Roulette Odds Vs Blackjack

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Blackjack and roulette are the 2 most popular table games in any casino. Both seem to offer bets that are more-or-less 50/50 shots. After all, if you beat the dealer in blackjack, you win the amount you bet. The same is true for the even-money bets at the roulette table.
But which game has better odds?

$10,000,000 WPT Poker Night in America Season 05 Episode 02 Poker Night In America Season 05 Ep 04 Promo Blackjack vs Poker Professionals! Top 5 Poker Moments in History Blackjack which has better odds blackjack or roulette vs Poker Professionals! If you’re willing to put in a little work, blackjack offers the best odds. I’m talking about a.5 percent casino edge, depending on which table you’re sitting at. (Meaning for every dollar you gamble, you’ll lose only half a penny on average.) But to get these ultra-good odds, you have to know what you’re doing.

Blackjack or roulette?

How Do You Measure a Casino Game’s Odds?

“Odds” is a term that’s often used as a synonym for probability. This is true to an extent, but it’s more complicated than that.

You CAN express an event’s probability in odds format. Most people understand that if an event has 2 to 1 odds, that there are 2 ways to lose and a single way to win. It’s easy to convert that into 1/3 or 33.33%.

But you can also express the payout for a bet in terms of odds. That’s easily understood, too. If I tell you that you’re going to get paid at odds of 2 to 1 if you win, you understand that for every $1 you bet, you win $2 if you win.

And, if you’re betting on something with a probability of 2 to 1 and a payout of 2 to 1, in the long run you’ll break even.

That’s not how casino games work, though.

The casino guarantees itself a profit by paying off bets at odds that are lower than the odds of winning. The difference between those odds is the house edge, and it’s usually expressed as a percentage.

For Example:

If you’re playing a game where you blindly pick a marble from a bucket, and you win if you draw the red marble, you can easily calculate the odds of winning. All you need to know is how many marbles are red and how many marbles aren’t.

If you have 3 white marbles and a single red marble, your odds of winning that bet are 3 to 1. (You have 3 white marbles versus 1 red marble.) If that bet pays off at 2 to 1, what’s the house edge? Let’s say you bet $100 in a theoretically perfect set of 4 trials.

You’ll lose 3 times, at $100 each, for a total of $300 lost. You’ll win once, and you’ll get a profit of $200. Your net loss is $300 minus $200, or $100. You divide that by the number of bets (4) to get an average loss of $25.

This means that the house edge for this hypothetical game is 25%. Over the long run, you’ll expect to lose 25 cents for every dollar you bet on it.

Generally, casino games with a lower house edge are better than casino games with a higher house edge. But not always.

What Are the Odds of Winning in Blackjack?

Every casino game has a gimmick of sorts that gives the house its edge. In real money blackjack, the casino makes you play your hand out before they play their hand out. If you bust, you lose your bet immediately. Even if the dealer busts when it’s her turn to play, you’ve already lost – in a fair game, this would be considered a tie.

The probability of actually winning a blackjack hand – even if you play perfectly – is only 42%.

In a fair game, your probability would be 50%.

In spite of this, the house edge for the game is only about 0.5% if you play with perfect strategy.

Why is the house edge so low when the odds of winning a hand are so low?

It’s because once in a while you get a blackjack, or natural – a 2-card hand that totals 21. In that event, you get paid off at 3 to 2 odds.

You only get that hand about 5% of the time, though, but it’s enough to shave some of that massive house edge off the game.

What Are the Odds of Winning in Roulette?

In roulette, you have a wide variety of bets you can make, although most real money roulette players I know place even-money bets. An even-money bet in roulette is a bet on odd, or a bet on even. Alternatively, it could be a bet on red or a bet on black.

Since almost half the numbers on the wheel are red and almost half are black, it would seem like this is a fair bet. The same for even/odd.

The gimmick in this case is the inclusion on the wheel of 2 additional numbers which are neither even nor odds, neither red nor black.

The standard American roulette wheel has a green 0 and another green 00.

You have a total of 38 numbers on the wheel. 18 of them are red, 18 are black, and 2 of them are green.

So you don’t really have an even chance of winning by betting on red, or by betting on black. The probability is actually 47.37%.

It doesn’t take a math professor to figure out that winning a bet 47.37% when you’re getting paid even-money doesn’t turn out to be a break-even bet.

