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House Edge · Probability · Strategy

The casino always wins.
Unless you know the numbers.

Every bet on every game — analyzed with real mathematics. No opinions, no guesswork, no casino marketing. Just the numbers.

0.00%Beat the Dealer Edge
5.26%American Roulette
16.67%Any Seven Craps Bet
41Pages of Analysis
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15 questions on odds, strategy and house edge. Are you a Tourist or a Sharp?
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Quick Reference

House Edge at a Glance

The most important number in any casino game — exact figures, no rounding.

Game / BetKey RuleHouse EdgeVerdict
Beat the Dealer
Dealer Bet — Config A, 6 decks
All ties push0.00%ZERO EDGE
Craps
Pass Line + 3-4-5x Odds
Full odds taken0.37%BEST BET
Blackjack
Basic strategy, standard rules
3:2 payout, soft 17 stand0.50%BEST BET
Video Poker
Jacks or Better, full pay 9/6
Max coins, optimal strategy0.46%BEST BET
Baccarat
Banker bet
Standard rules, 8 decks1.06%EXCELLENT
Casino Hold'em
Optimal call strategy
Call 82% of hands2.16%VERY GOOD
Pai Gow Poker
Optimal hand setting
41% push rate2.84%VERY GOOD
Three Card Poker
Ante-Play, Q-6-4 strategy
Standard pay table3.37%GOOD
Let It Ride
Optimal pull-back strategy
Standard pay table3.51%GOOD
European Roulette
Any bet, single zero wheel
Single zero2.70%ACCEPTABLE
American Roulette
Any bet, double zero wheel
Double zero5.26%FIND SINGLE ZERO
Baccarat Tie Bet
Never place this
Pays 8:114.36%NEVER BET
Keno
Any ticket
Standard casino keno25–40%WORST BET

All figures based on exact combinatorial mathematics. See the full odds table for every game and bet →

Table Games

Complete Game Guides

Every major table game analyzed with exact house edge figures and full strategy.

New Game · Patent Pending

Exclusive Analysis

Beat the Dealer — Two Independent Mandatory Bets on Every Hand

0.00%Dealer Bet house edge

A new patented casino card game where the Dealer Bet and Prediction Bet settle independently on every hand. Dealer Bet carries zero house edge under Configuration A. Full rules, all odds, and the complete mathematical analysis of every bet on the felt.

Read the full analysis

Strategy Required

Blackjack Basic Strategy — The Math Behind Every Decision

0.50%with basic strategy

Why the strategy chart is mathematically correct on every hand, what rule variations cost you, and why you should never take insurance under any circumstances.

Read the guide

No Strategy Needed

Baccarat — Simple Game, Surprisingly Good Odds

1.06%Banker bet edge

One decision, no mid-hand choices, and the Banker bet at 1.06% is one of the best simple bets in the building. Why the Tie bet at 14.36% should never be placed.

Read the guide

Best Casino Bets

Craps — Complete Odds on Every Bet at the Table

0.37%Pass Line + full odds

The only casino game offering a zero-edge bet. Pass Line, Odds, Come bets, Place bets, Hardways and every Proposition bet analyzed with exact dice probabilities.

Read the guide

One Decision

Three Card Poker — Complete Odds and Strategy

3.37%Ante-Play optimal play

The most successful new table game invention in casino history. One strategy rule — Q-6-4 — covers every hand. Full Pair Plus analysis and Ante bonus breakdown.

Read the guide

Strategy Game

Ultimate Texas Hold'em — Full Odds on Every Decision

2.19%combined edge, optimal play

When to raise 4x, 2x or 1x and when to fold. Complete Trips bonus pay table comparison — the difference between a 9/7 and 8/6 table is enormous.

Read the guide

Growing Fast

Casino Hold'em — Texas Hold'em Made Simple

2.16%optimal call strategy

One decision with five cards showing. Call 82% of hands. Competes with Ultimate Texas Hold'em on house edge at a fraction of the strategic complexity.

Read the guide

High Variance

Mississippi Stud — Three Decisions, Big Swings

4.91%optimal play

Sequential community card reveals with raise or fold decisions at each street. Up to 7x Ante at risk per hand. When to push and when to fold at each decision point.

Read the guide

Pull-Back Format

Let It Ride — When to Pull Back and When to Ride

3.51%optimal strategy

Start with three bets and withdraw two as the hand develops. The only casino game where pulling money off the table is the correct strategy most of the time.

Read the guide

Best for Long Sessions

Pai Gow Poker — 41% Push Rate, Extended Play

2.84%as player

The highest push rate of any casino table game. Seven cards split into two hands. The banker option reduces house edge to near zero — take it whenever your bankroll allows.

Read the guide

Machine Games

Video Poker, Slots and Roulette

Machine games have publishable RTPs — here is what they actually mean.

Strategy and Education

The Foundation Articles

Start here before you walk onto a casino floor.

Interactive Tools

Do the Math Yourself

Tools that get bookmarked. Each one lets you verify the numbers for your exact situation.

Reference

Glossary and Full Odds Table

Every term defined. Every game's odds in one place.

Beginner Guides

New to the Casino? Start Here.

Step-by-step guides to the best games on the floor — no experience required.

Comparisons and Strategy

Which Game Should You Play?

Head-to-head comparisons, comps explained and the honest math on jackpots.

