Casino math
House Edge: The Only Stat That Always Wins
5 min read · Updated 2026 · 18+
The house edge is the casino's guaranteed long-run margin. Understand it as a number and you can rank every game by exactly what it costs you.
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The house edge is the average share of each bet the casino keeps over time. A 1% edge means an expected loss of $1 per $100 wagered - not per bet, but across thousands. It is why individual players win constantly while the casino profits overall: the law of large numbers does the work.
Why it is unavoidable
Every payout is set slightly below true odds. European roulette pays 35:1 on a number that hits 1-in-37, not the fair 36:1. That gap, compounded over millions of bets, is the edge. The more you play, the closer your results track it.
Edge by game
Blackjack with basic strategy: ~0.5%. Baccarat banker: ~1.06%. European roulette: 2.7%. Most slots: 2-6% by RTP. American roulette: 5.26%. Some side bets and keno: 10%+. Game choice is the biggest lever you control - and the differences are enormous.
Playing against it
You cannot delete the edge, but you can shrink it: choose low-edge games, learn optimal strategy where skill counts, skip high-edge side bets, and claw back margin with rakeback. Then set a budget and treat the edge as the price of the entertainment.
FAQ
Which game has the lowest house edge?
Blackjack with basic strategy (~0.5%), then baccarat banker (~1.06%) and single-zero roulette (2.7%).
Can you beat the house edge?
Not long term in games of chance. You can reduce it with game choice and strategy and recover some via rakeback, but it always favours the house over time.
How do I turn edge into cost?
Expected loss = total wagered x house edge. Use our RTP & house-edge calculator to get cost per hour.
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