Ten best casino games

Adding in Texas Hold 'Em Bonus, this is now a top-13 list.

Rank	Game	Rules	Standard deviation	House edge	Element of Risk
1	Blackjack	2d, S17, DAS	1.14	0.26%
2	Craps	345x	4.91	1.41%	0.27%
3	Spanish 21	H17, DDD		0.42%
4	Video poker	9-6 Jacks	4.42	0.46%	0.46%
5	Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em	Ante	4.94	2.19%	0.53%
6	Texas Hold 'em Bonus	Ante	3.51	2.04%	0.53%
7	Blackjack Switch	H17, 6d		0.58%
8	Free Bet Blackjack			1.04%
9	Baccarat	Banker	0.93	1.06%	1.06%
10	Crazy 4 Poker		3.13	3.42%	1.09%
11	Roulette	French rule		1.35%	1.35%
12	Mississippi Stud		9.84	4.91%	1.37%
13	High Card Flush		1.63	2.64%	1.54%

I do think I'm going to make two lists between old and new games.

Classic Games

Rank	Game	Rules	House edge	Element of Risk
1	Blackjack	2d, S17, DAS	0.26%	0.00%
2	Craps	345x	1.41%	0.27%
3	Video poker	9-6 Jacks	0.46%	0.46%
4	Baccarat	Banker	1.06%	1.06%
5	Roulette	French rule	1.35%	1.35%

New Games

Rank	Game	Rules	House edge	Element of Risk
1	Spanish 21	H17, DDD	0.42%
2	Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em	Ante	2.19%	0.53%
3	Texas Hold 'em Bonus	Ante	2.04%	0.53%
4	Blackjack Switch	H17, 6d	0.58%
5	Free Bet Blackjack		1.04%
6	Crazy 4 Poker		3.42%	1.09%
7	Mississippi Stud		4.91%	1.37%
8	High Card Flush		2.64%	1.54%

What is your opinion on whether Spanish 21 should be an old or a classic game? I know I was playing it a lot in Atlantic City in the late 90's.

Though technically not a casino game, aren’t NFL & MLB underdog bets slightly positive EV?

Quote: Wizard

What is your opinion on whether Spanish 21 should be an old or a classic game? I know I was playing it a lot in Atlantic City in the late 90's.

I don't know if "classic" is the correct word. How about "traditional?" Either way, I believe you have it split correctly. But I could see Video Poker going either way.

Quote: Ace2

Though technically not a casino game, aren’t NFL & MLB underdog bets slightly positive EV?

I was very strongly thinking of adding them to the list. It depends on the sample size you have, but in general I would say there is a small house edge, around 1%.

I decided to keep the list together after all. That said, here is my unpublished article Top 13 Best Bets in the Casino. I consider this in the proofreading stage. That said, please have a look. I welcome all comments.

In my article, I have the following basic strategy quiz. It is based on the following rules: six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, surrender allowed, re-splitting allowed.

1. Ace-7 against a 9?
   
2. Ace-2 against a 5?
   
3. 4-4 against a 6?
   
4. Total of 16 against a 10?
   
5. Total of 12 against a 2?
   
6. 9-9 against a 9?
   
7. 8-8 against a 10?
   
8. Total of 9 against a 3?
   
9. 6-6 against a 4?
   
10. Do you accept "even money" with a blackjack against a dealer ace?
    

Click the button below for the answers.

Quote: Wizard

...That said, please have a look. I welcome all comments.

You double with 6-6 against a 4? That can't be right. I suspect you split, not double.

If so, I only got one wrong out of the ten questions. :)

Edit: Ha. This e-mail was composed before I saw your last post. Confirmed... according to your chart, it does appear it's a split, not a double.

Quote: Wizard

In my article, I have the following basic strategy quiz. It is based on the following rules: six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, surrender allowed, re-splitting allowed.

Does blackjack pay 3:2, 6:5 or 1:1 ?

Quote: EdCollins

You double with 6-6 against a 4? That can't be right. I suspect you split, not double.

Ooops.

Pai gow tiles should absolutely be included in the list.

The 1 percent house edge when banking every other hand is the *worst-case* scenario.

First of all, many of the classier casinos don't have quarters in the rack so they round down commission. So you should always bet a round number + $5.

More important: Many times if not most times, other players will eventually bet against you on your bank if you establish socially that you don't mind it, which lowers the house edge substantially and even introduces the possibility of an overall player advantage if enough is bet against you.

The net commission rule also applies when players are betting on your bank.

I would be interested to know the multiple of bets against you compared to your bet against the house needed to turn PG tiles into a 0.00% game.