Worst Odds In Casino

Best Odds In Gambling
Casino Games With Worst Odds
Best Odds At Casino
Odds Of Winning At Casino
Worst Odds In Casino Games

The reason craps is also on my worst casino games list is because of some of the terrible bets on the table. If you’re placing bets on the more intricate and complicated options on the craps table, you’re facing some of the worst odds in the casino. That’s why craps is both one of the best and one of the worst games in any casino. Which Games in the Casino Offer the Worst Odds? 4- The Tie Bet in Casino War Has a House Edge of 18.65% 5- The “Any 7” Bet in Craps Has a House Edge of 16.67% 6- Slot Machines Might Have a House Edge as High as 25% 7- The 5-Number Bet in American Roulette Has.

I’ve been writing about gambling and casino games for over 20 years. And one of my favorite questions is, what casino game has the worst odds?

The casino game that has the worst odds is keno. You measure how good or bad the odds are in a casino game by how big the house edge is. The bigger the house edge, the worse the odds are for the casino gambler. In keno, the house edge varies from casino to casino, but it almost always runs between 25% and 60%. When you have other casino games with a house edge of between 0.3% and 16%, it’s clear that keno offers the worst odds.

Why Are the Odds in Keno So Bad?

Keno is just like a private lottery administered by a casino. It’s all luck. If you’ve ever played in your state lottery, you’re probably already familiar with the basics of how keno works.

In both games, you pick numbers that you hope will be picked at random in a drawing.

The big difference between keno and the lottery is that you have more ways to play in keno, and keno offers more prize opportunities than the lottery.

The odds are still lousy, though.

Why does keno have the worst odds in the casino, though?

The casinos claim that keno’s overhead is higher than that of any other casino game.

Should You Play Keno Even Thought It Offers the Worst Odds in the Casino?

Some people love keno, and the game does have its advantages over other games. For one thing, the pace of the game is glacial. You might see one drawing every 5 to 10 minutes, which means you’re only placing 6 to 12 bets per hour.

Contrast that with the average slot machine player, who makes 600 spins per hour.

Keno’s also a game that can be played in multiple places, but it’s especially a good game if you want to stay in action while you’re eating any of your 3 meals in a casino restaurant.

Also, it only costs $1 to play keno.

Most other games, excluding gambling machines like slots and video poker, cost a minimum of $5 per bet to play.

With the right mindset, playing keno is just fine. The slow pace of the game means you might lose less money playing keno all day than you’d lose in an hour or 2 at the craps table.

How to Play Keno

You can play keno from anywhere in the casino — even your hotel room. The keno results are broadcast on the casino’s television network. You’ll find keno tickets and crayons throughout the casino.

You’ll also find brochures that list the payouts for the game.

The casino also employs keno runners who will take your money and your ticket while you play. It’s polite to tip your keno runner regardless of whether you win.

A keno ticket has 80 numbers, 1-40 on the top and 41-80 on the bottom.

The computer chooses 20 numbers at random from between 1 and 80. In some casinos, you might still find a hopper with rubber balls, but computerized keno is more common. The winning numbers get displayed on TV screens throughout the casino.

You’ll win money based on how many of the numbers you picked were among the 20 numbers that were drawn during the game.

You’ll choose between 1 and 15 numbers on your ticket. The more numbers you choose, the more you need to get right to get a payout.

But you don’t need to get all 15 numbers — usually, if you choose 15 numbers, you need to catch 6 of them to win a payout.

If you choose 6 numbers, you’ll get enough of a payout for catching 3 numbers that you’ll break even.

But the casino also offers other kinds of ways to play your tickets, too — combination tickets, king numbers, and way tickets. They’re all just ways of playing multiple straight tickets using a single ticket, though.

An Example of a Keno Pay Table Explains What Casino Game Has the Worst Odds in Concrete

Here’s an example of a keno paytable along with some analysis of the odds:

You choose 6 numbers for $1. The payouts look like this, based on how many numbers you catch:

Catch 3 numbers, and you get a $1 payout.
Catch 4 numbers, and you get a $5 payout.
Get lucky enough to catch 5 numbers, and you get a $75 payout
Finally, catch all 6 numbers, and you get a $2000 payout.

Sometimes the payable will include payouts for wagering $2, too, but the payouts are just doubled. You don’t get better odds just because you bet twice as much. (This is in marked contrast to video poker, by the way.)

Your expected return for a casino game is the payout multiplied by the probability of that payout. When you add all the possible payouts together, you get the payout percentage for the game.

You have an 8% probability of getting 3 numbers right when you choose 6 numbers. 8% X $1 = 8%

You have a 1% probability of getting 4 numbers right. That’s 1% X $5 = 5%.

