Casinos offer a variety
of games and the casino’s edge or advantage is different for each game. The higher
the casino advantage, the less is your chance of winning.
The casino advantage has
2 components. The first and easiest to understand is when you lose. When you lose a bet,
it is lost, period.
But the second is when
you win. But how can you lose when you win? Well, instead of receiving a fair payout for a
winning bet, you are paid less. For example, a fair payout for a $1 wager on roulette is
$37. However, the casino pays you only $35. It keeps the $2 almost like a tax. As a
result, the $2 disappears in the coffers of the casino, without you even knowing or
realizing it! The irony of this is that you are happy you have “won” even though
you have just been short changed by the casino.
What you need to know is
how much is this hidden tax and what you can do to reduce it. Because the lower you reduce
this tax or casino advantage, the greater will be your chances of winning more or at least
minimizing your losses.
The following table
summarizes the casino’s advantage for games where a player with a little luck has a
good chance of winning. A positive casino advantage means the casino has the edge. A
negative casino advantage implies the player has the better of it. Most casino games have
several different types of wagers, which is why you see a range of casino advantage for
most games.
The best games
– the ones with the lowest potential casino advantage – are the following casino
games:
. Blackjack (with
at least basic playing strategy)
. Craps (but only specific
bets)
. Pai Gow Poker
. Baccarat
. Roulette
. Video Poker (full pay machines with expert strategy)
. Sic Bo
. Slots (only at high payout Casino’s)
These are
the casino games, which offer you the highest potential of maximizing your winnings or
minimizing your losses, and should be a part of every player’s game plan.
