The house always wins. That’s an expression casino players know well. It’s also the only reason why casinos remain in business. Every single casino game has a built-in house edge. This is the inherent advantage the house has over the player.
The house edge varies from around 15% to 40% and as low as 0.5%, depending on the specific games you play.
Put differently, regardless of the game you play, the odds of the casino winning your money are far greater than the odds of you winning the casino’s money. It’s all a game of statistical probabilities, which is why reading this article is so important.
Let’s begin with a player favorite—European Roulette. This casino game features green 0 and 36 numbers on the wheel (alternating between red and black). On any given number, players have a 1/37 chance of hitting it lucky.
That translates into 2.70%. Conversely, the house has a 97.30% probability of beating you on any given spin. But that’s not exactly how the odds work because the payout on any given number is not 37:1 as you might expect—it’s 35:1. In other words, you get substantially less reward than the true odds should be—that’s how the house stays in business.
Let’s add another zero into the mix and see how that changes things, shall we? We’re talking about American Roulette with Green 0, Green 00, and numbers 1-36. That means there are 38 numbers on the wheel, with a 1/30 chance of calling it right on any given spin and the same 35:1 payout on numbers.
- American Roulette has a house edge of 5.26% and an RTP of 94.74%.
- European Roulette has a house edge of 2.70% and an RTP of 97.30%.
One might assume that placing chips on red or black numbers offers 50-50 odds; that’s simply false. With European and French Roulette, players have better odds than American Roulette, given the single zero instead of the single zero and 00.
While there is no way to reduce the house edge on any casino game, the best strategy for these types of games is to pick the one with the lowest house edge. In other words, the strategy takes place before you play; it’s in-game selection.
How Do Social Casinos Compare with RTPs and House Edges?
The same is true of slot games. These casino games are readily available at online casinos and social casinos. Indeed, the best social casino sites routinely offer a wide variety of top slots (classic slots, video slots, jackpot slots) with no bets required.
That in itself is an important strategy when playing casino games. And remember, social casinos tend to use the same software providers (vendors) as regular online casinos – there’s no difference in gameplay mechanics.
Free-play games give players an opportunity to assess the attributes of casino games before paying to play. Fortunately, social casino sites do not require deposits. The in-game virtual currency of these sites is Gold Coins. These GCs come in the form of welcome bonuses, daily or weekly rewards, prizes in tournaments, loyalty rewards, etc.
Overall, the RTPs in slots games can range from 88% – 99%, depending on the in-game features of the slots. As a rule, experts advise that players stick to limited-feature slots with fewer bonus rounds, pick’em selections, overlays, animated extras, etcetera.
The reasons for this may be surprising to many players. Still, it makes perfect sense to game designers and casinos: feature-rich attractions in slots chip away at the casino’s takings incrementally.
Every bonus round, feature element, or in-game attraction is a potential reward to players and thus must be met with an attendant reduced house edge to limit its occurrence.
Therefore, whether you’re playing at social casinos or traditional casinos, it is prudent to pick basic slots, not wide area progressive jackpot slots, when you’re looking to minimize the house edge. And yet, there is a glaring truth about all casino games that defy percentages (RTP and house edge).
Over the short term, anything can happen. Even a game with a high house edge can yield massive wins to players. It’s the long-term that you need to worry about. How do we know this is true? Anyone can hit it lucky and score a mega win on any spin, deal, draw, or roll.
Your selection of any roulette number, blackjack hand, baccarat selection, or slot spin could prove fruitful on your next play. Long-term percentages don’t matter in short playing sessions.