The Five Best Bets in the Casino

Casino table games are a lot of fun, but some offer better odds than others. Odds are the mathematical probability of winning if the game is played optimally. A coin toss has odds of 50%, which means there is an equal chance of winning. Casino games must pay out less than 50%, or the casino would never make money. Casinos push the odds below 50% in two ways. The first is by setting up the game rules to ensure than the player will only win less than half of the time. The second is by paying out less than the player should win. For example, the chance of winning a bet on a single number in roulette is 38 to 1, however the casino only pays out 35 to 1. The odds are frequently expressed as the "house edge," or the percentage below 50% that the player will win. For example, Three Card Poker's house edge is 2.32%. This equals player odds to win of 47.68%.

Below are five wagers that offer the lowest house edge in the casino. Remember that there is no casino game that offers an advantage to the player. The key is to have fun, stick to your gambling budget, and leave the table when you are ahead. The best bets in the casino require an understanding of optimal strategy. All of the games below are available in person and on the internet. Both online and offline casinos offer the same house edge.

Craps Pass Line Odds (0.60%)

Craps often intimidates new casino players. The rules and betting possibilities are so complex that it requires no less than four dealers to operate the table. There are actually 15 different games going on at once, but the core of the game is relatively simple to understand. The basic bet of craps is the pass line. The pass line has two separate phases: before the point is established and after the point is set. Before the point is set, the player wins 1:1 if an eleven or a seven is rolled. The player loses if a two, three, or twelve, "craps" is called and the player loses his bet. If a four, five, six, eight, nine, or ten is rolled, that number is declared the "point," and the next phase of the game begins.