Table-game RTP: match the return to the wager
The RTP of table games belongs to a particular wager and rule set. Pragmatic Play's classic Baccarat lists 98.94% for Banker; ordinary single-zero roulette returns about 97.30% in an equal-pocket model. Blackjack's published optimum also depends on the decisions made during the hand. Match those conditions before using a percentage to choose a table.
Start with the wager you would actually place
Roulette: count the zeros and check the position
An ordinary single-zero wager and an eligible French La Partage wager use the same number of pockets but settle zero differently. American Five has its own payout and return. A percentage beside the game title cannot describe all those positions at once.
Baccarat: choose the bet, then the commission rule
Classic Player, Banker and Tie have separate published returns. The named No Commission version changes how a winning Banker 6 is paid. Its name alone does not establish a better return than classic Banker.
Blackjack: the optimum includes a policy
Evolution's Classic section publishes an optimal 99.29% for main blackjack. Perfect Pairs, 21+3 and Cash Out have separate figures. A permitted Hit, Stand, Double or Split is a legal action; that does not make it the optimal action for the cards in front of you.
Return includes the stake that comes back
Gross return is everything credited from a wager, including a returned winning stake or a push. Net profit subtracts the money committed. For a hypothetical €1 roulette straight-up winner paying 35:1, gross return is €36 and profit is €35. A losing €1 wager returns €0 and loses €1. Leaving the returned stake out of the calculation would understate RTP.
For a fixed wager with an explicit outcome model:
Expected return ratio = sum of (outcome probability × gross return) ÷ stake.
House edge = 1 − expected return ratio, provided both use that same stake basis. Multiply either ratio by 100 to express it as a percentage. A 97.30% return and a 2.70% edge describe complementary parts of the same model, subject to rounding.
For a recorded period, actual RTP is 100 × total gross returns ÷ total stakes, with nonzero total stakes and matching units. Count stakes funded from earlier winnings again when they are wagered again. A hypothetical ten rounds at €6 each creates €60 of turnover; an initial €20 deposit would still be a funding amount, not the denominator. That example does not promise that €20 will fund all ten rounds.
Roulette: four calculations with different zero rules
These models use the ordinary cash-wager rules in Evolution's roulette rulebook and assume every pocket is equally likely. They calculate theoretical expectations, not measured wheel performance or a sequence of spins. Winning stakes are included in gross return. Feature, multiplier and bonus wagers need their own rules.
Zero rules change the modelled edge
- Ordinary single zero2.70%37 pockets · ordinary one-number wager
- Ordinary double zero5.26%38 pockets · ordinary one-number wager
- American Five7.89%38 pockets · 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 at 6:1
- Eligible French La Partage1.35%37 pockets · stated protected even-money wager
Ordinary single-zero roulette
The wheel has 1 to 36 and 0: 37 pockets. A fixed one-unit straight-up bet has one winning outcome returning 36 units and 36 losing outcomes returning zero.
Return: (1/37 × 36) = 36/37 ≈ 97.30%. Edge: 1/37 ≈ 2.70%.
The ordinary paytable preserves the same product of coverage and gross payout:
- Straight-up
- Covered pockets: 1
- Winning profit payout: 35:1
- Split
- Covered pockets: 2
- Winning profit payout: 17:1
- Street
- Covered pockets: 3
- Winning profit payout: 11:1
- Corner
- Covered pockets: 4
- Winning profit payout: 8:1
- Line
- Covered pockets: 6
- Winning profit payout: 5:1
- Column or dozen
- Covered pockets: 12
- Winning profit payout: 2:1
- Red/Black, Even/Odd, low/high
- Covered pockets: 18
- Winning profit payout: 1:1
Add the returned stake to each profit ratio. Each position gives 36/37 under this model. Their different chances of a paying outcome do not create different RTPs.
Ordinary double-zero roulette
American Roulette and Dual Play American Roulette add 00, making 38 pockets. With the same ordinary payout ratios, a fixed straight-up wager returns 36 units on one outcome and zero on the other 37.
Return: (1/38 × 36) = 36/38 ≈ 94.74%. Edge: 2/38 ≈ 5.26%.
The ordinary outside bets cover neither 0 nor 00. The extra pocket lowers the return while the straight-up payout remains 35:1. Five is the important exception to the ordinary 94.74% calculation.
American Five
Five covers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 and pays 6:1 profit, so a winning one-unit wager returns seven units gross. There are five paying outcomes among 38.
Return: (5/38 × 7) = 35/38 ≈ 92.11%. Edge: 3/38 ≈ 7.89%.
