The Worst Casino Bets

How casinos make their money is certainly no closely guarded secret; they make it on gamblers. Sure there is a host of other things casinos do to make extra money like providing hotel rooms, meals, and entertainment, but the bulk of a casino’s revenue comes from the people who gamble at their establishment. 

And casinos can definitely count on making more money when people choose to make the worst wagers possible. Of course casinos aren’t going to blatantly advertise which bets will leave your pockets feeling a little emptier so you’ll need to find out for yourself which wagers to avoid. Here is a list of the most disadvantageous bets the house has to offer so you’ll know what to stay away from in the future.

Dealers are more than happy to offer players insurance in blackjack since it is always a favorable bet for the house. Any time you’re offered insurance bets make sure to avoid them because the house holds an 8% edge on these.

American Roulette Wheel

There’s a reason people are warned not to play roulette on an American wheel, and it’s because this version has an extra number. With this extra number on the wheel, the house has about a 5.25% advantage over gamblers. The European roulette wheel has one less number, and thus only holds a 2.7% edge over people.

Everyone knows that the lottery is a bad investment in terms of sheer statistics. And seeing as how keno is the casino’s version of the lottery, this little game doesn’t play to a gambler’s advantage much either. The edge isn’t quite as much as with traditional lotteries, but keno can give the house up to a 25% advantage.

Craps Proposition Wagers

Among the many craps bets one can make, there are also proposition wagers. Here you can put money on roll bets, however, this is a big mistake since craps prop bets give the house an edge that runs over 16%.

In addition to being able to bet on the banker and the player you can also wager on ties between the two. Unfortunately, this seemingly quality bet is nothing more than a huge advantage for the casino since they can hold as much as a 14.4% edge over gamblers.

Everybody wants to get a hold of the progressive Caribbean Stud jackpot because there is usually a significant amount of money involved. But you can’t let yourself be blinded by the money aspect since the small amount you’re betting on the jackpot won’t ever close the gap of the house’s edge which can climb over 25%.

Also called Big Six Wheel, this game is fun and inviting due to its child-like appearance. In fact, Wheel of Fortune is pretty much the same game you’ll see played at county fairs and children’s birthday parties. However, there is nothing innocent about this game since it’s equally as rigged as a country fair game with the house possessing up to a 24% edge.

Yet another casino game that is similar to that of a kid’s game is Casino War. Here players draw cards with the high card being the winner of the wager. However, you can also bet that you and the dealer’s card will tie which makes a payout of 10 to 1. The only catch with this great payout is that the house holds an 18.7% edge which doesn’t make the payout look so attractive after all.