In fact, it results in the house having an edge of 5.26%.

How does that compare to the house edge of 0.5% in blackjack?

Poorly, obviously.

Bet $100 on a game with a 5.26% edge, and you’ll lose an average of $5.26 over the long run every time you place that bet.

Bet $100 on a game with a 0.5% edge, and you’ll lose an average of 50 cents over the long run every time you place the bet.

Here’s the question:

Would you rather lose $5.26 in that situation, or would you prefer to lose 50 cents?

The answer seems obvious, but there’s more to this little math problem than you might think.

The Concept of Average Hourly Losses in Casino Gambling

Casinos use a simple formula to estimate how profitable a game will be. They multiply the number of bets the average makes per hour by the average size of their bet. This gives them the average hourly action for the game.

When you multiply the average hourly action by the house edge, you get the expected loss per hour for the game.

The average blackjack player makes 100 bets per hour. (This varies based on how many other players are at the table, how fast the dealer is, and how fast the player makes decisions.)

If you assume a $5 bet per hand, the average hourly action for that player is $500.

With a house edge of 0.5%, that’s an expected loss per hour of $2.50.

The average roulette player makes 50 bets per hour, but this also varies based on how fast the croupier is and how many players are at the table.

If you assume a $5 per spin of the wheel, the average hourly action for that player is $250.

With a house edge of 5.26% the average expected hourly loss for roulette is $13.15.

You’d expect the average loss to be 10 times as much because the house edge is 10 times higher.

But it’s not 10 times higher because the average hourly action is lower. It’s not so low as to make the games the same kind of deal.

Blackjack still has better odds than roulette even when you adjust for the slower pace of the game.

What About Different Roulette Variations?

Of course, for my example, I used American roulette.

But you can also find roulette games – called “European” roulette – which only have a single 0 on the wheel.

This reduces the house edge to 2.7%.

Odds

The average hourly loss goes down to $6.75.

That’s still not comparable to the expected loss of $2.50 at the blackjack table, but it’s closer.

You find further variations, though. In some European roulette games, you have an option called “en prison.” This is only available on the even-money bets, and here’s how en prison works:

If you bet on black and the ball lands on red or green instead, you don’t lose your bet immediately. It goes into prison until the next bet. If it loses on the 2nd bet, you lose your bet. Otherwise, it’s returned to you with no winnings.

This cuts the house edge in half again, to 1.35%.

The average hourly loss drops in half, too – to $3.38.

That’s still a lot close to $2.50 than it was, but blackjack still has better odds.

What About Blackjack Rules Variations?

The hold percentage – the amount the casino actually makes on blackjack – is significantly higher than 0.5%. It’s closer to 2.5% — 4% at some casinos.

That’s because blackjack’s house edge assumes that you’re making the mathematically optimal decision on every hand.

If you don’t understand the basic strategy for blackjack, you might as well play roulette.

Roulette Vs Blackjack Odds

Roulette Odds Vs Blackjack

Also, some blackjack tables only pay off at 6 to 5 for a natural.

In that case, the casino adds more than 1.5% to its edge.

You should pass on 6/5 blackjack games, but if you play them, you might as well play roulette.

Also, keep in mind that roulette doesn’t require you to make good decisions to achieve that edge. You just risk your money and take your chances.

Conclusion

Roulette Odds Vs Blackjack Odds

If you’re looking for the game with the better odds, blackjack is your game – not roulette.

This doesn’t mean you should never play roulette. You might have your own reasons for preferring roulette to blackjack.

It just means you should consider the difference in odds from one game to the other.

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Posted by Harry Kane on Thursday, May 28, 2020

In many ways, table games aren’t the force in iGaming that they once were in brick-and-mortar casino locations. This is definitely borne out by the numbers, with the iGaming market dominated by slots and online sports betting.

If we drill deeper into the total online casino GGY, we see that slots actually account for nearly two-thirds (64.5%) of the overall yield. Conversely, table games claimed just 15.8% of this marketplace, while poker trailed well behind with a paltry 5.9% share.

Still, blackjack and roulette remain key drivers of the live casino experience, while they also remain popular amongst players who are transitioning from land-based casinos to online alternatives.

But which of these games is right for you? We’ll address this in the post below, as we compare both games and determine the key considerations when making your selection.

