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Online casino players are notorious for enthusiastically playing their favorite online casino games of chance with no regard for the house's edge. They seem to have a mindset that the big win is coming, which will offset all of the betting disadvantages they have endured in the past. Of course, those big wins seldom come, often resulting in losses that were statistically predictable.
In all fairness, there is nothing wrong with somewhat informed adults playing their favorite online casino games if they are willing to accept the risks. At the same time, it would be advisable for online casino players who play frequently to at least consider playing games that are less favorable to the house.
If a little education can make a difference to a growing number of U.S. online casino players, then let there be some education. The rest of this information is going to focus on explaining why the house's edge should matter and which online casino games offer players the best odds of winning.
Unlike skilled-based gambling options like sports betting, poker playing, and Daily Fantasy Sports, there is nothing you can do as an online casino player to improve your odds. Why? Each casino game was created in a way that gives one party a constant statistical/mathematical edge. As you probably know by now, that edge always goes to the house.
You need to remember that retail and online casinos are in the business of making money. They won't put a video slot or table game on the floor or internet unless it's going to deliver profits. What casinos love is the fact each game delivers on its statistical promise over time no matter what players might do. That is fully supported by the fact there is no "system" on Earth that can help players beat the house.
When you play video slots or table games with the house's edge locked in, retail and online casino operators are happy to let you keep grinding away. They are happy about it because they know that over long periods, their statistical advantages will always bear fruit. You need to accept this as fact.
From your perspective, you should consider your iGaming activities to be nothing more than a fun form of adult online entertainment. Your primary objective should be to have fun whether you win or lose, knowing the house's edge will always be working against you. If the wins come, good for you for beating the odds. If it's losses, you have hopefully limited your bankroll to discretionary money.
Definition of discretionary money (according to the Cambridge Dictionary) - "an amount of money that is available to spend on things that are not considered necessary but that may be useful." You should consider necessary funds to mean rent/mortgage, food, utilities, clothes, transportation, insurance, and a bit of savings.
At this time, you have hopefully accepted the fact you will probably lose money when playing retail or online casino games. Assuming that's true, you might want to consider playing casino games with the best odds as opposed to just sticking with your favorite game or games.
We are going to rank the odds of the most popular online casino games from top to bottom. It's necessary to understand that each type of online casino game will likely come with several variations with each variation carrying slightly different odds. With that in mind, we want to keep things simple. We'll do that by ranking each game based solely on its most popular standard variation.
For your benefit and better understanding, we'll put video slots and poker in one category and table games in another category.
With figuratively thousands of video slots and hundreds of video poker options available on any given online casino, we won't employ a ranking system. Instead, we'll simply focus on making sure you know what the odds are so you can compare them to the table games listed in the next section.
Starting with video slots, the house's edge is usually expressed by each game's "Return to Player" percentage or RTP. The RTP percentage represents the percentage of each dollar wagered that will get returned to players in aggregate over long periods. If a game has an RTP percentage of 97%, the other 3% would be the house's edge. Note: Each video slot's RTP percentage must be disclosed by law to ensure players know what they are facing in terms of risk.
The average RTP percentage across thousands of video slots is slightly above 96% with the house's odds at slightly under 4%. Some slots might be higher and others lower, but that's the generally accepted average.
As for video poker, the range of RTP percentages can range from about 98% to as low as 90%, depending on the variation. However, the best guess average sits at about 95.5%, which is slightly less than the average for video slots. That leaves the house's odds at 4.5%
Table games are a little more advantageous for players because there is some decision-making involved. When players can make decisions, they can play games "perfectly". which should result in them always sticking close to the game's true odds. That should serve as a reminder that table games are determined by odds as opposed to RTP percentages.
Note: Poker table games will not be included in this information. Why? Even online poker table games are considered skilled-based games with the house's advantage determined by the flow of the cards and betting versus some statistical/mathematical advantage. To put it another way, the house's advantage is usually determined by the proficiency of the players.
As for the remaining population of online casino table games, we are going to focus on the big 4: Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette. In each case, the odds will fluctuate based on the chosen variations and betting options. While Baccarat and Blackjack have very few potential outcomes, craps and roulette have many potential outcomes. We'll take that into account as we rank these table games from the best odds for players to the worst odds for players.
#1 = Blackjack - The odds against the player are .28%
#2 = Baccarat - The odds against the player are 1.06% when betting on the banker's hand, 1.24% when betting on the player's hand, and 14.36% when betting on the tie. These are the odds if the house charges the standard 5% on winning players' hands.
#3 - Craps - The odds when betting Don'tCome/Don't Pass are 1.36% and 1.41% if betting the Come/Pass. The Place bet on numbers can range from 1.52% on the 6 & 8, up to 16.67% when betting on the Any Seven spot.
#4 - Roulette - The base odds for single green ZERO tables is 1.4% when betting on even money options like red/black, odd/even, or 1-18/19-36. Double that for double green ZERO tables. The remaining odds for other wagers can range from 17.6% up to an astounding 97.3% when playing a single number.
Final Rankings:
Summary: Knowing what you are up against might persuade you to play the online casino games with the best odds. You now have enough information to make an informed decision. However, this needs to be said. Given the likelihood that you will lose no matter what games you choose, no one is going to blame you if you choose the ones you enjoy the most. After all, having fun is what online casino gambling should be all about.
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