Every casino game keeps a small share of what's wagered over time. That share is the house edge — and knowing it helps you understand which games are, statistically, the cheaper form of entertainment.
Edge and RTP are two sides of the same number
RTP 97% equals a house edge of 3%. One describes the player's expected share, the other the casino's. Both describe millions of rounds — not any single session you play.
Which name gets used depends on the game
Table games are usually described by their house edge (a low number, like 1–3%). Slots are usually described by their RTP (a higher number, like 95–97%). It's the same underlying idea, just framed from opposite sides.
Why the edge differs so much between game types
- Table games (blackjack, baccarat, European roulette) tend to sit lowest, generally 0.5–3%, because the outcomes are simpler and closer to pure probability.
- Video slots typically land in the 2–8% range, shown directly as RTP on each game.
- Games with bigger potential payouts — like progressive jackpots — usually carry a higher edge, since the chance of hitting the big win is much smaller.
The edge of common games
| Game | Typical house edge |
|---|---|
| Blackjack (basic strategy) | 0.5% |
| Baccarat (banker bet) | 1.1% |
| European Roulette | 2.7% |
| American Roulette | 5.3% |
| Slots | 2–8%, shown as RTP on each game |
Why one session looks nothing like the edge
Variance. In 100 spins of a slot with a 4% edge, the result is rarely a clean 4% loss — it's often a much bigger loss, or a win. The edge only shows through when the number of rounds is very large, far beyond any single sitting. How that variance arrives, in small frequent wins or in rare large ones, is the game's volatility: the guide to slot volatility has the numbers from our own catalogue.
A note on bet types within the same game
Even inside one game, the edge can shift depending on what you bet on. In baccarat, betting on the banker's hand carries a lower edge than betting on the player's hand, and betting on a tie carries a much higher one. Where a game offers different bet types, it's worth checking whether one carries a meaningfully lower edge than another.
What to do with this
- Prefer games with a lower edge when the entertainment value is the same to you
- Check the RTP on each slot before you play — two similar-looking games can differ by several points
- Treat the edge as the price of the entertainment, not as odds stacked against you in any given round