cabot’s Casino Math gives it as (y − x) ÷ (y + 1), where a bet pays x to 1 and the true odds against it are y to 1. For a single number, (36 − 35) ÷ 37 = 2.70%.

Its mirror image is RTP: a game with a 1.06% edge returns 98.94% of stakes on average. Our RTP vs house edge page explains how to switch between the two.

Blackjack odds: the lowest edge if you play basic strategy

Blackjack usually has the lowest house edge of any casino table game, but only for players who follow basic strategy and only when the rules are reasonable. Wizard of Odds gives 0.28% under liberal Vegas rules (dealer stands on soft 17, double on any two cards, double after splitting, re-split aces, late surrender). That figure isn’t a UK online figure. A six-deck game with no peek, dealer standing on soft 17 and doubling on 9 to 11 only comes out at 0.62%.

Rule changes move the edge more than most players realise. Using the Wizard of Odds rule-variation figures:

A 6 to 5 payout alone turns one of the cheapest games in the casino into a mid-table one, so check the payout printed on the table or in the help screen. Our 3:2 vs 6:5 guide explains the sums. Skipping strategy is costly too: playing hunches can easily add several per cent.

Baccarat and craps: low edges with no skill needed

Baccarat offers the best odds for players who don’t want to make decisions. The banker bet has a 1.06% edge even after the 5% commission, and the player bet 1.24%, with eight decks. The tie bet is a different story: 14.36% at the common 8 to 1 payout, or 4.84% where it pays 9 to 1.

In craps, the pass line costs 1.41% and don’t pass 1.36% per bet made, according to the Wizard of Odds craps appendix (opens in a new tab). Place 6 and 8 add only a little at 1.52% per bet resolved, but place 4 or 10 jumps to 6.67%, and the one-roll proposition bets are far worse.

Commission-free baccarat is not quite free. In the common Super 6 version, a banker win on 6 pays only half, which raises the banker edge to about 1.46%.

Video poker RTP: excellent if the pay table is right

Video poker can match blackjack, but the pay table decides everything. A 9/6 Jacks or Better machine, paying 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush, returns 99.54% with perfect strategy. Cut those two lines to 8 and 5 and the return drops to 97.3%, a house edge of 2.7%, the same as European roulette.

Those figures assume perfect strategy and the maximum coin bet, because the royal flush pays its full 800 per coin only at maximum coins. Real players make mistakes, so their return is a little lower. Check the pay table on the game screen before you play; it is the single most useful thing to look at.

Roulette odds: French rules beat European and American

Roulette is often described as a high-edge game, but the right version is reasonable. Every bet on a single-zero wheel carries 2.70%. On French roulette with La Partage, even-money bets lose only half when zero lands, which halves their edge to 1.35%. An American double-zero wheel doubles the edge to 5.26%, and its five-number top line bet is worse still at 7.89%, according to the Wizard of Odds roulette basics (opens in a new tab).

Live and RNG versions of the same wheel share the same maths. The difference lies in pace: a slower live wheel means fewer bets an hour and so a lower hourly cost.

Casino poker games and other tables, ranked

Most casino poker games fall between 2% and 5.5% with optimal strategy. These games often require extra bets after the ante, so Wizard of Odds also gives the 'element of risk', which spreads the house’s profit across all the money wagered rather than just the first bet.

The side bets attached to these games, such as Pairplus in Three Card Poker at 7.28% or the Caribbean Stud progressive at 26.46%, cost far more than the main game.

Where slots, game shows and keno fit on the odds scale

Wizard of Odds gives slot machines a broad house edge of 2% to 15%. UK online slots publish an RTP in their help screens, as the Gambling Commission’s rules on game information (opens in a new tab) require operators to tell you about your chances of winning. A slot at 96% RTP has a 4% edge, which is higher than every main bet at the blackjack, baccarat and craps tables. Some titles run at more than one RTP setting, so check the figure in the game you open, as our high RTP slots page explains.

Keno sits at the bottom of the list. Wizard of Odds lists it at 25% to 29%, and surveys of US land-based keno found returns between 50% and 80%. Online RNG keno sets its own pay table, so look for the RTP in the help screen. Live game shows vary by bet; see our game show RTP comparison.

Casino games with the best odds in pounds: hourly cost

Edge alone doesn’t give the full cost; speed matters too. To compare fairly, the table assumes £10 bets at 60 bets an hour for every game, so £600 staked an hour. Real speeds differ by game and table, which our cost per hour guide covers.

These are averages. Over a single hour your result could be well above or below them, which our page on variance explains. Over many hours, actual losses tend to track the figures closely.

How to find the best odds at a UK online casino

1. Open the game’s help or information screen before you bet. UK-licensed games must show the RTP, house edge or chances of winning.
2. Check the rules that change the edge: 3 to 2 blackjack payouts, the dealer standing on soft 17, La Partage on roulette, and the commission rule on baccarat.
3. For video poker, read the pay table and look for 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush in Jacks or Better.
4. Choose the main bet over side bets, and the banker or player bet over the tie in baccarat.
5. Learn the strategy for any game with decisions. A blackjack strategy chart keeps blackjack near its lowest edge.
6. Set a budget and time limit first, because even the best odds produce losses over time.

Best odds myths to ignore

• 'Slots are the best odds because they pay the biggest prizes.' Big top prizes are paid for by small regular returns. A 96% slot keeps more per pound than a baccarat banker bet.
• 'Low-edge games mean I will win.' A low edge only slows the average loss. Short sessions swing either way, and long sessions favour the casino.
• 'A system can lower the edge.' No staking plan changes the house edge of the bets placed, as our betting systems guide shows.
• 'Live games have worse odds than RNG games.' The same rules give the same edge. Live tables are simply slower.

Partner offers and the best-odds games

The offers shown are for UK adults (18+) and terms apply. They are built around slots, so they don’t sit naturally with the low-edge table games on this page: table and live games are often excluded from bonuses or count less towards wagering, so check each casino’s terms and its table game lobby.

Casumo offers new customers a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more, opt-in required, with the bonus wagered 10x within 7 days and a £5 maximum bet while it is active; game and payment restrictions apply. 10bet’s casino welcome bonus is a 100% match up to £25 on a first deposit made within 7 days of sign-up, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, with maximum bonus winnings of £1,000; Skrill and Neteller deposits are excluded. Coral gives new players 100 free spins at 10p each on selected slots when they deposit and bet £10 on slots, with no wagering on the spin winnings, from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027; some payment methods don’t qualify.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.