5. Video Poker
Video poker is a computerised game that involves a high level of skill. The house edge is 5% and this can be lowered considerably to 0.5% depending on your skill level and strategy. This is one of the most popular games available at casinos and the aim of the game is quite simple. Players will play with 1-5 coins and in return the dealer will give you 5 playing cards. You can choose which ones to keep and which to discard and then the dealer will replace your discards and you have to create the best hand with the cards you have left. Your winnings will depend on the value of your hand. In video poker you are only playing against the dealer instead of other players.
There are different variants of poker which will all have a slightly altered house edge. There are simpler versions of video poker such as Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better which offer a very low house edge, whereas the traditional casino poker games such as Caribbean Stud Poker or Pai Gow Poker have a higher house edge up to 5% meaning you won’t win as often. Some poker games also offer special features such as progressive jackpots or multi hands which can affect their house edge. It is recommended that you research the different types of poker games available and choose the ideal one for you depending on your strategy, skill and the game’s house edge.
4. European Roulette (Single Zero)
There are a few variants of roulette available in casinos including American, French and European and the European roulette offers the lowest house edge. This is because it only has one zero on the wheel making the house edge 2.7% whereas the American roulette has two zeros on the wheel which doubles the house edge to 5.26%! The European roulette wheel contains the numbers 1 – 36 and a 0 and the rules are simple as players only have to guess where the ball will land at the end of the spin. There are different betting options available depending on how specific you want to be and how much of a risk you want to take. You can choose straight up for one number, a split for two neighbouring numbers, a street for a row of three numbers, corners for four connected numbers and a six line bet. There are also general picks including red or black, odd or even, 1 – 18, 19 – 36, a column or dozen.
European Roulette is one of the most popular casino table games available as there are lots of different options for bets which can enhance the thrills of the game. The inside bets offer odds which are 35/1 and the outside bets which cover 18 of the numbers such as red or black or odd or even drops the odds to 18 in 37 which is almost 50/50. The inside bets offer lower chances of winning but with higher payouts whereas the outside bets offer higher chances of winning but with lower payouts. This attractive low house edge makes European roulette one of the best casino games with a bigger chance of winning.
3. Baccarat
Baccarat is a straight forward table card game that is very popular in casinos. It has a house edge from 1.5% and there are only three possible outcomes in a game in which you can choose to bet on the banker, the player or a tie for a fast paced and thrilling game. The rules are simple: both the player and the banker draw 2 cards with the option to be dealt one more and the person closest to 9 wins. If the sum goes above 9, the value is returned to 0, for example, cards 6 and 7 will equal 3. If you bet on the banker and they are closest to 9, you win the bet, and if you bet on the player to be closest to 9 and they are, you also win. The cards 2-9 are face value, the K, Q, J and 10 all have a value of 0 and an Ace is worth 1.
For a game of baccarat, the house edge refers to the advantage of the casino to ensure they minimise their losses if a player wins big. The banker’s hand has a very low house edge at just 1.06% which makes this one of the best games to play with a low house edge. The player’s bet rises slightly to a 1.24% house edge, whereas placing a bet on a tie will raise the house edge significantly to 14.36%. This is quite a big jump but this is a riskier bet in baccarat and so will offer a higher payout than the other two options. Some versions of baccarat will charge a fee to bet on banker as it has higher odds of winning.
2. Craps
Craps has become one of the most popular games in casinos worldwide due to its exciting game play and this is no exception in online casinos. A ‘shooter’ throws the dice onto the craps table and there are 4 possible outcomes:
Pass line – the first roll of the dice is called a come out roll and this even money bet wins if a 7 or 11 is rolled or lose if it’s a 2, 3 or 12. Any other number that is rolled becomes the point and the shooter then has to keep rolling until the same point number comes up before a 7 in which case you lose.
Don’t pass line – this is the complete opposite of the pass line, in which you will lose if a 7 or 11 is rolled or win if it’s a 2 or 3, with 12 a tie. You lose if the point comes up or win if a 7 does.
Come bets – made after the first roll and the point is established. You win on 7 or 11 or lose on 2, 3, or 12. Any other number will be your ‘come’ point and must be rolled again before a 7 for you to win.
Don’t come bets – opposite of the come bet, you win on 2 or 3 (12 a tie) or lose on 7 or 11. Another number is the ‘come’ point and if repeated you lose but a 7 you win.
The don’t pass and don’t come bets both have a house edge of 1.4% making it one of the lowest house edge casino games.
1. Blackjack
There are different variants of blackjack available in casinos and the single deck blackjack has the lowest house edge at just 1.5%. This is a simple card game in which the aim is to have a hand that is equal to 21 or as close as possible without going over. You will first be dealt 2 cards which you can look at and decide whether to risk it and receive another card to try and get closer or to stay and hope you are closer to 21 than the dealer. The winning bets have odds 1/1 whereas if you get a straight blackjack (10 and Ace) then the odds are 3/2. You can ‘double’ your stake or ‘split’ a pair and can also add ‘insurance’ to your bets. There are even some side bets including Perfect Pair, TriLux and TriLux Super 3 which offer increasingly higher odds to boost your winnings.
Skill is a major factor in blackjack as it will affect the house edge because it is important to know what next step to take depending on which cards you have been dealt. Experts in blackjack will receive the lowest house edge at 0.5% because they understand what move to make to lower their chance of losing whereas others will have a house edge of around 2% as they may not know what to do for the better. Only practice will lower the house edge.
To ensure you have the biggest chance of winning, it is advised that you play free demos and enhance your skill before playing with real money.
