Licences and fairness
RTP of table games: blackjack, roulette, baccarat and craps compared
A hand of blackjack at basic strategy costs under half a percent, a spin on a single zero wheel 2.70, and only the tie bet in baccarat drops into slot territory. That is the RTP of table games in one line: the house keeps less per bet than on almost any slot, provided the player picks the right bet and the right wheel. The figures below come from one reference, and the sections explain which rules move them.
What each table game returns
The house edge is the share of each bet the game keeps over the long run; the return is the rest. The table lists the edge for every game we have a documented figure for, best first, and the return where the reference publishes it.
| Bet | House edge | Return or note |
|---|---|---|
| Blackjack, best rule set, basic strategy | 0.28% | depends on the rule set |
| Blackjack, Atlantic City rules, basic strategy | 0.43% | 99.57% |
| Video poker, jacks or better, full pay | 0.46% | depends on the pay table |
| Baccarat, banker bet | 1.06% | commission included |
| Baccarat, player bet | 1.24% | no commission |
| Craps, pass line | 1.41% | before odds bets |
| Roulette, single zero | 2.70% | 97.30% |
| Roulette, double zero | 5.26% | nearly twice the single zero price |
| Baccarat, tie bet | 14.36% | the worst bet on the floor |
| Slots, typical range | 2% to 15% | set per build, see the panel |
The blackjack and video poker figures assume correct play on every hand. The roulette and baccarat figures need no skill and do not move with it.
Which blackjack rules move the figure
The game is played with one to eight decks of 52 cards, an ace counts one or eleven, cards two to nine count their pips, tens and faces count ten. The aim is a hand closer to 21 than the dealer without passing 21, and the dealer draws on 16 or less and stands on 17 or more. From that base every rule change has a price, and the payout on a natural is the largest.
A blackjack paying 3 to 2 is the standard. A table paying 6 to 5 costs the player 1.39 percent on top of the base edge, and a table paying even money costs 2.27, which turns the best game on the floor into one priced like double zero roulette. A dealer who hits soft 17 costs a further 0.22. Read the felt before you sit: the payout line is printed on it, and the blackjack rules guide walks through the decisions that keep the edge at its printed value.
Important
Basic strategy is the condition, not a bonus. The 0.43 percent Atlantic City figure belongs to a player who hits, stands, doubles and splits by the chart on every hand; a guess on a soft hand is paid for at the table.
Why the zero decides the roulette figure
A single zero wheel carries an edge of 2.70 percent, a return of 97.30: the zero pocket is the pocket the payouts ignore, and it is the whole edge. A double zero wheel adds a second pocket the payouts still ignore, and the edge becomes 5.26 percent, nearly twice the price for the same bets on the same layout. The bet type does not change the figure on a standard table: a straight number and a red or black bet carry the same edge on the same wheel.
Online lobbies carry both wheels and often name neither; the wheel graphic shows the answer. The roulette guide covers the variants the live studios run and what each adds to the base figure.
Baccarat, craps and video poker: one good bet each
Baccarat is three bets with three prices. The banker bet carries 1.06 percent with the commission included, the player bet 1.24, and the tie bet 14.36, which is worse than any slot in our catalogue. A player who only ever bets banker plays a game priced like the best table games; a player who mixes in the tie pays for it every time.
Craps has one bet worth learning first: the pass line at 1.41 percent, before the odds bet that most tables allow behind it. Video poker at a full pay jacks or better table returns all but 0.46 percent to a player who holds the right cards on every deal; a short pay table on the same machine changes the figure, and the pay table is on the screen.
How far behind the slots sit
Slots run at an edge of about 2 to 15 percent depending on the build. The lowest end of that range is the price of single zero roulette; the top end is far above double zero. The popular titles in our catalogue sit at the cheaper end of that range: Gates of Olympus prints 96.50 percent in its panel, and even that build costs several times what a blackjack hand costs.
The difference per bet is not the difference per hour. A slot spins several times a minute; a live table deals a hand a minute or slower. A blackjack player betting ten times the slot stake can lose more per hour at a lower edge. The RTP guide covers the slot side and the two builds one game can carry.
What the figures mean for a bonus
Bonus terms weight games by their edge, and the table explains the weighting. A requirement cleared on a slot at a four percent edge costs the casino a predictable share of the turnover; the same requirement cleared on blackjack at under half a percent costs almost nothing, so the terms count table games at a fraction of the stake or exclude them, and live tables most of all. Betting a bonus on roulette can leave the counter unmoved after an hour.
The wagering guide shows the contribution table in practice. The habit that follows from this page: play tables with cash, play slots with a bonus, and read the eligible games clause before either.
Apply it
Live tables from the studios named in the reviews
Vavada lists Evolution Gaming, Playtech and Vivo Gaming among its studios; the review names the lobby and the cashier for the stakes the tables ask for.
Quick answers
Which table game has the highest RTP
Blackjack played with correct basic strategy: the edge is 0.28 percent under the best rule set and 0.43 under Atlantic City rules, a return of 99.57. Full pay jacks or better video poker is close behind at 0.46. Both figures assume every decision is made correctly; a player who guesses pays more.
Is roulette RTP the same on every table
No. A single zero wheel returns 97.30 percent, an edge of 2.70; a double zero wheel carries an edge of 5.26, nearly twice the price for the same game. Look at the wheel before the first bet, not the table name.
Why is the baccarat tie bet so bad
Because it pays far less than the true odds of a tie. The banker bet carries an edge of 1.06 percent and the player bet 1.24, while the tie bet carries 14.36, which makes it the most expensive wager on the floor by a wide margin.
Why do casinos count table games at a fraction for wagering
Because a low edge would let a player clear a bonus requirement almost for free. A requirement cleared on blackjack at under half a percent per hand costs the casino far less than one cleared on a slot at several percent per spin, so the terms weight tables at a fraction or exclude them.