Whether you play at USA internet casinos, any of the bricks and mortar casinos around the US or at any traditional casino around the world, a basic understanding of the house edge of the various different real money casino games is vital. In a way, playing any casino game without knowing the house edge is a little like walking into a shop and buying something without looking at the price. If you’ve got enough money to do the latter then you probably don’t need to read this house edge feature but if you want value for your casino cash then read on as we take a look at the house edge.
Obviously the first question is, what is the house edge? Probably the simplest way to think of this concept is to view it as the casino’s profit margin on any given game. For example, if the casino offered a game of “heads or tails” (see the great scene in the classic movie National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation) and they paid out at even money, the house edge would be zero.
Theoretically if you played that game forever you would always break even but, naturally enough, because the casino has to pay staff, heat the building and, of course, make a profit, they don’t pay evens. In roulette, for example, a single number “should” pay out at odds of 36/1 (assuming single zero), meaning you could bet $10 on every number and the zero and get a total of $370 back, having bet the same $370.
However, as said, to create a profit margin the casino pays a single number at 35/1, this profit margin creating a house edge on single zero roulette of 2.70%. That means that for every $100 you stake on roulette you could expect to lose $2.70, which, on the face of it, seems more than reasonable.
Of course, the house edge is just a mathematical average and given the house edge for many games is very low, you only need the slightest bit of luck – or of course help from a nice casino bonus – to win and make a profit, despite the theoretical advantage the casino holds over the player.
Anyone who has played in a casino knows that luck goes both ways and, of course, whilst you can “expect” to lose $2.70 for every $100 staked at roulette, you can just as easily lose much more.
In summary, the key things to note are that the house edge is the casino’s profit margin, it varies from game to game and the lower it is, the greater your odds of winning.