Every game has a house edge
When you play at an online casino, there is always a house edge for the casino. The providers have high costs to offer you a safe gaming environment. After all, the selection of games and good customer support cost money. The same goes for the bonus offers from which you can benefit. With the house edge, the casino ensures that it earns money and does not lose money.
Whether you win depends on chance despite the house edge. This does not mean that part of your money will be taken away from you. But the house edge is included in the profit margin. With this guide, we want to explain everything you need to know about it.
House edge in casino games
The term house edge may sound a little strange at first. It originates primarily from the time when the casino was called the bank in table games. The house or the bank always had the better chance on its side. As a rule, it just says that a casino makes money in the long run on every game. If the house edge did not exist, the provider would even make a loss in case of doubt and could no longer offer the games.
However, there are big differences between different games, because not all of them are equally lucrative for the casino. If you know which games have a lower house edge, you can better estimate your chances of winning. Especially when it comes to trying out a new game, this is a good starting position. Make sure that the chances of winning are only theoretical. In the end, only your fortune decides whether you win.
Games with different house edge
The house edge is not a fixed amount or percentage for each game. The value can vary for different games. In addition, each online casino sets its own amount. So you can’t automatically assume that you’ll get the same deal everywhere you play. Most providers do not make the value very well known. For slots, it is already set by the software developers. This is where the RTP comes from. The difference includes the share that the casino and the software provider earn. With table games, things usually look different again.
- Baccarat, craps and blackjack, among others, have the lowest house edge. This is primarily due to the fact that these are strategy games. If you use the right strategy and you are also lucky, you can beat the casino and win. You can manage Blackjack to have a house edge of 0.5%. While Baccarat (1% – 15.75%) and Craps (0% – 16.5%) can be very different.
- Video Poker is another game you should look at if you are interested in a low house edge. The value here is 0.45% with side bets also factored in.
- The popular online slots have very different house odds. The value ranges from 2% to 15% and can be influenced by paylines and the number of reels. New features such as feature buying also affect it.
- Roulette is one of the most popular casino games. A strategy usually does not help you very much here. It is really a pure game of chance and fortune. For the casino, it means a house edge between 5.2% and 7.9% and always brings in a profit.
Influencing the house edge
Again and again players have tried to influence the house edge or trick the casino. But you have to be honest and accept that it is not possible. Tricks on how to win more at the slot machine do not exist. Even if there is always someone who claims to have found a way to win guaranteed. The random number generator cannot be manipulated by tricks.
In the real casinos, there were often players who tried to gain an advantage by counting cards. But casinos have become just as inventive. Security systems have been introduced to prevent just that. Those who are caught doing this must expect the cancellation of all winnings and a ban from the casino. The same can happen to you in an online casino if you try to cheat.
You only have a better chance if you choose a card game and apply a strategy. You have just as little guarantee of winning, but you can influence the course of the game with a good strategy. There are different strategies for Blackjack, Baccarat or Poker. However, you need to gain a little experience and try out which one suits your playing behaviour.
Control your gambling behaviour
It is important to know that there is a house edge. This will help you to control your gambling behaviour. You must always expect to lose and should not assume that you have to win. If you make a loss, do not try to win it back in the following games. This will lead to you no longer having fun playing. If you try hard to win, you will increase your bets and lose control. This can’t end well and you won’t change the house edge this way either.
RTP value in the online casino
As already mentioned, you will find more information about the RTP than about the house edge in online casinos. The RTP value (Return to Player) indicates how much of the stakes of all games are paid out again over time. In the online casino, the value is significantly higher than in the landbased casino. Of course, you can always pay attention to the RTP when choosing a game. If you use the percentage as a criterion for your chance of winning, you should also consider the volatility. Because only the combination tells you whether a slot is worthwhile.
If you have a high RTP and a low volatility, you will win more often. With a high volatility, your risk is greater. But your winnings are also greater, although they occur much less frequently. Slots with high volatility often have a lower RTP because they pay out only rarely but then a high profit. You always have to decide which of the two variants suits your balance and your playing behaviour better. If your budget is not too large, you should rather not take too high a risk.
Responsible gambling at the online casino
To have fun, you must play responsibly at all times. Online casinos now offer you a number of tools to help you do this. You can set your betting limit or limit your deposits. These options help you to control yourself so that you don’t lose track of your gambling behaviour. Problem gambling can lead to addiction and you can prevent this. We have created a separate guide where you can learn more about responsible gambling. Don’t try to avoid the house advantage or trick the casino. If you keep your gambling behaviour under control, you will have more fun playing. The online slots and table games are for your entertainment. It is important that you are always aware of this and you realise only fortune decides whether you win or not.
