Is The House Edge in Roulette Less Than Other Games?
If you’ve been playing casino games for any length of time, you’ve most likely already heard someone discuss a game’s ‘house edge,’ or ‘house advantage’. As its name suggests, this term describes the mathematical advantage that any casino has over its players, normally expressed as a percentage.
It can be helpful for players to understand the house edge percentages that go along with each game, especially if they are interested in engaging with more than one type of casino game.
The house edge in Roulette can change quite significantly depending on the variant. A standard European Roulette game has a house edge of 2.7%, while the game’s American counterpart has a house edge of 5.25% thanks to the presence of both a 0 and 00 pocket.
So, how do other casino titles stack up against Roulette in terms of house edge? Here we explore the casino’s advantage in three of the most popular games available today.
Blackjack
Understanding the house edge in Blackjack is a bit complex because it can be altered ever so slightly depending on certain factors. The difference here is that while Roulette’s house advantage changes due to the wheel’s format, Blackjack’s has the possibility of going up or down depending on the player’s strategy.
For rank beginners who have had little exposure to the game, the house edge is approximately 2%. This figure can decrease to around 0.5% if a player makes use of basic strategy. A Blackjack player who has years of experience and knows their way around a table quite well can reduce the edge even further towards zero – but they’ll never be able to overcome the edge entirely.
The house edge is present in both land-based casino games and those played online.
Slots
Unlike Blackjack, where some skill is involved in gameplay, Slots work more like Roulette and the player cannot impact the house advantage with their decisions. Here, the house edge can be higher or lower depending on the type of slot machine and game that the player chooses.
A slot’s house advantage is generally expressed as a percentage called RTP, which stands for Return to Player, or the percentage win rate the player can expect from any individual title. For example, if a slot has an RTP of 90%, then the machine’s house edge is 10%. Generally speaking, the average RTP for an online slot game is anywhere between 95% and 98%.
Baccarat
Baccarat is not as commonly played as Blackjack or Slots outside of Asia. Compared with Roulette, Baccarat has a lower house edge, but like Blackjack, this can vary depending on betting decisions and player experience.
Betting on the Banker means a house edge of 1.06%, but the Player bet is a bit higher at 1.24%. The Tie bet that is offered in Baccarat raises the house advantage to 9.5%. Additionally, by altering some aspects of gameplay such as the number of decks being used, the house edge can further fluctuate.