For a hypothetical €2 Five wager, a covered result such as 00 returns €14 gross, or €12 profit. An uncovered result returns €0 and loses €2. The game's published optimal 94.74% does not describe this wager.
French La Partage on an eligible even-money bet
Evolution's named French Roulette, French Roulette Gold and Auto Roulette La Partage rules return half the original stake on zero for Red/Black, Even/Odd and 1 to 18/19 to 36. On a one-unit eligible wager, 18 outcomes return two units each, 18 return zero, and zero returns 0.5 units.
Return: (18/37 × 2) + (18/37 × 0) + (1/37 × 0.5) = 73/74 ≈ 98.65%. Edge: 1/74 ≈ 1.35%.
The 36.5 units in the numerator are the sum of gross returns across the 37 possible outcomes of one fixed one-unit wager. Divide by 37 because those outcomes are equally likely. They are not one round's return or a set of simultaneous bets on every number.
Columns, dozens and ordinary inside bets receive no half-stake refund under this clause. Those unprotected wagers retain 36/37, about 97.30%, in the same equal-pocket model. A French title is useful only together with the exact zero rule and the position you choose.
A €6 layout: money returned can still mean a loss
Take this hypothetical ordinary single-zero layout: €1 on 17, €2 on Odd and €3 on the second dozen, 13 to 24. Total exposure is €6 per round. The currency is chosen for the example; it does not identify any table's available currency or limits.
On 17, all three positions win. Their gross returns are €36, €4 and €9, adding to €49. Subtract the full €6 placed to get €43 profit. On 19, only Odd and the second dozen pay: €4 + €9 = €13 gross and €7 profit. On 1, the Odd position returns €4 but the layout loses €2 overall.
Every possible pocket is included in these groups:
- 17
- Outcomes: 1
- Gross return: €49
- Net result after €6 staked: +€43
- 13, 15, 19, 21, 23
- Outcomes: 5
- Gross return: €13
- Net result after €6 staked: +€7
- 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24
- Outcomes: 6
- Gross return: €9
- Net result after €6 staked: +€3
- 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35
- Outcomes: 12
- Gross return: €4
- Net result after €6 staked: −€2
- 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36
- Outcomes: 13
- Gross return: €0
- Net result after €6 staked: −€6
There are 37 outcomes: 1 + 5 + 6 + 12 + 13. Some money returns on 24 of them, while the whole layout makes a profit on only 12. Coverage, a paying position and a profitable round are different quantities.
With equal pocket probabilities, expected gross return is (1 × €49 + 5 × €13 + 6 × €9 + 12 × €4 + 13 × €0) ÷ 37 = €216/37 per €6 round. Dividing by the €6 stake gives 36/37, about 97.30%. Expected net result is €216/37 − €6 = −€6/37, about −€0.162 per round in this model. This average is not an outcome the layout must produce on any particular spin.
Move that same layout to the named French rule
Only the €2 Odd wager receives La Partage protection. On zero it returns €1. The €1 straight-up stake and €3 dozen stake return nothing, leaving €1 gross and a €5 net loss. All 36 nonzero results keep the settlements shown above; split zero out of the last group to leave 12 unprotected losing numbers plus this one half-refund outcome.
The protected €2 has return 73/74; the other €4 has return 36/37. The full layout therefore has:
(€4 × 36/37 + €2 × 73/74) ÷ €6 = 217/222 ≈ 97.75%.
The full-outcome cross-check is €217 ÷ 37 ÷ €6 = 217/222: the European numerator of €216 gains exactly €1 from the zero refund. The resulting edge is 5/222 ≈ 2.25%. Applying the protected 98.65% to all €6 would give the unprotected straight-up and dozen stakes a refund they do not receive.
Blackjack's published optimum belongs with its rules
The following figures come from distinct sections of Evolution Services' Game Rules document version 2.7.4. That is a document version, not an observed current game build. They are separately published figures; the labels and decision conditions travel with them.
Evolution Blackjack Classic A to Z / 1 to 100
Published optimal main-game payout: 99.29%. The section uses eight decks, natural blackjack paying 3:2 and a dealer who stands on soft 17. It allows Double on two initial cards, forbids Double after Split, permits one split and gives each split Ace only one additional card.
These rules determine which decisions exist and how they settle. The optimal figure assumes the appropriate play policy. It is not the return of arbitrary choices, and it excludes Cash Out from the game's optimal strategy. A complete optimal decision chart cannot be reconstructed from the payout percentage alone.