You have a 0.06% probability of getting 5 numbers right. That’s 0.06% X $75 = 4.5%.

Finally, you have a 0.0125% probability of winning $2000. That’s 0.0125% X $2000 = 25%

8% + 5% + 4.5% + 25% = 42.5%, which is your expected return.

If you subtract the expected return from 100%, you get the house edge, which, in this case, is 57.5%.

What’s the Best Strategy for Improving the Terrible Keno Odds?

Strategy for keno is easy:

There is no strategy.

The only thing you can do is shop payables from one casino to another to find the casino offering the biggest payouts.

No matter what, though, the house edge is going to be at least 25% — you can count on that.

The problem is this:

People who are motivated enough to calculate the payout percentages for various casino games are usually too smart to play keno in the first place.

What’s your strategy?

Skip keno.

Or, if you decide to play, just take advantage of the slow pace of the game and enjoy daydreaming or whatever else it is you’re doing while you play.

Are the Odds in Video Keno Better?

Usually, when you contrast the video version of a casino game with its traditional version, the house edge is much higher on the traditional version. Video blackjack is a good example of this because most video blackjack games offer even money payouts on a blackjack, which increases the house edge by almost 3%.

Video keno is an exception because the house edge in video keno rarely exceeds 12%.

Here’s the problem, though:

With video keno, you’re probably playing at least 300 games per hour instead of 12 games per hour.

Your expected loss playing keno at 12 games per hour with a house edge of 25% looks like this:

$1 X 12 games X 25% = $3

You expect to lose $3 per hour playing traditional keno.

But with video keno, you’re looking at the following equation:

$1 X 300 games X 12% = $36

You expect to lose $36 per hour because you’re playing so many more hands per hour.

What Casino Game Has the Worst Odds? Conclusion — Keno

It’s easy to answer the question, what casino game has the worst odds?

It’s keno, with its house edge of between 25% and 60%.

This doesn’t make it the worst game in the casino, though. If you bring enough money to the casino, it won’t even matter.

The thing to remember about the question what casino game has the worst odds is this:

Multiple other factors affect how much money you lose over time playing a casino game — especially the rate at which you make bets per hour.

In life, there’s always an element of risk. You could get hit by a car when you cross a street. You could slip and fall in a bathroom. You could even get struck by lightning by just walking outside of your house.

But you can take steps to minimize these risks.

To avoid getting hit by a car, look both ways before crossing. Make sure that you install non-slip strips on the bathroom floor to avoid falling. You could watch the weather report and make sure that you don’t wear anything that will attract lightning before going outside.

The same is true in casino gambling. There’s risk. The entire concept of gambling is built on risk. You risk money in the hand to win more money the casino owns.

But you can minimize the risks.

You can make sure that you know how to play the games. You can study odds. You can observe how opponents play in a game like poker. You can develop strategies for better play.

In lots of casino games, the risks can boil down to mathematics and odds. By studying these odds you get a better picture of which games or even bets within a game will be more profitable.

But no matter how you slice it, some wagers are just sucker bets and you should avoid them at all costs.

Casinos make a profit by paying off bets at lower odds than the odds of winning. For example, in roulette, the payoff for hitting a single number is 35 to 1.

But the odds of winning that bet are only 37 to 1.

This difference gives the house an edge over the player. On average, a player who plays long enough will lose more money than she’ll win.

The house edge is represented as a percentage of the money you bet. If you bet $5000 in a session of roulette, even if it’s 50 bets of $100 each, you’ll lose an average of 5.26% of that amount wagered. In this case, it’s $263.

Generally, the higher the house edge, the worse the game is for the player.

The Worst Bets

I’ve been researching odds and games for a long time. I’ve played a lot of games, I’ve won some money, and I’ve lost some money. There are bets that after learning the strategies that I will never make again. They are just too risky.

I’m all about minimizing my risks.

At first, baccarat can be an intimidating game. There are lots of rules to learn before you can get comfortable with it. For instance, there’s a banker, but the banker isn’t the house per se, it’s another player or can be you.

It’s played in a separate room, much like poker and is slow paced. (There’s a version of baccarat called mini-baccarat that’s played at a faster pace, but it doesn’t make any of the odds better or worse.)

Baccarat allows you to bet on the player or the banker or you can bet on the two getting a tie.

A quick look at the house edge lets you know what not to bet on:

Player – 1.36% House Edge
Banker – 1.17% House Edge
Tie – 14.4% House Edge

As you can see, with the 14.4% house edge, a tie bet is among the worst bets you can make in a casino.

