Which Casino Games Offer The Best Odds Of Winning?

The first thing you should know when it comes to discussing which online casino games are offering the best odds of winning is that best is a very subjective term. For example, the best ice hockey player in Zimbabwe isn’t going to be anywhere near as talented as the best ice hockey player in Canada. But he’s still the best in his country.

When it comes to online casino gambling, the best odds doesn’t mean that the odds of winning are going to be good. You’ve certainly heard the old saying about gambling that the house always wins. Well, that’s not entirely true, but it’s also not far off from being fact.

All online casino games are heavily weighted toward the house. Casinos are a business after all, and they are in the business of making money. 

Still, there are online casino games during which your chances of success while playing are better than others. 

Table Games Beat The Slots

Oddly enough, the most common online casino game in terms of playing numbers is also the game that offers the least chance of walking away with success. Slot machines have the lowest rate of return to player of any online casino game. 

So why do people play the slots with such frequency? Well, first of all, it’s easy. There’s no rules to learn, no strategies to develop. You push a button and voila, you’re either winning or losing. (Narrator: Actually, you’re mostly losing).

People, especially those who are new to online casino gambling, tend to be intimidated by table games. Yes, they are more complicated. There’s more you must learn to be good at them, and you really have to pay attention and keep your wits about you while playing. It’s a challenge and the fact of the matter is that most people don’t want to be challenged, especially when in pursuit of recreational activities. 

On the other hand, for those willing to accept the challenge, the opportunity to win is much better. And imagine the feeling of accomplishment there will be when you walk away with a big win from the blackjack or craps tables.

Let’s look at the online casino games that are delivering the best odds of winning to the players.

Here’s a list highlighting online casino games known for their favorable odds, including a nod to the popular slots:

1. Blackjack
   • House Edge: Approximately 1%
   • Odds of Winning: 44-48%
   • Gameplay: Player vs. Dealer to get closest to 21 without going over.
2. Craps
   • House Edge: 1.4% for Pass Line, 1.36% for Don’t Pass
   • Odds of Winning: Nearly 50% on certain bets
   • Gameplay: Players bet on the outcome of dice rolls.
3. Roulette
   • House Edge: Higher with 0 and 00 on the wheel, lower with just a single 0
   • Odds of Winning: 50% on red/black color bets, 36-1 on specific number bets
   • Gameplay: Players bet on where a ball will land on a spinning wheel.
4. Online Slots
   • House Edge: Varies widely, can be as low as 2-10% depending on the game
   • Odds of Winning: Varies, can be adjusted with paylines and betting strategies
   • Gameplay: Players bet on the outcome of spinning reels with various symbols.

Each game offers a different level of involvement, risk, and potential reward. Online slots, for instance, while typically having a higher house edge than table games, can offer progressive jackpots and bonuses that have the potential for significant payouts. They are also influenced by factors like return to player (RTP) percentage, volatility, and the presence of in-game bonuses or free spins, which can enhance your chances of winning without necessarily improving the inherent odds of the game.

Blackjack Odds

The house edge in blackjack is a very low one percent. And it’s a straight one-on-one competition between the player and the dealer. You’re contesting to see who can get 21, or as close to that number without going over.

In general, you’ll be sitting with somewhere between a 44-48% chance of coming away a winner when you sit down to play blackjack at the online casino. 

Craps Odds

No online casino game is more complicated than craps. An initial look at the craps table will certainly put a scare into the neophyte player. However, once you get past that initial level of intimidation, you will find that craps is one of the best chances to make money inside the online casino, with almost a 50-50 split on certain bets.

If you want the best chance to make money playing craps, all you need to do is remember two phrases – pass line and don’t pass. 

Should you bet on the pass line, the house edge is a paltry 1.4%. Here’s how it works – if the player’s dice roll comes up 7 or 11, you’re a winner. If the roll is 2, 3, or 12, that’s a loss for you. Should the outcome be a different number, the game continues. Suppose that dice roll is 6. The player must then roll another 6 prior to rolling 7. If it happens, you win. If the 7 comes up first, you lose.

However, if you bet don’t pass in this same scenario, the opposite outcomes make you a winner. With the don’t pass bet, the house edge shrinks to 1.36%. But the majority of craps players tend to bet the pass line. So while you might hold a slightly better chance of winning with a don’t pass wager, you probably won’t be making yourself a lot of friends when you win.

Roulette Odds

Certainly, when it comes to table games, roulette rates among the least complicated to comprehend. The wheel spins, there’s 36 numbers (plus 0 and sometimes 00) on that wheel, alternating between red and black colors. A shiny silver ball is bounding about on that wheel and you are betting where you think that ball is going to wind up landing.

