Which Gambling Game Has The Best Odds

Posted : admin On 3/31/2022

Placing a $1 bet has the best odds of winning, with only an 11 Percent edge for the house, but also the worst payout. The Joker offers a 36x payout but has a 24 percent edge for the house. Slots: Odds of Winning Around 1 in 49,836,032 You play slots by putting money into a slot machine and pulling a lever or pushing a button to spin a wheel. Feb 25, 2020 Placing a $1 bet has the best odds of winning, with only an 11 Percent edge for the house, but also the worst payout. The Joker offers a 36x payout but has a 24 percent edge for the house. Slots: Odds of Winning Around 1 in 49,836,032 You play slots by putting money into a slot machine and pulling a lever or pushing a button to spin a wheel. In any case, the more money you play at slots, the merrier. Although, penny slots do have the lowest odds. The mechanism is very simple: slot machines are programmed in a way that they’ll make payouts in form of winnings of around 82 and 98% of all the wagers put in the machine by players. You may not have perfected the art of card counting at MIT but blackjack is still one of the best bets you can make at a casino. Even if you’ve never played a single game of blackjack in your life you still have a pretty good chance of coming away with a winning hand as long as you know how to do simple addition.


Of all the ways to lose money in life, gambling is probably the most enjoyable (at least up to a certain point).

When you walk through the doors of a casino, you do so knowing your net worth is probably going to be lower by the time you emerge back into the blinding sunlight, but at least you can get a few free drinks for your troubles.

However, if you want to maximize the number of watered down adult beverages you receive while gambling, it’s important to know which games to play in order to ensure you don’t burn through your funds any quicker than necessary.

In order to do that, you need the answer to one simple question: Which casino games have the best odds?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Games of Chance vs. Games of Skill

Casino games are a lot like cryptocurrencies: you have plenty of options when it comes to taking a risk with your money but there are certain ways to gain an edge if you actually know what you’re doing.

If you don’t want to rely on a computer algorithm, a rolling ball, or a random person tumbling dice, there are a few other places where you might feel right at home.

Which Gambling Game Has The Best Odds In A Casino

For the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume you aren’t Rain Man or someone who enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with knowing you could be hauled into a backroom at any minute if you get caught counting cards.

If either of those labels apply to you, then I doubt you need much advice in the first place.

Which Games Have The Worst Odds?

Before we address the best casino games to win money we should also examine the ones that rip you off the most.

Odds can vary from casino to casino and many of them actually have guides that can tell you which games will give you the best return on your investment. However, they’re a bit less likely to advertise which games are designed to screw you over more than others.

I’m more than happy to take on that burden.

3. Slots

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I know it can be tough to resist the urge of the flashing lights and the alluring gaze of Carrie Bradshaw radiating from The Sex and the City slot machine but you’re doing yourself a severe disservice if you don’t have the self-control required to not sit down.

Slot machines are great because you can sit there for hours on end while establishing a camaraderie with the person bringing you drinks, which the casino is more than happy to provide you with because you’re basically printing money for them.

Odds vary from machine to machine, but one analysis says the house edge can be upwards of 15%. That number will shrink as you play machines with larger betting amounts, but if you’re a penny slots diehard, you might want to rethink your fandom.

2. The Wheel Of Fortune


There’s a pretty small chance you’re ever going to find yourself standing next to Pat Sajak on a set in Los Angeles, so for most people, this game is the closest they’ll ever get to actually playing Wheel of Fortune.

However, unlike actual Wheel of Fortune contestants, you don’t get to walk away with a food dehydrator or a new set of flatware if you lose— and there’s a very good chance you’re going to.

If you’re brave enough to bet on higher amounts, you should do so knowing the casino has up to a 25% house edge. You’ll honestly probably have better luck if you just audition for the show.

1. Keno

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I’m not sure why anyone would play Keno at a casino when you can just go to a sketchy bar or a bowling alley— not to mention that it’s just an objectively boring (and entirely random) game.

You can spice things up a bit if you want to play glorified bingo surrounded by AARP members instead of staring at a screen but you’re not doing yourself any favors either way. Opting for the former comes with a house advantage of up to 16% but that number can balloon to 30% when it comes to the virtual version.

Thankfully, there are more than a few other games you can hit up for the best odds in the casino.

Which Casino Games Have The Best Odds?

4. Roulette


When you consider roulette gives players the chance to basically bet on a coin flip, you’d think it would be one of the best games on the casino floor.