2 – Big 6 Wheel (a. k. a. Wheel of Fortune)

The big 6 wheel can be one of the more popular attractions in a casino. The wheel consists of slots marked with $1, $2, $5, $10, and $20 sections along with a joker and the casino logo.

The payouts on the wheel are:

$1 – 1 to 1
$2 – 2 to 1
$5 – 5 to 1
$10 – 10 to 1
$20 – 20 to 1
Joker – 45 to 1
Logo – 45 to 1

This game heavily favors the house. The house edge for the $1 is over 11%. For the Joker or the logo, it’s just over 25%, making it one of the worse games in the casino to wager on.

3 – Sic bo (a. k. a. Tai Sai, Dai Siu, Big and Small, or Hi-Lo)

In the 1800s many Chinese immigrants sought fortune when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, California. While many did not find gold, these immigrants set up businesses and worked as laborers in industrial jobs or building railroads.

These immigrants would stick with other Chinese immigrants and share a little bit of their culture and traditions.

Among these were games. One game, in particular, became a popular casino game, Sic bo.

Sic bo (which is Chinese for “precious dice) is a game consisting of 3 dice. Players then bet on the results of the roll.

Some options for betting include:

Big – Total will be 11 – 17 excluding a triple.
Small – Total will be 4 to 10 excluding a triple
Odd – Total will be an odd number excluding a triple
Even – Total will be an even number excluding a triple
Trips – All the dice will have the same number
Specific Doubles – A specific number will appear on 2 of the 3 dice

Unlike craps, where there may be multiple rolls to determine a winner, Sic bo is won or lost with each roll.

While popular, betting on Sic bo isn’t a great way to win in a casino. The lowest house edge is 2.78% on bets like big or small and odd or even, but some of the more complex bets can have a house edge of over 45% depending on the casino. From top to bottom, Sic bo is a wager to avoid.

Keno is another popular game at casinos. Although there are some variations, players will usually choose 20 numbers from a total of 80. Winning numbers are determined by a ball machine or random number generator and are called out like bingo.

Each casino’s payouts are different, and the winnings vary according to how many numbers are matched.

The pace of the game is slow, and it’s a favorite among older players.

Much like the payouts, the house edge on the game will vary by casino, but it’s commonly above 25%, making it a bad choice to bet on if you want to win consistently.

5- Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is based on 5-card stud, but in this game, you’re playing against the dealer instead of each other. There’s also a progressive jackpot element of the game, which is attractive because of the amounts you can win.

The difference in this game is that after all the players get their cards and bet, the dealer must have at least an ace, king, or a higher ranked hand to play.

Also, you have the option of placing a $1 bet to qualify for the progressive jackpot.

If the players beat the dealer’s cards, the player gets even money on the ante, and the following on his bet (with a maximum payout of $5,000 per hand on each bet):

Royal flush – 100 to 1
Straight flush – 50 to 1
Four of a kind – 20 to 1
Full house – 7 to 1
Flush – 5 to 1
Straight – 4 to 1
Three of a kind – 3 to 1
Two pair – 2 to 1
One pair or less – 1 to 1

The progressive jackpot payouts are:

Royal Flush – 100% of Progressive Meter
Straight Flush – 10% of Progressive Meter
Four-of-a-Kind – $500
Full House – $100
Flush – $50

The house edge on this game can range between just over 5% to over 16%. With the house edge this high, it’s best to avoid altogether, especially if you are a novice.

As kids, we all played the game war. One card is dealt to each player and then the dealer, highest card wins. If there’s a tie, the cards that tied are dealt 3 burn cards and the 4^th card determines the tiebreaker.

The casino variation involves placing a bet before the cards are dealt and the high card takes the pot. If there’s a tie, special betting rules apply:

You can surrender, in which case you lose half the bet.
You can go to war, in which case you must double your stake.
If your card is higher than the dealer’s, then you win the amount of your original wager only.
If the dealer’s card is higher than yours, you lose your doubled wager.
If you tie again, then you win the amount of the doubled wager.
Also when a tie occurs, a side bet is offered which you can bet on ties. If you bet on the tie, and your card matches the dealer’s, then you win 10 to 1 on your original wager on the tie bet.

In this game, betting on the tie is a sucker bet. The house has an edge of 18.65%. It’s best to not chance it on a tie.

7 – Let it Ride: Side Bets

Let It Ride is a 5-card poker game where your hand is formed by your own 3 cards and 2 community cards.

This game gives you 2 opportunities to withdraw 1/3 of your initial wager. The first chance occurs after you look at your hand but before the first community card is shown. The second chance occurs after the first community card is shown, but before the second is shown. You can reduce your bet on either of these chances, on both, or neither.

The game gets its name from when you don’t reduce the wager because you are going to “let it ride”.

