by T.C. Destin
In the short amount of time online casino gambling has been operating the state has raised billions of dollars, spurring more and more states to legalize online gambling in their states to boost their state’s budget. Many people that formerly had no easy access to gambling at all now have access to online casinos and bookmakers at the swipe of a finger, the problem is they don’t know which are the casino games with the best odds of winning and which ones are for suckers. So here is our list of the best and worst casino games.
Let’s start with the games to completely avoid. Or… “Don’t Let This Happen To You”:
Big Six Wheel – You’ve walked into the casino door and there is a big wheel being spun (usually) by a pretty girl and lots of spots to bet on a table. Which look like they have big payoffs! However, if the payout is 20-1, you’d better believe there is not 20 spots on the wheel where you can win. There might not even by 18.
However, they keep the wheel spinning so good luck on stopping to count.
Don’t get me wrong: I won $20 on a $5 bet walking by one once. But, if you stop and play, you might as well just give the girl your money and get on your way. Put it this way: In the “wild west”, some places used to rig this wheel. When there is no reason to.
Penny Slots – These have the highest hold in the casino. And, unless you really punch a lot of buttons to get it to actually only take one cent at a time (which will eliminate just about every payout line, and won’t pay back virtually anything when you hit), these are just sucking your money. The ONLY way to get even (and bore yourself to death) is to play a few cents at a time and try to suck down as many free drinks as you can get served. Which obviously only applies to a real-world casino in the first place.
Keno – Keno has a house edge of up to 25%. Yes, that means for every $4 ticket you buy, you are losing $1. Some online casinos may pay better than that, and the pace of the game is slow. However, the only reason to play casino real-world is to kill time in the lounge with a friend (or while waiting for one) and get a couple of free drinks while you lose at a slow but steady pace.
Best bets in the casino:
Craps – So, you have not played craps because it looks too complicated? Guess what? The most basic, simple bet in craps has the lowest house edge (money you expect to lose per dollar bet). Don’t worry about those “five way hard three” and other complicated bets you hear people banter around. (And, for those sticklers out there, there is no five way hard three. I get it).
Go check out 4-5 basic craps videos on YouTube. ALL you need to learn is how to bet the pass line, and how to put odds behind it. That limits the house edge to 1.5%. Or lower! Plus, if you don’t play all of the crazy bets, you are only winning or losing every few rolls.
Blackjack – Even with the newer (lousy) rules where blackjack pays 6-5 ($12 per $10 bet, instead of the standard $15 per $10 bet), if you play “by the rules”, you will lose 2% (or even less) of each bet.
What does “by the rules” mean? Print out a blackjack strategy sheet or card from one of countless online sites. Follow those rules, even if you don’t think the are right. No, it won’t turn you into an automatic winner. However, if you play each hand properly, you will lose bad hands less often. Do you want to lose a bad hand 62% of the time, or 67% of the time? A bad hand is a bad hand. I’ll try to limit that loss to the lower number.
Video Poker – Normally, video poker would fill the third slot. However, to play video poker with a low house edge, you need training. And, you need a software app. And, you need to pick the proper games. And, you need to tell your app what game you picked EXACTLY so it can help you make decisions when you are not sure. You get the drill. For the casual player, you probably won’t do much better or worse than the slots.
Sports Betting – The house will take a little over 5% of your sports bets. Which is better than almost all slot machines (except some high limit slots)! And, here’s the upsides: 1. YOU get to pick your team. Skill is involved. Some people win more than they lose over the course of a year. 2. Sports games last 2-3 hours (or more), and are seldom over by halftime. You can bet a modest amount and get a couple hours of thrills and chills as the game ebbs and flows in (or out of) your favor.
Even if you just place a bet because it is “your team” or it is Sunday night and you don’t care for either NFL team, but you want to enjoy having action on the game, you are only facing the house edge of 5.26%. Doesn’t get much better than that!
