House edge
What each bet costs, on average
The house edge is the share of every dollar bet that the casino keeps in the long run. It comes from paying wins at less than their true odds; almost every bet works this way, and the few that pay true odds (craps odds) can only be placed alongside a bet that does not. Below, roulette, craps and baccarat are worked out from each bet's chances and payout; blackjack depends on the table's rules and how you play, so its figures are approximate.
Example
$63.16
is the average cost of three hours of $10 red/black bets on a double-zero wheel at 40 spins an hour (1,200 dollars wagered at 5.26%). Choose your own numbers.
| Bet | House edge | Per $100 bet | Swing per round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackjack | |||
| Blackjack, basic strategy (6 decks, 3:2) | about 0.50% | ~$0.50 | ~1.15× |
| Blackjack paying 6:5, basic strategy | about 1.90% | ~$1.90 | ~1.15× |
| Blackjack, playing like the dealer | about 5.50% | ~$5.50 | ~1.15× |
| Roulette | |||
| Double-zero roulette, red/black | 5.26% | $5.26 | 1.00× |
| Single-zero roulette, red/black | 2.70% | $2.70 | 1.00× |
| Double-zero roulette, one number | 5.26% | $5.26 | 5.76× |
| Craps | |||
| Craps, pass line | 1.41% | $1.41 | 1.00× |
| Craps, don't pass | 1.36% | $1.36 | 0.99× |
| Craps, any seven (pays 4 to 1) | 16.67% | $16.67 | 1.86× |
| Baccarat | |||
| Baccarat, banker (5% commission) | 1.06% | $1.06 | 0.93× |
| Baccarat, player | 1.24% | $1.24 | 0.95× |
| Baccarat, tie (pays 8 to 1) | 14.36% | $14.36 | 2.64× |
Where the numbers come from
Double-zero roulette has 38 pockets. Red pays 1 to 1 but wins on only 18 of them: (18 − 20) ÷ 38 = −5.26%. A single number pays 35 to 1 but the true odds are 37 to 1: the same 5.26%. On a single-zero wheel the 37 pockets give 2.70%.
The craps pass line wins 244 times in 495 in the long run; the baccarat figures come from the standard 8-deck odds (banker 45.86%, player 44.62%, tie 9.52%).
What "swing" means
Swing is the standard deviation of one round, in stakes. It is why a short session can end up or down by much more than the edge. Over a few hundred rounds the swing grows with the square root of the number of rounds; the average cost grows with the number itself, so time at the table favours the house.
Blackjack sources: Wizard of Odds (basic-strategy house edge under common 6-deck rules; 6:5 payout adds about 1.4 points; "mimic the dealer" about 5.5%; standard deviation about 1.15).