There’s a side bet element to Let It Ride. When the initial bet is placed, you can place an extra $1 bet on the 3 cards you are dealt. If they match the casino’s paytable, you win the bet. There’s no opportunity to withdraw the side bet during the game.

The main game of Let It Ride has a house edge of about 3.5%, which is high, but not excessive.

But the side bet has a whopping 25.6% house edge, so it’s not a great bet.

Penny and nickel slots typically have high house edges.

This makes sense from the casino’s standpoint, because they aren’t going to make a bundle of money on someone dropping pennies into a machine all day.

These type of machines have a house edge in the 10%-15% range.

Blackjack

Blackjack is a popular game. The goal is to get 21 without going over. Since it’s so popular, most people know the rules, so I won’t rehash all of them here. Suffice to say that you can make quite a few different types of bets when playing blackjack.

But there are a few bad choices to make when wagering on blackjack.

Blackjack is a game of strategy. You need to know when to hit, when to stand, when to double down, and when to split. In addition, you need to know when a dealer is required to hit.

Most of the time a new player will walk in blind to the strategies of blackjack and wind up losing big. I call this hunch play, because all of their movements are based on hunches or gut feelings.

Hunch play can give make the house edge upwards of 25%. Learn the game before you pony up to the table.

10 – Insurance

If the dealer has an ace showing, there’s a possibility that next card may be a 10, jack, queen, or king, which would give him a natural blackjack. Although the insurance bet pays 2 to 1, the dealer will have it less than 1/3^rd of the time. The house edge on the insurance bet is 12.5%.

The roulette table gives players lots of betting options, and many of them can be confusing. When there’s confusion concerning how to bet, there’s the possibility for bad decisions.

Much like blackjack, most people understand the basics of roulette. You pick a number or a color, place your bet, and the ball is dropped on the wheel. The number and color the ball stops on is the winner.

Sounds straightforward, but the betting options make it more complicated. I won’t talk about all the options for betting, as that would be an entire subject on its own. Let’s just talk about the worst choices.

11- The 5-Number Wager

The 5-number wager in roulette is when you place a bet that the ball will land on the 00, 0, 1, 2, or 3. It sounds good because you have a 5 out of 38 chance of hitting a number. The house odds are 6 to 1 on this bet.

But it’s the worst bet on the table. The house has a 7.89% edge on this bet.

Other bets on a double zero wheel don’t have good odds, either. There’s a 5.26% house edge on any bet on the wheel other than the 5 number bet. If you stick to the European single zero roulette wheel, the chances are much better as the house edge is only 2.70%, almost half of the double zero.

Best Odds In Gambling

Craps

Craps is the most exciting game in the casino.

Craps has so many different ways to bet and with these options come several that should be avoided. It has so many, in fact, that this section will round out the list of 20.

Casino Games With Worst Odds

This is an attractive bet because there are 5 totals that you can make. But they have the lowest number of combinations.

Betting the whirl is a bet that the shooter will roll a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 in one roll. This bet has a house edge of 13.33%.

14 – The Horn

Only slightly better than the whirl is the horn. The horn is almost like the whirl except the 7. You are betting that the shooter will roll a 2, 3, 11, or 12 in one roll. This bet has a house edge of 12.5%.

This bet is simply betting that a 6 or an 8 will be rolled before a 7 is rolled by the shooter. The house edge on this bet is 9.1%.

16 – Any 7

This is a bet that the shooter will roll a 7. The house edge on any 7 is 16.1%

A hard 6 is 2 threes. A hard 8 is 2 fours. If you place a bet on either of these options, the house has an edge of 9.09%.

18 – 4 or 10 the Hard Way

A hard 4 is 2 twos. A hard 10 is 2 fives. A bet placed on either of these rolls has a house edge of 11.11%.

Betting on numbers that are contained in the Horn are also bad bets. In this case, a 3 or 11 has a house edge equal to that of a 4 or 10 the hard way, 11.11%.

20 – 2 and 12

Rounding out the top 20 is the 2 and 12 in craps. Either one of these will have a house edge of 13.9%.

Best Odds At Casino

Life involves minimizing risks. The best way to minimize risking your bankroll is to know what you are betting on. Learn the odds. Learn the house edges. Make sure that you aren’t playing a variant of a game that changes all the numbers.

Odds Of Winning At Casino

Walking in blindly to play these games are the best way to walk out with lighter pockets. Along with learning the rules, odds, and house edges to any game, I’ll observe the games I play for a while. Sometimes I’ll just watch for an hour to get the rhythm of the gameplay and a feel for the people that I am about to play around.

With the exception of poker, I try not to play at tables with inexperienced players. They can be distracting. Distractions can lead to bad decisions when betting.