There are a variety of ways to wager on roulette. You can straight up bet on one of the numbers, but that’s the toughest bet to win in the game, with odds of 36-1. At the other end of the spectrum, you can simply wager on the color on which you think that the ball will wind up. That’s a 50-50 proposition and while it won’t pay out as handsomely as betting on a specific number, the chances of winning are significantly better.

The zeroes are nothing to sneeze at, either. Playing roulette with a single zero on the wheel also increases your chance of success compared to a wheel with both zero and double zero, simply because there are less places for the ball to land.

When venturing into the realm of online slots, remember to:

• Check the RTP: Look for games with a high Return to Player percentage.
• Understand Volatility: High volatility means less frequent but larger wins, and vice versa.
• Consider Bonuses: Free spins and other bonuses can extend your playtime.
• Manage Your Bankroll: Set a budget and stick to it, and know when to walk away.

Remember, you can play at online casinos, if you are located in New Jersey, Michigan (SI casino recommended), Pennsylvania and other U.S. states with legal gambling. Here is our guide to the best bonuses and gaming apps.

Avoid Playing These Casino Games If You Like Winning

Let’s be brutally honest for a moment here. As much as you might enjoy the ease of opportunity and veritable convenience that online casino games offer, the fact of the matter is that we’re all playing inside those online casinos with one objective in mind – to win some money. 

No one’s going in there looking to make a donation to any of the major corporations that are operating these legal and regulated online casinos. But the sheer reality is that’s exactly what the majority of us are doing when we’re playing online casino games.

So what can we do about it? How can we improve our chances of coming away with more cash than we set out with when we started playing?

Well, the first step in that process is to learn as much as you can about the art of casino gambling. And that journey commences with a lesson of discovery. It’s wise to find out which casino games give you the best odds of winning, and perhaps even more importantly, which games are the most likely to take all of your hard-earned cash.

For starters, it turns out that the most popularly-played game inside online casinos are also the games that offer the worst chance of being a winner. They would be that staple of online casinos, the slots. 

Ever wonder why there are massive amounts of slot machines offered for playing inside an online casino like BetMGM or the Borgata in comparison to, say, blackjack, roulette, or baccarat games? Well, it’s the same reason why slot machines are nicknamed one-armed bandits, because the chances of you beating them are slim.

While they offer on average around 97% return to player, meaning the house edge is a paltry three percent, those statistics, like many numbers, are somewhat misleading. No casino game is as volatile as the slots. They might be paying you winnings, but seldom will these machines be paying off in a big way. You’ll be getting just enough money to keep you intrigued and thus, keep you playing.

Slot machines deliver a low hit frequency, often referred to as losses disguised as wins. You push the button for a $0.50 play and the next thing you know, lights are flashing and bells are ringing. You’ve just won $0.20, the machine is telling you. No, you’ve just lost $0.30.

Poker is another online casino game that dangles the chance to win big, but really doesn’t deliver. If you pay your way into a multiplayer poker tournament, only the top 10-15% of the players entered will wind up sharing in the prize winnings. That’s at least 85% of players going home empty handed.

Keno is a lottery-styled game, so right away you know not many are winning. How many lottery winners have you met in your lifetime? It also dangles the unrealistic chance to win big, based on the amount of numbers you play. For one number, the odds of hitting are 1-4. At two numbers, the odds jump to nearly 1-17. The house edge for online keno is about 5-8%.

Likewise, online scratch cards, much like their cardboard cousins, don’t often deliver the goods of the promised big score. The house edge on the scratch cards goes between 4-7%.

The wheel of fortune, or similar spinning wheel games, are very popular in live dealer casinos. But they aren’t popular if you like winning. The chances of the wheel landing on a major score for you are remote. In fact, the house edge in this game is a whopping 16%.

Play These Games Instead

If you want to increase your chances of winning at the online casino, stick to the table games. Whether you’re playing blackjack, baccarat, craps, or roulette, there are bets you can make in these games that can almost offer you a 50-50 chance for a win.

The odds of winning a hand of blackjack are about 42%. The house edge in this card game in which the objective is to get 21 or as close to 21 without going over is just 2%. Best of all, in blackjack you’re only competing with the dealer. The other players in the game have no impact on your outcome. 

By making a pass line bet in craps that the shooter of the dice will win their game, you are garnering nearly a 50% chance of coming away with a win. Wins at baccarat come at about a 44% rate. In roulette, by placing a bet on whether the ball will land on black or red, your chances of a successful play are exactly 50%.