However, the inclusion of the green 0 and 00 actually gives the house a bigger advantage than you’d think. Unlike some other games, the odds never change, which means a casino will statistically have a 5.26% house edge.

There are a variety of different betting strategies that can theoretically increase your odds but there’s still a very good chance you’ll end up losing money in the long run even if you use them.

3. Craps

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There are a million different ways to bet on craps but if you’re new to the game you’re probably just going to want to bet on the Pass Line and yell “Seven!” a lot.

If you choose to adopt that strategy then the casino is looking at a house edge of 1.41%. Sadly, there’s no solid data on whether or not blowing on the dice before a roll impacts that number.

Which Gambling Game Has The Best Odds In Gambling

2. Blackjack


You may not have perfected the art of card counting at MIT but blackjack is still one of the best bets you can make at a casino.

Even if you’ve never played a single game of blackjack in your life you still have a pretty good chance of coming away with a winning hand as long as you know how to do simple addition.

If you did, in fact, go to elementary school, the house only has a .5% edge whenever the cards are dealt.

1. Video Poker

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Sure, video poker might not be as exciting as facing off against a guy rocking sunglasses inside with a pair of Beats over a pulled-up hoodie, but at least you don’t have to deal with the blow to your psyche if you end up losing to him.

If you can track down a Jacks or Better machine, you’re in a position to rake in more money than anywhere else in the casino.

Technically speaking, an inexperienced video poker player has the same shot at winning as a blackjack player does but there are a number of proven strategies that (if applied correctly) result in the house only having an advantage of .46%.

However, an expert at Deuces or Wild can theoretically gain a .7% edge on the casino, so if you happen to have some time on your hands, you might want to start studying up.

Most gamblers focus on games that provide them the most entertainment value for their money. Others look for games with better odds.

Slot machines and the lottery are two of the most popular types of gambling games in the United States and worldwide. So, which game offers better odds, slot machines, or the lottery?

On this page, I’ll discuss the lottery vs. the slots in terms of odds and winnings. Continue reading to learn more below.

Winning Jackpots

Before I get into the details of the real factors like the house edge and return to player, let’s look at why people are so drawn to the lottery and progressive slots.

Winning the lottery offers players the potential to instantly begin a seemingly new life. People are drawn in by the potential to go to bed with a few hundred dollars in the bank and wake up a multimillionaire.

I’m referring to the lottery games with huge payouts like the Powerball and MegaMillions games. I have never met a single person that chatted me up about how they really wish they’d hit four numbers on Power Ball and cash in that $100 ticket.

It would seem that every ticket is bought to match all five numbers plus the Powerball. I mean, $100 is far from terrible for a $2 investment, but it won’t cover the electric bill. No, players spend hours dreaming of how they’ll spend their immense fortune after they hit the jackpot.

I’ll admit, shopping for a new Ferrari sounds like more fun than paying the internet bill. Unfortunately, only a handful of lottery players will ever get that opportunity. The largest Powerball jackpot in history was pushing $1.6 billion. That’s the kind of money many people can’t even fathom.

Progressive slots also provide instant entry into the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The most famous and lucrative of the progressive slots is Nevada’s Megabucks.

Megabucks gives players the chance to turn $3 into over $10,000,000. You may choose to play for $1, but you’ll be playing for a much smaller top prize.

If you’re one of the lucky few that see three jackpot reels line up on a $3 spin, you’ll be handsomely rewarded.

Odds of Hitting a Massive Payday

Huge multi-state lotteries like Powerball typically pay out around 50%. Most of the winners on a gigantic lottery game are small prizes.

For example, in the Powerball game, you have a 1 in 38 chance of hitting the Powerball and doubling your $2 investment.

As the prize amounts increase, your odds decrease dramatically. Remember that $100 prize I mentioned earlier? Your odds of winning it are a sobering 1 in 36,525. Indeed a tremendous gap for a relatively short jump in money.

Most people would consider a $50,000 win worthy of a celebration. After taxes, you could pay off some or all of your debt and have enough left for a modest used car. Unfortunately, the odds of matching four numbers and getting the Powerball are 1 in 913,129. It’s not quite 1 in a million, but close enough to paint a picture.

If you are like most lottery players, these numbers mean nothing to you. You came to dance, and nothing short of hitting the jackpot will fulfill your dreams. Well, you probably know the odds aren’t in your favor. So, I’ll cut to the chase…

Your odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are an astronomical 1 in 292,201,338.

