How the House edge affects various casino games
How is the House edge decided when one plays a casino game? From one point of view the House does it, because every casino game must have a built in edge. The casino can choose which games it wants to offer and what rules of these games are, but in most cases the House edge is predetermined.
But maybe it is not true? What if there is a way for casino players to choose their own edge? In fact, it is possible at some level. You can achieve it by selecting casino games which give you the most favorable rules or playing only the most favorable bets you can affect your edge in different casino games. Take the examples below into consideration.
Craps – All craps players may choose to play the exotic bets that payoff at 7-to-1, 9-to-1 or 30-to-1. However, if you do such a thing, you agree to take on a House edge that varies between 10 to almost 16 % or even higher. On the other hand, if you choose to stick to pass line and come bets, with odds on both, you can play with a House edge that is less than 1%.
Roulette – An American roulette wheel features both a zero and a double zero, which means that almost every bet you place provides the House with an edge of 5.26%. Such House edge is created by those zeros, so you should play the European wheel instead, as it has only one zero space and the House edge is 2.7 % then.
Baccarat – When you play baccarat, you have no effect on any of decisions save one – whether to bet on the player, a tie or the banker. There is no point in betting a tie, as the edge is almost 14% then. Because the banker is the last person to act he always has an edge. Although players have to pay a 5% commission when they win a banker bet, such bets are still better than player bets, as they provide a 1.06% House edge instead of the 1.24 % one. Always choose the banker bet and make the House edge lower.