Roulette and table games

Roulette, baccarat and craps are table games with short lists of bets and clear payouts, which makes their cost easy to calculate. The cost comes from the gap between the true odds of a bet and what it pays. Once you can compute that gap, the busy layout of a table becomes much easier to read, and the difference between a main bet and a costly side bet becomes obvious before any money is staked.

These guides compare European and American roulette and show why one extra pocket nearly doubles the house edge, set out every roulette bet with its payout and chance of winning, and explain the main bets in baccarat and craps with their house edges. Each calculation is written out step by step, and examples with invented figures are marked as hypothetical.

Nothing here promises winnings or recommends a casino. Every table game has a house edge, results swing far more than the average cost, and gambling is for adults aged 18 or over. Start with the roulette comparison if you want the clearest picture of how a house edge arises.