What about the Megabucks slots? Megabucks actually gives you much better odds at hitting the jackpot. Of course, the jackpots rarely reach the massive numbers of the lottery.

However, the average jackpot size is around $10 million. I don’t run in circles where not one of us could use an extra $10 million. You may even hit the jackpot when it climbs close to $40 million as one anonymous gambler did back in 2003.

Wherever the jackpot happens to sit at any given time, your odds are roughly 1 in 50,000,000. It’s still not great, but that’s considerably better than the Powerball lottery.

Scratch-Offs

Scratch-off lottery tickets can be purchased at just about any convenience store or gas station in many US states. These instant win games can be purchased for as little as $1.

I am of the variety that rarely carries cash anymore. But I’ll sometimes see a couple of singles in my wallet leftover from my tipping fund or maybe some golf winnings. I enjoy dropping $2 to $5 on a ticket and seeing if I can’t surprise my wife with flowers or whatever she happens to have on her wish list.

Rarely have I won any significant cash, but for as little as I play, I’m definitely in the black. Scratch-offs may start at $1, but the games in some areas can go all the way up to $50.

The amount of the top prize will depend significantly on the price of the ticket. Purchasing a $1 ticket may net you a top prize between $500 and $5,000. The big scratch-off prizes are reserved for the high dollar tickets. For example, the state of Texas offers a $50 game named “$200 Million Ca$h” with four top prizes of $5 million.

Your odds of hitting the top prize will vary depending on how many tickets pay the maximum amount. It will undoubtedly be an extremely slim chance of striking gold.

Casino Slots

Real money slots come in as many varieties as scratch-off tickets. Walk into any Las Vegas casino, and you’ll be greeted by a sea of slot machines.

Casino slots can range from the standard spinning reel models to the latest video slots with over 20 pay lines and high definition graphics. Just like their vastly different appearances and levels of immersion, the money can be very different.

As a whole, casino games generally pay based on how much you wager. Imagine you place $10 on an even money roulette bet. If you win, you get $20. That’s your original wager plus a $10 profit. Slots are slightly different and yet the same.

For instance, a slot machine may have a $1 bet as the standard bet. Yet, you may have the option to increase that up to say $5 to activate multipliers for your winning. Additionally, you can choose how many lines to play. It can get tricky here because, obviously, betting max lines will increase your investment.

A standard rule for slots is to play at a denomination where you can comfortably play for hours while keeping your bankroll from reaching zero. Return to player on slots is typically a minimum of 83%. However, you’ll rarely find such low odds in Vegas or any other central casino hub.

Most significant casinos will payout at between 90% to 95%. Some places may be smaller, usually the penny slots or low denomination machines.

Looking at that number, one fact becomes crystal clear—slots pay out at a much higher percentage than the lottery. If your main goal is to enjoy small incremental wins, you’ll probably have a much better time playing slots than the lottery.

After all, even the smallest wins on a slot machine can be incredibly exciting for most players. You’re bombarded by ringing bells, flashing lights, and even the sound virtual coins plinking into your bank.

Game

Which Casino Game Has The Best Odds Of Winning

Slots or Lottery

Lottery jackpots are the go-to get-rich-quick scheme in the United States. Millions of tickets are sold every week for the Powerball and Megamillions drawings.

Which Gambling Game Has The Best Odds

People spend countless hours fantasizing about winning a massive jackpot even though they have an exponentially better chance of being struck by lightning not once, but twice in their lifetime.

Lottery scratch offs could net you some smaller wins along the way, but the top prizes are still unlikely. Slots are your best bet if you’re strictly looking at your odds of winning. Even the vast Megabucks progressive gives you a much better chance at an early retirement than the lottery.

The payouts are so much higher on slots than the lottery that it’s really not a competition. To put it in perspective, the theoretical difference boils down to this. If you put $100,000 into a slot machine for an hour, you could leave with $95,000.

Put the same $100,000 into lottery tickets, and at best, you’re walking away with $50,000. Despite being one of the highest house advantages in any casino, slots still has much better odds than the lottery.

Conclusion

I’m not here to tell you to steer clear of the lottery, especially if that’s your favorite game or an essential hobby to you.

Which Gambling Game Has The Best Odds In Las Vegas

However, you should understand that your odds of winning are minuscule. It’s almost a certainty that you are never going to hit a lottery jackpot.

Of course, someone’s going to win. So, it might as well be you.

If you’re concerned about getting the most from your entertainment dollar or enjoy winning, stick to the slots.