Blackjack and Roulette – The Basics Explained

The contrast between blackjack and roulette can be both stark and minimal, depending on which aspect of the games that you’re focusing on.

For example, both are largely games of chance that enable players to apply strategy as a way of optimising their returns, but each have variable rule sets and features that impact directly on their prevailing house edge.

So, let’s get started by exploring the fundamentals of each game and identifying the key similarities and differences that exist.

An Introduction to Blackjack

We’ll start with blackjack, and for the purposes of the article we’ll review the standard (or classic) iteration of the game.

This card game pits you in direct competition with an interactive dealer, and the objective is to beat them by getting as close to 21 as possible with your hand without exceeding this total.

With this in mind, the highest ranking hand is the so-called ‘blackjack’, which consists of an ace (which can be worth one or 11 depending on the nature of your hand) and a 10-point card (including Jacks, Queens or Kings).

This hand pays out at 3/2, so if you bet two chips at an individual betting unit of £5, you’ll stake £10 in total and earn a £15 profit. All other winning blackjack hands payout at 1/1, but we’ll have a little more on these odds and how they compare with roulette a later on in the piece.

As for the gameplay, each player must place a minimum starting bet before being dealt two cards. The dealer will also have a two-card hand, one of which is displayed face-up for you to see.

You’ll have a number of betting options at this time, including the following:

  • Stand: Keep your hand as it is (for high-value hands or ‘blackjacks’)
  • Hit: Ask for another card (for low value hands)
  • Double: Double your bet but only receive one more card for the rest of the round (to be used when you have a mid-value hand, particularly one including an Ace)
  • Split: If you’re drawn a pair at the start of the game, you can split this and effectively play two hands at once
  • Surrender: This option enables you to withdraw at the beginning of the hand and retain half of your stake (this is ideal if you have a particularly poor or low hand).
  • Insurance: Players have the option to take this whenever the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace. This minimises the risk facing you as a player, as if the dealer does have blackjack this will pay out at 2/1

An Introduction to Roulette

At its core, roulette is a completely different type of game, and one that features a spinning wheel and a wide range of betting options on the table.

The essential set-up is simple; with a European-style roulette wheel featuring numbers one to 36 and a single zero pocket. Whilst collecting bets, the croupier then drops a ball into the spinning wheel and waits for it to come to rest, by which time the ball will have landed in one of the 37 available pockets.

Of course, you may also come across an American Roulette wheel, which is becoming increasingly commonplace in Europe. This wheel features an almost identical layout, apart from the inclusion of an additional zero pocket.

This has a dramatic impact on the prevailing house edge, which is estimated at 5.26% for the American version of the game. Conversely, the European house edge is far lower at just 2.70%, and it’s easy to see why this iteration is the most popular amongst players.

Through the number ranges one to 10 and 19 to 28, the odd digits are red and the even ones are black. For ranges 11 to 28 and 29 to 36, odds numbers are black and even digits are red, while the zero pockets are usually green (this is the same across both roulette wheels).

The game starts when players are invited to place bets for the new game, and during this process the croupier will throw the ball into the spinning roulette wheel.

Players can continue to place wagers at this stage, until the interactive croupier announces ‘no more bets’. Then you must wait for the ball to land on a specific number, at which point the result of your wager is revealed and any requisite payouts made.

The betting options available through this game are truly impressive, as there are viable choices for both high-rollers and risk-averse players. These options are typically categorised as either inside or outside bets, each of which have variable odds and probabilities of winning.

These terms refer to the place on the roulette table where the actual bet is laid down, with inside wagers going directly on the numbered spaces located within the inner betting area.

These bets deliver the highest risk but the biggest possible returns, and we’ve broken these down in greater detail below:

  • Single Number Bet: Pays out at 35/1 on a single digit
  • Split Number Bet: Pays out at 17/1 on two adjoining numbers
  • Street Bet: Pays out at 11/1 on a three-number wager that covers the same horizontal line on the roulette table
  • Corner Bet: Pays out at 8/1 on a four-number wager
  • Double Street Bet: Pays out at 5/1 on a simultaneous six-number wager

With outside bets, you’re able to achieve far greater betting coverage, but these wagers will only payout at either 2/1 or even money (depending on your precise choice and wagering strategy).