Evolution First Person Blackjack
Published main-game figure: 99.28%. Its own section uses eight decks shuffled before each game, with no Double after Split and one split. The separate value should not be replaced with Classic's 99.29% merely because both names contain Blackjack or their rule summaries look similar.
Ezugi Blackjack table family
Published main-game figure: 99.5%. Its rule table allows Double after Split, uses eight decks cut around the middle of the shoe and stands on soft 17. That is a distinct rule context. The difference from Classic is not a quantified estimate of the effect of Double after Split alone; several conditions and the published model belong to the whole named implementation.
Doubling changes the money exposed
Suppose an illustrative main stake is €10. Doubling adds another €10 and gives one additional card: €20 is committed to that hand. Splitting creates two separately staked hands at €10 each. In Classic, the rule forbidding Double after Split limits the next action even though Double was allowed on the original hand.
An optimal theoretical percentage and the amount initially placed are therefore insufficient to calculate expected cash loss for an arbitrary series of doubled or split hands. The published figures above do not specify a common original-hand-versus-total-committed denominator clearly enough for that conversion here. Keep them as qualified published values; calculate actual recorded return from the complete stakes and credits for the period being measured.
Optional payments keep their own figures
- Main blackjack
- Published figure: 99.29%
- What the figure belongs to: Optimal main-game play; Cash Out excluded from the game's optimal strategy
- Perfect Pairs
- Published figure: 95.90%
- What the figure belongs to: Separate wager on the initial pair
- 21+3
- Published figure: 96.30%
- What the figure belongs to: Separate wager on the player's first two cards plus dealer upcard
- Cash Out
- Published figure: 96.80%
- What the figure belongs to: Published Cash Out figure; the payment varies with the hand and dealer upcard
The separate Classic side-wager paytables use profit payout ratios on the side stake:
- Perfect Pairs: Perfect Pair
- Winning profit payout: 25:1
- Perfect Pairs: Coloured Pair
- Winning profit payout: 12:1
- Perfect Pairs: Mixed Pair
- Winning profit payout: 6:1
- 21+3: Suited Trips
- Winning profit payout: 100:1
- 21+3: Straight Flush
- Winning profit payout: 40:1
- 21+3: Three of a Kind
- Winning profit payout: 30:1
- 21+3: Straight
- Winning profit payout: 10:1
- 21+3: Flush
- Winning profit payout: 5:1
Those ratios are not the probability of the combinations or the return of the main hand. Ezugi's separate 21+3 table pays 25:1 for Three of a Kind; importing Classic's 30:1 would change the comparison.
Cash Out applies only to the main stake and ends that hand. Its value changes with your total and the dealer's upcard; the Classic paytable gives a payment range of 0.4 to 1.77 times the main stake. It is not a fixed-half surrender button. Neither its payment range nor the separate 96.80% figure describes every particular Cash Out offer.
Adding a side wager adds another stake with its own settlement. It does not turn a €10 main stake plus a €2 side stake into €12 all receiving the main game's optimal percentage. A weighted combined Blackjack return would also need compatible published stake definitions and the actual decision policy; the displayed percentages alone do not establish those inputs.
Classic baccarat: Banker, Player and Tie are different bets
Pragmatic Play's Live Baccarat Game Help v3.4 describes eight decks and compulsory drawing. You choose the wager; the dealer follows the drawing rules for both hands. There is no player Hit or Stand choice to improve one hand after the deal.
- Banker
- Published theoretical RTP: 98.94%
- Winning profit payout: 0.95:1
- A tied hand: Original Banker stake returned
- Player
- Published theoretical RTP: 98.76%
- Winning profit payout: 1:1
- A tied hand: Original Player stake returned
- Tie
- Published theoretical RTP: 85.64%
- Winning profit payout: 8:1
- A tied hand: Winning Tie wager pays
The classic rules identify Banker at 98.94% as the optimal return based on the Banker wager. This is the highest published figure among these three classic main bets. It describes that named wager and settlement, not a 98.94% chance of winning a hand. The Tie wager's larger 8:1 profit payout accompanies a much lower published RTP.
The commission is already in 0.95:1
A hypothetical €10 winning classic Banker stake earns €9.50 profit and returns the €10 stake: €19.50 gross. The 0.95:1 ratio already includes the 5% commission effect. Deducting another 5% from that payment would charge it twice. Likewise, the published classic Banker RTP already describes its own settlement; it does not need another commission subtraction.