Comparison · Best Table Games

Blackjack vs Baccarat — Which Should You Play?

0.44% vs 1.06%the real difference explained

Both are excellent games. The right choice depends on whether you want to learn strategy or just place a bet and watch. The math, the pace, the skill factor and when each game is the better choice.

Read the comparison

Comparison · Machine Games

Video Poker vs Slots — Which Is the Better Machine Game?

0.46% vs 5–12%the gap is not small

They look identical. They are not. Video poker on a full pay machine beats slots by every mathematical measure. Pay table transparency, skill impact, expected loss per hour — the full comparison.

Read the comparison

Strategy · Casino Business

Casino Comps — How They Work and What They Cost You

30–40%of theoretical loss returned in comps

The free buffet is real. It is also a rebate on losses — never a reason to play longer or bet more. The exact formula casinos use to calculate theoretical loss and what your play level actually earns.

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Slots · RTP · Volatility

How Slot Machines Work — RTP, Volatility & the Real Math

House Edge: 2–15% depending on machine

The RNG, virtual reel strips, engineered near-misses, bonus round math, progressive jackpot contributions, and denomination vs. RTP. Everything the casino doesn't advertise.

Read the deep dive

Texas Hold’em · Probability · Pot Odds

Texas Hold’em Poker Hand Odds — Starting Hands, Pot Odds & Outs

Skill game · Rake-based, not house edge

Starting hand probabilities, pre-flop matchup percentages, the complete outs table, the Rule of 2 and 4, and pot odds calculation with a worked example. The math that separates winning players.

Read the guide

Probability · Fallacies · Real Math

Casino Myths Debunked — Real Math vs. Bad Beliefs

10 myths · All provably wrong

Hot machines, due numbers, Martingale systems, weekend tightening, card counting legality, third base responsibility — ten of the most costly casino beliefs demolished with actual probability math.

Read the debunking

Slots · Honest Math

Progressive Jackpots — What the Odds Actually Are

1 in 50M+typical wide area network jackpot odds

The winners are real. The jackpot contributions reduce the base game RTP. The odds are not published. Here is what is actually known about progressive jackpot mathematics — and the honest case for playing them anyway.

Read the analysis

New Articles

Casino Strategy & Analysis

Original analysis on strategy, mathematics, and how casinos work — no opinions, no guesswork.

Mathematics · Essential Reading

Why the House Always Wins — The Math Behind Casino Profits

EVexpected value explained

The house edge is a mathematical guarantee, not luck. How casinos build profit into every game and what it means for every dollar you wager.

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Slots · RNG · Probability

Slot Machine Myths That Cost Players Money

MYTHall provably wrong

Hot machines, cold streaks, due payouts — the most expensive slot myths demolished with actual RNG mathematics.

Read the debunking

Roulette · Betting Systems

Roulette Betting Systems — Why None of Them Work

0%system advantage in the long run

Martingale, D’Alembert, Fibonacci, Labouchere — every major roulette system explained and mathematically debunked.

Read the analysis

Blackjack · Strategy

Why You Should Never Take Insurance in Blackjack

7.39%insurance house edge

Insurance sounds like protection. It carries a 7.39% house edge. The complete mathematical case against ever taking it.

Read the guide

Strategy · Bankroll

Casino Bankroll Management — How to Make Your Money Last

1%per-hand bankroll rule

How much to bring, how much to bet per hand, when to walk away — the math behind making any casino session last longer.

Read the guide

Blackjack · Table Selection

How to Read a Blackjack Table Before You Sit Down

60 secpre-game checklist

Six things to check before placing your first chip — payout, deck count, soft 17 rule, surrender, DAS, and table minimum.

Read the checklist

Strategy · Best Bets

The Best Bets in the Casino — Ranked by House Edge

0.37%best available bet

The definitive ranking of every major casino bet from craps free odds to blackjack, baccarat, and video poker.

See the rankings

Blackjack · Card Counting

Is Card Counting Illegal? What Casinos Can and Cannot Do

LEGALbut casinos can ban you

Card counting is completely legal. Casinos can still remove you for it. Everything you need to know about the law, casino rights, and how it actually works.

Read the guide

Strategy · Casino Comps

Casino Comps Explained — How to Get the Most From Your Play

20–40%of theoretical loss returned

How the comp system works, what your play is actually worth, how players clubs calculate your rating, and whether chasing comps makes sense.

Read the guide

Expert Answers

25 Casino Questions — Answered With Real Math

House edge, blackjack strategy, slots, roulette systems, bankroll management, comps — every common casino question answered from first principles.

Read the Casino FAQ →

Why Trust This Site

Written by someone who does the math for a living.

Casino Odds Insider is written by an independent casino game inventor and odds analyst with direct experience designing and certifying table games for casino placement. Every figure on this site is derived from exact combinatorial mathematics — not borrowed from another website.

When we publish a house edge of 2.27%, that number comes from enumerating every possible outcome from a six-deck shoe — not from rounding someone else's estimate.

Casino Game Inventor

Created and patented Beat the Dealer — a new casino table card game currently in placement discussions with casino operators.

Exact Combinatorial Analysis

All house edge figures calculated by enumerating every possible outcome — no simulation, no approximation.

No Affiliate Bias

This site recommends the bets with the best odds — not the games that pay the highest referral commission.