Games where your decisions count
Blackjack
Basic strategy brings the edge to about 0.5% on a 3:2 table with good rules. Card counting does not work on RNG tables, which shuffle every hand, and live tables usually deal from deep shoes and reshuffle early. See our blackjack strategy guide.
Video poker
A full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machine returns 99.54% with perfect holds; an 8/5 version of the same game returns 97.30%. The paytable is the first thing to read.
Poker
Against other players, the casino takes a rake and the skill gap between you and the table decides the result. Casino poker variants against the house, such as Caribbean Stud, have a fixed edge. See poker.
Games where knowledge only cuts the cost
Craps
Pass line costs 1.41%, and the free odds bet behind it carries no house edge at all. Proposition bets such as any seven cost over 16%.
Baccarat
Stick to Banker and Player. Commission-free tables often pay only half on a Banker win with six, which raises the Banker edge to about 1.46%.
Roulette
No bet beats the wheel. The only choices that matter are a single-zero wheel and, where offered, French rules that return half of even-money bets on zero.
Habits of experienced players
- Keep a record of deposits, withdrawals and results per month.
- Read the table rules before the first hand: payouts, soft 17, number of decks.
- Count bonus wagering in the plan; table games often count at 10 to 20%.
- Never chase losses with bigger stakes or betting systems; no progression changes the edge.