No Commission changes a winning Banker 6
The named No Commission rules pay ordinary winning Banker outcomes at 1:1, with a 0.5:1 profit exception when Banker wins with a total of 6. A hypothetical €10 winning Banker 6 returns €15 gross and €5 profit. A different winning Banker total returns €20 gross and €10 profit. A losing or tied Banker 6 does not trigger that winning payment.
That settlement contrast explains why removing a stated commission does not by itself prove a higher RTP. Compare the complete payout rule before transferring a classic figure to a No Commission table.
Keep the baccarat side returns separate
- Player Pair
- Published theoretical RTP: 89.64%
- Banker Pair
- Published theoretical RTP: 89.64%
- Either Pair
- Published theoretical RTP: 86.29%
- Perfect Pair
- Published theoretical RTP: 86.97%
- Player Bonus
- Published theoretical RTP: 97.35%
- Banker Bonus
- Published theoretical RTP: 90.63%
These percentages belong to six different named wagers. Player Bonus and Banker Bonus are wager names here, rather than casino deposit promotions. A side wager has its own stake even when it is placed in the same round as Banker or Player.
The No Commission Super 6 position is another separate wager. In the documented rules it requires at least one main bet and cannot exceed that main stake. Calling it insurance does not merge its stake, payout or return with the main Banker wager.
Which comparison is useful when you want a lower house edge?
Within the roulette models above, an eligible La Partage even-money wager has a 1.35% edge, ordinary single-zero positions about 2.70%, ordinary double-zero positions about 5.26%, and American Five about 7.89%. These comparisons share an explicit fixed-stake, equal-pocket basis. They tell you precisely which change in wheel or settlement produced the difference.
For the named classic baccarat main bets, Banker has the highest published return, followed by Player and then Tie. That conclusion remains within Pragmatic Play's classic rules. A No Commission name or a side wager needs its own answer.
Blackjack's published optimal figures provide another kind of comparison: an exact implementation plus a policy. The higher printed number does not supply the policy or establish how your own changing hand exposure should be counted against a roulette stake. Choose a ruleset you understand, then keep its return label attached to its assumptions.
Match the number to the table before placing a wager
- Identify the exact game and version of the rules. Distinguish ordinary roulette from feature wagers, Classic Blackjack from First Person or Ezugi, and classic baccarat from No Commission. A shared provider name does not make those rules interchangeable.
- Read the settlement for your chosen position. Count 0 and 00, find the exact La Partage eligibility, check natural blackjack payout and split rules, or identify the winning Banker-6 exception. Keep optional side stakes and Cash Out separate.
- Check what the displayed percentage assumes. A published optimal main-game value requires its policy; a roulette derivation requires its pocket and payout assumptions. Do not attach one figure to every position on the layout.
- Count the whole amount committed. Pragmatic's documented baccarat interface shows all round stakes in Total Bet; selecting Table Name/Table Limits opens Bet Limits & Payouts for each wager. Rebet repeats previous stakes and Double doubles all placed stakes up to limits, so review the total after using either control.
For a specific table, use its own displayed rules and per-wager limits to match these conditions. The examples describe the named published implementations and explicit models; they do not establish which table, currency or account is available at a particular casino. Continue with the detailed roulette, blackjack or baccarat rules for the game you are comparing.
Continue with the rules for your chosen game
Use the detailed rule explanation for the wager you want to compare.
For the casino itself, compare its account, bonus and payment conditions separately from the game's theoretical return.
Questions and answers
Is my deposit the denominator when calculating actual table-game RTP?
Use total stakes for the recorded period: actual RTP = 100 x total gross returns / total stakes, with nonzero stakes and matching units. Gross returns include returned winning stakes and pushes. Replayed winnings count again as stakes. Ten hypothetical €6 rounds create €60 of turnover; a €20 starting deposit is the funding amount. That does not mean €20 will fund all ten rounds.
Does Evolution Classic Blackjack's 99.29% cover side bets and Cash Out?
The 99.29% is the published optimal main-game figure for Evolution Blackjack Classic A to Z / 1 to 100 in Game Rules document version 2.7.4. It assumes appropriate play and excludes Cash Out from the optimal strategy. Perfect Pairs, 21+3 and Cash Out have separate published figures, so the main-game number does not cover them.
Which classic baccarat main bet has the highest published RTP?
In Pragmatic Play's classic Live Baccarat Game Help v3.4, Banker is highest among the three main bets at 98.94%, followed by Player at 98.76% and Tie at 85.64%. Winning Banker bets pay 0.95:1 profit, which already includes the 5% commission effect. The RTP is not the chance of winning a hand.
