Which Games Have the Best Odds in Vegas?
By
Jane Shaw
Senior Editor Updated: 06/15/2023
We count on Jane to inform our readers about the latest slot games in the US market. With her passion for video games and a degree in engineering, she’s our gambling tech expert. Jane’s also active in our blog section, where she tackles the curiosities and changes in the industry.
Which Games Have the Best Odds
- An Introduction to the Best Games
- Best Casino Odds: Video Poker
- Blackjack: Fun and Easy to Play
- Craps: Roll Your Way to Riches
- Roulette: Bet, Spin… and Win?
- Casino Games to Avoid
- Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re interested in what games have the best odds in Vegas, this page is for you. We’re going to be talking about the best games with the best odds, so you can make the most out of your Vegas experience. From the spinning wheel of roulette to the strategic play of blackjack, we’re going to cover it all. Let’s get straight into it – and be prepared, because you may be surprised to learn how bad some games really are!
Best Games in Vegas: An Introduction
If you’re at all familiar with gambling, you probably know that not all games are created equal. While all casinos in Nevada are required to adhere to strict standards regarding payouts, this doesn’t mean all games are the same, and to maximize your chances of winning, there are games you should play, and games you should avoid.
For example, games like video poker and blackjack offer some of the best odds in the city, while others like keno and slots can offer some of the worst. Let’s look at the best games to play in Vegas.
Video Poker: The Best Odds in Vegas
Video poker isn’t the most popular casino game in the world, but it’s ideal for two types of player: those who enjoy strategy and those wanting the lowest-possible house edge. The beauty of video poker is that it combines some of the strategic elements of poker with the simplicity of slot machines, and unlike other casino games, it allows you to make decisions that affect the outcome of the game.
Begin by looking at the paytable. This tells you how much you can win every round and gives information on the house edge. Generally speaking, you should look for machines with high payouts for a full house and flush – these are known as “9/6” machines and offer the best odds. When played correctly, the house edge of these machines can be reduced to as little as 0.5%.
Once you’ve found a machine you’re interested in, you should research the optimal playing strategy for it. These are readily available online, and they’ll help guide you on which cards to discard and which to keep every time you play.
Video poker is also one of the few casino games where you tend to gain an edge by betting a larger amount. Generally speaking, you should always bet the maximum when playing, as this often increases the payout for a royal flush.
While it may not be one of the most exciting casino games in the world, video poker gives you the best odds to win in Vegas, and that’s something that will appeal to many.
Blackjack: Fun and Easy to Play
Next on our list is blackjack, a classic card game that offers excellent odds. The key to blackjack is understanding the basic strategy. This tells you the best action to take based on your hand and the dealer’s up card. If you’re looking for the best casino odds in Vegas, and don’t want to play video poker, then blackjack should be at the top of your list. It’s also really easy to play, as you’ll see below.
The first thing you need to understand is how much each card is worth. When you play, you should aim for a hand total of 21 or as close as possible without going over – this is known as “busting”.
Once the game begins, you and all other players are dealt two face-up cards. The dealer deals themselves one face-up card and one face-down card. You then need to decide whether to stand or hit or take advantage of other options like doubling down or splitting. Once you finish your decisions, the dealer will reveal their second card, and if your hand totals closer to 21 than theirs, but hasn’t gone over, you win.
Unlike other games, the decisions you make in blackjack can significantly affect the outcome of the game. As we just noted, you can find out the best decisions to make by following a basic strategy chart, which are readily available free of charge online.
Craps: Roll Your Way to Riches?
If you’re looking to play the best games in Vegas, you can’t miss craps. This iconic dice game is instantly recognizable from its prominent features in casino movies. While the game can seem complicated at first, once you understand the basics, it’s pretty straightforward, and it happens to offer some of the best odds in the casino.
In craps, you’re betting on the outcome of the roll of two dice. The simplest bet is the “Pass Line” bet. This wins if the first roll is a 7 or 11, and loses if it’s a 2, 3, or 12. Any other number becomes the point, and your goal is to roll this number again before rolling a 7.
While there are many other bets in craps, most have higher house edges. Sticking to the Pass Line bet is one of the best strategies for new players, especially as you can often play for a long time with a small bankroll. The game is also incredibly sociable, and it’s one of the only times you’ll get to influence the outcome directly – the shooter, one of the players around the table, is the one who rolls the dice!
Craps is more complex to learn than blackjack, but it offers a house edge as low as 0.5%, depending on the bet you place. If you haven’t played before, you can try playing at the best online casino for craps or find some demos to get an idea of how it works.
Roulette: Bet, Spin… and Win?
Roulette, the iconic wheel of chance, is another of the best games in Vegas. While the game relies entirely on luck, understanding the bets and their payouts can improve your chances of winning. The roulette table offers some decent bets, but some are among the worst in the casino, so watch out.
First, let’s talk about the types of bets. There are two main categories: inside and outside bets. Inside bets include betting on a single number (straight up), a split (two adjacent numbers), or a corner (four numbers). These bets offer pretty high payouts but come with a higher house edge, so you’ll want to avoid these if you’re looking for the best odds in Las Vegas.
On the other hand, outside bets, such as red/black, even/odd, and high/low, have almost a 50% chance of winning (slightly less due to the zero and double-zero), but offer a payout of 1:1, which is nearly reflective of the true odds. Placing even-money bets may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but if you’re looking for the best odds, these are the roulette bets you’ll want to make.
Casino Games to Avoid
Just as there are games with the best casino odds in Vegas, there are also games with the worst, and in this section, we will be showing you a few of the games you should generally avoid playing, as they have high house edges.
Firstly, there’s the slot machine. Slot machines have always held a special place in many gamblers’ hearts as they’re super simple to play, can be really entertaining, and often tempt players with huge jackpots.
However, it’s important to understand that outcomes on slot machines are 100% random, so it’s impossible to use any strategy to improve your odds. The absolute best case scenario with a slot machine is a house edge of 3-4%, but this is rare and generally only seen at legal online casinos. In general, you can expect the house edge of video slots in a land-based casino to vary between 5% and 15%.
Next up is the Wheel of Fortune. While it’s a fun-looking game, it’s one of the worst to play. The game involves betting on the outcome of a spinning wheel, which can land on $1, $5, $10, $20, or a joker. Even when placing a bet on the safest option, the $1 position, the house boasts an 11% edge. Betting on a joker increases the house edge to a giant 24%, so it’s best to avoid this game completely.
Finally, there’s keno – the worst casino game you can play. Keno is a game involving several numbers, 20 of which are randomly selected by machine or random number generator. Players win based on how many of these 20 numbers they correctly picked.
Despite million-dollar jackpots, the odds of you winning at keno are tiny, and the house edge is usually around 20%. This can increase to as much as 40% depending on how you play, so we recommend avoiding it! However playing online at the best online keno sites lowers the house edge somewhat. Here’s a summary of the games to avoid, along with their house edges:
| Game | House Edge |
|---|---|
| Slots | 7%+ |
| Wheel of Fortune | 11%-24% |
| Keno | 20%-40% |
You may have noticed we haven’t discussed poker at all in today’s guide. That’s because poker is a skill-based game, and the better you are, the more money you should win. If you want to play poker online in Nevada, make sure to check out our list of recommended poker sites, all of which are hand-picked and vetted by our team of online gambling experts.
