If you ask people who don't bet whether it's possible to beat the house, they usually have one answer: no. And sure enough, most people find it challenging to win casino games. Yet, there are also people who became multi-millionaires betting on sports playing poker or winning slot jackpots.
In this article, we evaluate seven of the most profitable online casino games and a few games to avoid.
#1: Live Poker
Poker professionals are some of the richest gamblers in the world, and that says a lot about the profitability of the game. Someone like Phil Ivey has won over $20 million in live events. Sam Farha, who lost to Chris Moneymaker in 2003, has a net worth of $100 million Daniel Negreanu is worth $50 million.
Poker’s most unique feature is also a weakness. It’s a game of skill, and that means you could craft your skill and rise to the levels of Negreanu and Ivey. However, you could also be poor at the game and lose your bets consistently.
Fortunately, poker isn’t that hard to learn. It’s also an affordable game that you could play with your friends online. Of course, the objective is to win games no matter who your opponent is. That way, you can compete in major events and win thousands or millions of dollars.
#2: Blackjack
In blackjack, you have a 42.22% to win the game, an impressive chance by casino standards. In terms of the house edge, blackjack has a 1% edge, much better than poker, slots and baccarat. Some professionals also claim to use strategies to lower the house edge or eliminate it.
In reality, the element of luck in blackjack plays an exceedingly crucial role in how often you win. With a good strategy and luck by your side, you could triple your bankroll within a few minutes. Similarly, you could also lose your money quickly when everything seems to be working against you.
Luckily, the best online casinos use fair card-shuffling software. And that’s not just because they say it. There are independent auditors who verify casinos to ensure their software is fair to all.
#3: Slots
Online slots are like the dark horse of top-level casino games. Most new players tend to avoid them, probably because they have hard scathing things about them. Truth be told, slot machines have better payout rates than many table games.
Case in point, the Mega Joker slot has a 99% return to player rate. In other words, it has a 1% house edge. By comparison, American roulette has a 5% house edge while Keno 20-30% edge. Of course, slots don’t payout at similar rates.
Some slots payout 95% of wagered money while others do better at 98%. Despite that, they are an excellent option for someone aiming to maximize their profits playing casino games. If you are lucky to win slot jackpots, you could walk away with up to £10 million.
But before you think about winning life-changing money, check out Sun Casino and other free spin offers at free-spins.net. Grab some bonuses and use them to magnify your profits playing the most profitable slots. If you are lucky, you could win lots of money playing these games.
#4: Video Poker
Since its launch in the 70s, video poker has risen to the level of a mainstay in almost every online casino. It’s also a profitable game to play, especially if you understand its rules or find a bug and exploit it. Fortunately, it has simple rules everyone can understand.
For starters, you receive five cards after you press ‘deal’ to commence the game. You then choose two cards to keep. The machine discards the rest and draws more cards. If you are lucky and form a strong poker hand (straight, flush, fours of the same), you get a payout. The amount you receive depends on the chosen game.
When it comes to odds, many video poker games have a house edge of between 0% and 5%. That’s right. Some games give the house zero advantage. However, whether you win or lose depends on your strategies, skills and luck.
#5: French Roulette
French roulette cuts the house edge to 1.35%, down from 5.26% in American roulette and 2.75% in European roulette. The minimal edge is due to two rules in the game: en prison and la partage.
The first rule ‘jails’ your stake when the ball lands on zero (0) in outside bets (odds/even, red/black, high/low). In other words, the casino withholds your wager and forces you to make a similar bet in the next spin. If zero appears again, you lose.
In La Partage, you get half your stake back if the ball lands on zero. The odds of that happening, however, are 1 in 37 spins. That’s because French roulette uses the same wheel as European roulette. Mathematically speaking, the benefits of using either en prison or la partage are the same.
Nonetheless, French roulette is the best variation of the game. It’s a difficult game to find because casinos tend to avoid it. But as more and more casinos crop up, it’s becoming easily available.
#6: Craps
For some, any game that involves throwing dice can’t be profitable. That’s true for many games. With craps, however, playing strategically gives you a house edge as low as 1%. For example, experts recommend you minimize your initial wagers.
If you intend to bet £25, you could place a £5 initial wager and later bet £20. If you lose the initial round, you'll part with seven cents with time. But had you wagered £20 in the first round and lost, the house would keep $5 of your money on average.
The Takeaway
Although casino games involve a significant degree of luck to win, you can win some of them consistently. Think of blackjack and poker professionals who’ve won multiple tournaments. They won not only because they were lucky but also because they played smart. Slots and craps could also earn impressive sums of cash but only if you are exceedingly lucky.