House Edge: The Sum Behind It and a Live Bet Cost Ranking
By PH365 Editorial Team
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A permanent page, since arithmetic has no seasons: the house edge is the slice of every stake that stays with the casino, averaged over a long run. It tells you what a bet costs, in the same way a price tells you what a meal costs. This entry shows how the percentage is worked out and how eight common live table bets compare, which lets cost, rather than a payout’s glamour, pick your bet.
How the house edge is worked out
Take every possible result of a bet, multiply its profit or loss by its chance, and add those together.
- List the outcomes and their chances.
- Multiply each outcome’s money by its chance.
- Add the results and divide by the stake.
A European roulette bet on red shows the method. ₱100 on red wins ₱100 on 18 of 37 pockets and loses ₱100 on the other 19: (18/37 x ₱100) - (19/37 x ₱100) = -₱2.70. Divide by the ₱100 stake and you have 2.70%. The same sum runs on every bet here, however many outcomes it has, and the casino terms glossary defines the related words.
House edge across eight live table bets
| Rank | Bet | House edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackjack, played to a full decision table | About 0.5% | Depends on house rules |
| 2 | Baccarat Banker | About 1.06% | After the 5% commission |
| 3 | Baccarat Player | About 1.24% | Eight-deck shoe |
| 4 | European roulette, any bet | 2.70% | One zero |
| 5 | Sicbo Big or Small | 2.78% | Lose on any triple |
| 6 | Dragon Tiger, main bet | About 3.73% | When a tie takes half the stake |
| 7 | American roulette, most bets | 5.26% | Two zeros |
| 8 | Baccarat Tie | About 14.36% | At 8 to 1 |
Three bets on the list carry their own full treatment: baccarat third-card rules and commission, the blackjack decision table and the sicbo bet table. Each page explains the rules behind its figure. The dragon tiger tie rule and the roulette wheel comparison carry the remaining two families.
What an edge costs in pesos
Each edge above is the standard figure for the rules named in its row, not a number printed by a studio or by PH365. Multiply the edge by the total you stake, not by the money you brought. The following sums are hypothetical, to show the scale.
| Session | Staked in total | Edge | Expected cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 hands of ₱50 on Banker | ₱5,000 | 1.06% | About ₱53 |
| 100 hands of ₱50 on Dragon | ₱5,000 | 3.73% | About ₱187 |
| 100 spins of ₱50 on an American wheel | ₱5,000 | 5.26% | About ₱263 |
| 100 hands of ₱50 on Tie | ₱5,000 | 14.36% | About ₱718 |
The same ₱5,000 of stakes costs more than thirteen times as much on Tie as on Banker. One practical result follows: the expected cost grows with total staked, so a table that deals twice as fast costs twice as much per hour at the same stake.
House edge and return to player
RTP and house edge are the same figure read from opposite ends: subtract one from 100% and you have the other.
| Bet | House edge | Return to player |
|---|---|---|
| Baccarat Banker | 1.06% | 98.94% |
| European roulette | 2.70% | 97.30% |
| American roulette | 5.26% | 94.74% |
| Baccarat Tie | 14.36% | 85.64% |
Edge alone says nothing about swings. A straight-up roulette number and a bet on red carry the same 2.70%, yet the straight-up hits 1 round in 37 and red nearly 1 in 2, so one budget lasts longer and the other delivers bigger, rarer wins.
The live casino section lists every game in this group, and each room’s help panel holds the terms specific to that table.
How to Get Started
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Find the bet's real percentage
Compare bets by their edge, never by their payout. A large payout on a rare event can still be one of the most expensive bets on the table.
-
Multiply the edge by your total staked
The cost lands on everything you stake, not on what you bring. Rounds multiplied by stake multiplied by edge gives the expected cost of a session.
-
Cut the rounds if you cannot cut the edge
Some tables suit some players regardless of price. Where the game is fixed, playing fewer rounds is the only remaining way to lower the cost.
