Casino house edge by game
American roulette has a house edge of 5.26% and European roulette 2.70%. The baccarat banker bet is 1.06%, the craps pass line 1.41% and blackjack with basic strategy about 0.57% at a good 3:2 table. Use the calculator to turn an edge into an expected loss for your session.
Checked 2026-11-07. Source: calculations below.
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House edge of common bets, lowest first
| Game | Bet | House edge | Lost per $100 wagered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craps | Free odds behind pass or don't pass | 0.00% | $0.00 |
| Blackjack | 3:2, dealer stands on soft 17, basic strategy | 0.57% | $0.57 |
| Blackjack | 3:2, dealer hits soft 17, basic strategy | 0.79% | $0.79 |
| Baccarat | Banker (5% commission), 8 decks | 1.06% | $1.06 |
| Baccarat | Player, 8 decks | 1.24% | $1.24 |
| Roulette | European, even money with la partage | 1.35% | $1.35 |
| Craps | Don't pass | 1.36% | $1.36 |
| Craps | Pass line | 1.41% | $1.41 |
| Craps | Place 6 or 8 (pays 7:6) | 1.52% | $1.52 |
| Blackjack | 6:5, dealer stands on soft 17, basic strategy | 1.92% | $1.92 |
| Roulette | European (single zero), any bet | 2.70% | $2.70 |
| Craps | Place 5 or 9 (pays 7:5) | 4.00% | $4.00 |
| Baccarat | Tie paying 9:1 | 4.84% | $4.84 |
| Roulette | American (0 and 00), any bet except top line | 5.26% | $5.26 |
| Craps | Place 4 or 10 (pays 9:5) | 6.67% | $6.67 |
| Roulette | American top line (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) | 7.89% | $7.89 |
| Craps | Any craps (pays 7:1) | 11.11% | $11.11 |
| Baccarat | Tie paying 8:1 | 14.36% | $14.36 |
| Craps | Any seven (pays 4:1) | 16.67% | $16.67 |
Roulette and craps: exact fractions from the number of pockets and dice combinations. Baccarat: every possible deal from an 8-deck shoe, counted with the third-card rules. Blackjack: our basic strategy solver (infinite deck, no re-splitting).
How the house edge is worked out
house edge = 1 − P(win) × (payout + 1) for a bet that either wins or loses. Bets that can push, like don't pass or the baccarat banker bet, count the push as money back.
Worked example, American roulette straight up: 1 winning pocket out of 38, paid 35 to 1. 1 − (1 ÷ 38) × 36 = 2 ÷ 38 = 5.26%. Every American bet has the same edge except the top line, which pays 6 to 1 on 5 numbers: 1 − (5 ÷ 38) × 7 = 7.89%.
Craps pass line: you win on a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll (8 of 36 combinations), or by rolling your point again before a 7. Added up, that is 244/495 = 49.293%, so the edge is 1 − 2 × 244 ÷ 495 = 7/495 = 1.41%.
Baccarat in an 8-deck shoe: banker wins 45.86% of hands, player 44.62%, tie 9.52%. The banker bet pays 0.95 to 1 after commission and pushes on a tie: 45.86% × 0.95 − 44.62% = −1.06%.
See the edge play out with play money: roulette, blackjack and craps simulators.
From house edge to money
The edge applies to every bet you place, including winnings you bet again. At 60 spins an hour with $10 on American roulette, you wager $600 an hour and lose $31.58 on average. The same money at a 3:2 blackjack table with basic strategy costs about $3.42 an hour.
Questions
What is the house edge?
The share of each bet the casino keeps on average over the long run. A 5.26% edge means you lose about $5.26 for every $100 wagered, not $5.26 per $100 you bring.
Which casino game has the lowest house edge?
Among the games on this page, blackjack played with basic strategy (0.57% at a 3:2 table where the dealer stands on soft 17), the baccarat banker bet (1.06%) and the craps pass and don't pass lines (1.41% and 1.36%). Free odds in craps have no edge at all but can only be bet on top of a pass or don't pass bet.
How is the house edge calculated?
Multiply each outcome by its chance and its payout, add them up, and subtract from zero. For a bet that wins with probability p and pays x to 1: house edge = 1 − p × (x + 1).
What about slots and keno?
Their edge depends on the machine's or the game's pay table, which differs between casinos. Slots publish a return to player (RTP): house edge = 100% − RTP. For keno, enter your pay table in the keno calculator; catching all 10 of 10 spots happens 1 in 8,911,711 games.