A Guide to Casino Games with the Lowest House Edge

Everyone wants to finish ahead when playing at online casinos, but which games are best? We’ve outlined some casino games with the lowest house edges, and offered a few tips to help you out.

Online Casinos and COVID-19

The COVID-19 global pandemic has helped drive interest in online betting sites to higher levels than ever, although it’s worth noting that the trend was rising interest even before the healthcare crisis erupted. Online casinos offer all the games and more of a brick and mortar establishment and do so in a way that’s far safer when there’s an infectious disease on the rampage.

Online casinos can offer plenty of other attractions, such as Canadian no deposit bonus offers and access at any time of the day or night. Veterans from North America can learn more at our link, including how to take advantage of the promotions to play games in the safest way possible. No deposit bonuses entail no risk of losing cash but still present the chance to win real money. And free cash promos can be used to play plenty of low-edge games including table game classics like blackjack and roulette, as well as the latest slots. Better yet, such Canadian online no deposit casinos are usually fully mobile compatible, making them more convenient than ever, as well as offering great promotions, hundreds of games, and more. But if you want an extra bit of info to try and finish ahead, we’ve set out some of the lowest house edge casino games and included one or two pieces of strategic advice to help you have the best shot at making a profit.

Blackjack – the Best Table Game

Think of a casino and one of the first games that springs to mind are blackjack. This straightforward card game is the most widely played casino game in the world and is so old nobody’s quite sure when it was invented. The popularity of blackjack today means that just about every online betting site worth its salt offers not only the basic game but a selection of variations, perhaps even dozens, in addition, to live casino options.

There’s a lot to like about blackjack. Not only does the simplicity of the game make it quick and easy to learn, it also has one of the lowest house edges of any casino game. This house edge can vary according to the particular ruleset and (this is good advice for other games too) generally the simpler the rules the better the value for the player. More complex rules or variations from the usual approach tend to shift the betting odds more in the casino’s favor and make it harder for the player to finish ahead. All else being equal, the house edge of blackjack is about 0.5%, which is very good indeed.

It’s worth noting that that edge is predicated on the player making the mathematically right calls. Obviously, if you play poorly this effectively increases the house edge and decreases the chance of ending up in profit. Luckily, most calls are fairly intuitive (getting more cards when you’re on 11 or under or sticking if you’re on 20 is not terribly difficult to grasp). One thing you should be certain to check is just what number the dealer will stick on as this can affect your own decision-making. And a free tip is to avoid insurance as, on average, this will cost you more than it saves you.

It remains to be seen whether there will be any more lockdowns, with the initial wave causing huge health and economic damage, not least to Native American tribes who rely on brick and mortar casinos for their living. Players may prefer for the sake of safety to continue playing online even should the healthcare situation continue to improve.

Roulette – and Strategy Tips

The second most popular casino table game is another one with a very low edge. Like blackjack, a variety of roulette games are commonplace at pretty much every casino, with French, American, and European styles among the most frequently found. Unlike blackjack, however, the result is random and there’s a lot more in the way of bets you can make.

Players aiming for a safety-first approach might like to spread bets around to cover much of the field, perhaps opting for a color bet (black or red) if one likes to keep things simple. This brings us to an important point, which is that the edge of roulette is substantially altered by the number of zeroes. Always pick a single zero table over a double zero, as the former offers better value for players and a lower house edge for the casino.

Another good piece of advice is to shun the tempting madness of a Martingale-style strategy. Not only are these forbidden at many casinos, but they’re also really bad ideas for players. A play style like this involves doubling stakes whenever one loses, and staying at the same stake if one wins (or reverting to the initial stake size following a win at the end of a losing streak). The problem is that this method increases your chance of a small win but also means any loss is of catastrophic proportions, which is the exact opposite of what a player wants, especially when focusing on value for money. Not only that, even a theoretical player with infinite funds to double forever will end up losing out sooner or later because tables come with upper limits on stakes so you cannot just keep doubling up without hitting that ceiling. In short, avoid this like the plague (for all games, of course).

The house edge on roulette can vary quite a bit. The best games have an edge beneath 1%, but if you play American style (with double zeroes) it’s over 5%. As mentioned before, always go for a single zero table.

High RTP Slots

Although the table games of blackjack and roulette have been around for a long time, the biggest attraction to online casinos today is the broad range of slots available. These vary dramatically in terms of themes, gameplay mechanics, and, critically for this subject, return to player (RTP).

RTP measures the average result a player can expect from a slot game. Around average is 96%. Some can be significantly lower than this, but the best slots for RTP can offer rates of 98-99%. A related but different aspect is the volatility of a slot. Low volatility slots stick more closely to the average results, whereas a slot with the same RTP but higher volatility may have a greater chance of streaks of good or bad luck for the player.

There are literally thousands of online slots to play, and new ones are constantly being developed, but here is a small selection of some especially high RTP games. Low volatility is paired with an RTP of 98.6% with 1429 Uncharted Seas, a Thunderkick game with a fantastic art style all of its own. NetEnt’s original Bloodsuckers slot has a 98% RTP, and a vampiric theme, while Ugga Bugga, by Playtech, has an astonishing RTP of 99.07%.

With revelations emerging that the impact of COVID-19 on those who contract but survive it might include serious heart problems players may be warier than ever of visiting real-world casinos. Fortunately, online betting sites remain robust in the face of the pandemic and lockdowns, and the above games offer low house edges and the best chance of finishing ahead.