How to Choose Live Dealer Games by House Edge?

Understanding the house edge is essential for any gambler navigating the world of live dealer games. Our experts will explain what the house edge represents, why it is so important, and how to minimize it!

What is House Edge and Why It Matters

The house edge, or the casino advantage, is an important ratio in casino games. It basically shows how much the casino stands to profit from your bets. This is not, however, reserved just for live games – you’ll come across it in all sorts of casino games like online slots, craps, video poker etc.

Sometimes, you might also see it as Return to Player (RTP), which is 100 minus the house-edge percentage. For example, if an online slot has a 96% RTP, that means it has a 4% casino edge. On the flip side, a blackjack game with a 1% house advantage gives you a 99% RTP.

Top online casinos usually show it in percentages, with most games having odds between 0.5% to 5%. But watch out because some games can have much higher house-edges, ranging from 10% to a whopping 40%. And don’t forget about different types of bets, which can affect your odds. Take the baccarat tie bet, for instance, with its high 14.3% house edge (or 85.7% RTP).

How Does This Actually Impact You?

Theoretically, if you wager $100 on a blackjack game with a 1% house edge, it means you, on average, keep $99 in winnings and lose $1 to the “house” or the casino. This is why, as a rule, we recommend you go for lower-house edge games. However, you will see as we dive into the topic that this rule is not fool-proof.

House Edge Strategy: Tips for Choosing Games

By now, you know that picking a casino game with a low house advantage might help maximize your winning chances. Below, our experts have listed a few tips you can use to select games with the lowest house advantage:

#1. Prioritize Live Games with the Lowest House Edges

Some live casino games have a lower house edge than others. You’ll need to pick games with a low house edge to get the most out of your wager. This means more of your cash returns to you when you win a bet. If you don’t know how to find casino games with low house edges, our experts have listed the best live games with the least house edges below:

#2. Learn and Implement Strategies to Minimize House Edge

Most popular casino games, such as blackjack and baccarat, feature strategies for lowering the house edge. They can also have bets with a lower edge, as you will see below.

Blackjack: Gamblers’ Favourite

Live blackjack is one of the simplest live casino games with the lowest casino edge. It offers better odds than the rest and is also easy to learn. You play a blackjack table game against the dealer, and your objective is to get cards with a total value of close to 21 without going bust—or over 21.

If you are closer to 21 than the dealer, you win. However, if the dealer is closer to 21 than you are, you lose. If the dealer goes bust, you also win, but it’s a tie if nobody wins and bets are returned.

To improve your winning chances in blackjack, we recommend that you use the following blackjack strategies:

• Try to stay away from side bets until you master the base game. Side bets might seem like a change of pace, and they offer good payouts. However, your balance will bleed quickly if you haven’t mastered the base game.
• On the same note, we recommend you stay away from insurance. It might seem like a great way to learn: you are more susceptible to losing your bets, as you don’t know strategy yet, but you still get something back. However, it is better to use live casino bonuses instead, to play with extra bankroll. Try out different strategies for different soft and hard hands.
• Play at live casinos that offer single-deck blackjack. There are blackjack variants with a higher number of decks but a high house advantage. This makes it also easier to count cards and to have an idea of when you might go bust.

Baccarat: Underrated Live Dealer Game

Baccarat is another simple casino card game. Unlike blackjack, the goal is to beat the house by scoring as close to 9 as possible. In this game, you have three betting options which are:

• The player will win – Player Bet
• The banker will win – Banker Bet
• The game will end in a tie – Tie Bet

As you can see, it is a straightforward game. While the house edge usually falls around 2% when in baccarat, some variants may be higher. Some top live baccarat casino games with the best odds include:

• Traditional Baccarat or Punto Banco – 1.24%
• Mini Baccarat: 1.06%
• Speed Baccarat: 1.24%

Regardless of the baccarat variant you settle for, there are strategies you can incorporate to beat the house edge. These include:

• Bet on the banker since they tend to win 51% of the time
• Don’t bet on the tie, as it rarely wins
• Adopt proper bankroll management so you can minimize losses.

Roulette: A Casino Classic

In roulette, you bet on where the ball will land after the wheel stops spinning. If you wagered on the right outcome, you win – simple, right?

There are many variants of live roulette, all with different house edges, including:

• European Roulette: This is the most popular live roulette variant and comes with a single 0 pocket on the wheel. The house edge is 2.70%, which is fair.
• American roulette: This works the same way as European roulette on online gambling sites, except that it has an extra 00 on the wheels. On the downside, the additional 00 increases the house odds to an unfavourable 5.26%.
• French Roulette: This shares some similarities with other European roulette, including a 2.70% casino edge. However, it comes with extra rules like the “En Prison” and “La Partage” rules, which can reduce the house edge to 1.35%.

The great news about this game is that there are roulette strategies you can incorporate to lower the house edge and improve your chances. These include:

• Play European roulette since it has the lowest house edge
• Use outside bets because you have  higher chances of winning with them
• Opt for the En Prison” and “La Partage” rules if available
• Use the Martingale or D’Alembert system to beat a high-house edge

#3. Don’t Fall for the House Edge Illusion

A lower house advantage is not a sure indicator of payouts, which is a common misconception most beginners have. For instance, since there is much emphasis on the RTP or house edge in casino games, players have started to avoid higher-house-edge games, like roulette.

Despite having the lowest house-edge of all, blackjack and baccarat are not your ticket to guaranteed wins! Without creating a good strategy, knowing the odds for some bets, and respecting a clear budget as a responsible gambling strategy, you will not be successful in your live casino endeavours.

And, even if you do so, remember: every casino game is based on luck and the outcome cannot be predicted. The house edge only shows you the casino’s advantage when you opt to play games on the site.

King’s Picks for Live Games According to House Edge

As mentioned, playing games with lower house-edges means more profit for you. If you don’t know where to begin, our experts have found some great titles from top developers to play. It’s also important to choose games from premium providers to have a high-quality stream with good dealers and inclusive betting limits and rules. Register your new casino account and find the games with the most advantageous edge.