subject: Finding the Lowest House Edge [print this page] It's possible that you've heard of the house edge, but have you actually considered what it actually means. It's basically the built-in advantage enjoyed by pretty much every casino in the world. The advantage the house has does vary for each game but lets use roulette as an example in this case.
Roulette is probably the most obvious example, in that the edge is represented by the zero you'll find on every roulette wheel. In fact if you play roulette on an American wheel you'll find two zero slots, effectively doubling their advantage. This equates to a 5.3% advantage in the US and 2.7% in most European casinos with the single zero.
If you place an even money bet on say red or black for example that zero is the spin where the house wins, ensuring you don't have a true 50/50 chance of winning. The original wheels didn't actually have a zero, but in the year of 1842 a casino in France added it to the wheel and they've been there ever since.
So why is this important, well for a start it's the fundamental reason why the house will always win in the long run. All the so-called roulette systems like Martingale and D'Alambert all promise you guaranteed winnings but none of them are able to do anything to nullify this advantage.
It's sometimes easier to think of it in a different way, in that the house edge actually hurts you when you win not when you lose. For example if you covered every single number on a roulette wheel, you'd have to use 38 chips. You'd win of course but the odds returned would be 35-1 leaving you a guaranteed loss.
So whatever game you're playing look at minimizing the house edge, you can do it by being selective in your games. In roulette for instance always play on a European wheel especially those that play special rules like En Prison which further reduce the house edge. You can also reduce the advantage by playing smart, make sensible bets and set targets for when you finish playing.
