All casino games were not created equal. When it comes to wining money, some casino games are better than others. I’m not going to promise that you can win consistently with any casino game, but I can promise that some games give you much better odds than all the rest.
The games that are the best for winning money tend to be those that give you decisions. Games such as blackjack allow you to hit or stand while games like video poker allow you to hold and discard. Decisions allow there to be strategy, and strategy makes it possible to for you to fight the house advantage.
1. Blackjack
Blackjack is by far one of the best games in the casino – but only if you know how to play well. There is quite a bit of strategy involved in hitting, standing, splitting, doubling, surrendering and so on. In fact, entire books have been written about blackjack strategy.
The right strategy can get just about any blackjack game down to below 1% in house advantage. In rare cases, blackjack strategy combined with card counting can even turn the advantage in favor of the player.
The only downside to playing blackjack is that you have to invest time in learning how to play a smart game. It takes time to understand all the rules, the variations of rules and how to make the strategically correct decision every time. But if you take the time to study and learn, blackjack is one of the best casino games for making money.
2. Video Poker
Video poker is comparable to blackjack in that it involves quite a bit of strategy. There are entire books, websites and computer programs dedicated to helping you play a good game of video poker. The strategy for video poker revolves around holding and discarding the right cards based in every situation.
Like blackjack, video poker requires significant time investment to make it worthwhile. There are dozens of video poker variations out there and each one requires a unique strategy. It takes time, but it is worth it in the long run. Some people even manage to earn a living off video poker.
3. Baccarat
Baccarat is the one exception to what I said in the opening paragraphs about the best games involving decisions. Once you choose your bet in baccarat, no further decisions need to be made. Even though it is a simple game, baccarat has a low house advantage.
No real strategy is necessary to minimize the house advantage. All you have to do is bet on the banker every time and you’ll see a house advantage of about 1.01%. You don’t need to memorize complicated strategy cards or keep track of how previous rounds have played out; all you need to do is bet on the banker.
Bets on the “player” outcome have a house advantage of 1.2%, which still isn’t that bad. But even so, the banker option is the best. Whatever you do, stay away from the “tie” bet which has a house advantage of 10% to 15%.
A Little More
I picked the above games because they all have low house advantages. The lower the house advantage is, the more likely it is that you’ll end up with a profit after any single session. Over the long run, these games are the best for your wallet.
The caveat here is that these games are slow and methodical for winning money. The above games don’t have massive, life-changing jackpots. You can still go on hot streaks and win a bunch of money quickly, but you don’t have the opportunity for hitting it big off any one bet.
Games with big jackpots can be considered “money makers” too, but only if you are extremely lucky. Most games with big jackpots (such as slots and the side bets offered at some table games) tend to have a high house advantage.
Just like with most things in life, there are trade-offs in casino games. You can play games with big jackpots, but you have to give up a lot in house advantage. But if you stick with low house advantage games over the long run, your bankroll will thank you.