In this respect, outside bets are ideal for low-rollers who want to pursue incremental returns, and they include the following:

  • One to 18 (Manque) or 19 to 36 (Passe) Bets: These refer to bets on low and high groupings on the roulette table respectively, and pay out at competitive odds of 2/1
  • Dozen Bets: This type of wager lets you stake on either the first 12, second 12 or third 12 numbers, and also pays out at odds of 2/1 on average
  • Red or Black Bet: Perhaps the most popular roulette bet (particularly amongst novices), this is an even-money wager that lets you stake on whether a red or black number will come up
  • Even or Odd: This similar wager lets you bet on whether or not the winning number will be even or odd, and this also pays out at even money
  • Column Bets: Available on most online roulette iterations, this covers all 12 numbers on any three of the vertical betting lines, and typically pays out at odds of 2/1 when it comes in

Of course, some iterations of roulette feature additional bets and rules, but these guidelines help to shape standard gameplay and provide an insight into what you can expect when wagering online.

Roulette Odds Vs Blackjack Betting

Clearly both games have elements of chance of opportunism, but roulette offers far more variables in terms of the betting options on offer. Conversely, blackjack also introduces the element of competing directly against a dealer, which makes skill and a basic level of numeracy important from the perspective of players.

The Basic Odds – Which Game Offers the Best Return?

There’s no doubt that these games vary significantly in terms of the available odds and payouts, and this should make it easier to choose which one is right for you!

In simple terms, roulette relies on fixed odds depending on your wager and the final outcome. This is due to the random chance that the ball will land on a number, with a straight-up bet on a single digit always offering a 2.63% chance of winning when playing European roulette (this increases to 5.26% for the American iteration).

However, the variable betting options in both versions of roulette provide a huge array of odds that are suitable for every single player. A single number bet can pay out at 35/1 for a high-roller, for example, whereas less experienced players or those who are managing smaller bankrolls are able to cover more of the board and leverage outside wagers as a way of earning incremental returns.

Make no mistake; all outside bets have at least a 32.40% chance of coming in, whereas even-money wagers of red, black, odds or even offer an enticing winning probability of 48.60%.

This type of choice is extremely enticing for players, while it also explains roulette’s widespread popularity across gamblers of all shapes and sizes.

In blackjack, the odds and prevailing house edge varies depending on the number of decks used. Some online iterations draw cards from a shoe which shuffles up to eight decks simultaneously, with games that utilise four to eight decks typically giving a competitive house edge of 0.5%.

This is far lower than the corresponding number for each roulette iteration, and in this respect, you can often enjoy more frequent wins during a session of blackjack.

In fact, the lowest house edge available for roulette comes with the iconic French version of the game, but at 1.35% this is still far higher than the average 0.5% for blackjack.

Interestingly, the odds of receiving certain cards also changes as cards are dealt during games. This is why players with a basic understanding of the game and numerical ability tend to favour blackjack, as it enables them to leverage these skills in real-time and optimise their chances of winning any given hand.

This creates a clear challenge for players, as the variable odds associated with both roulette and blackjack boast obvious pros and cons that must be given careful consideration.

For example, roulette offers more opportunity to tailor your betting and manage your bankroll during the course of a game, whereas blackjack is proven to drive more frequent returns over time.

However, the odds of winning during any given game of blackjack can vary wildly depending on the hands that are drawn, and this creates a challenge for players who are new to the game and still getting to grips with the rules. With these points in mind, roulette may be a slightly better choice for those who are relatively new to the world of iGaming.

Strategy vs. Chance – Optimising Your Chances of Winning

While you can deploy strategic thinking to improve your chances of winning in both roulette and blackjack, there’s far more scope for this when playing the latter.

For example, you can use both negative and progressive betting strategies to help manage your bankroll across both of these games. However, roulette has a far greater element of chance when it comes to gameplay, whereas the odds of blackjack can be affected directly by strategic players and the number of decks used at the table.

In terms of betting strategies, these require you to set an initial single betting unit, which should be based on your bankroll and relatively conservative in its nature. With progressive betting strategies, you increase your stake by a fixed number of betting units with every successive win, with this favoured by low rollers who are managing a modest bankroll.

Conversely, a negative progression strategy requires you to increase your stake with every loss, which requires a large initial bankroll but arguably optimises the value of each individual win. This is particularly viable in online roulette, especially amongst high-rollers with an appetite for sizable wins.

Roulette Odds Vs Blackjack Poker

In both instances, these strategies don’t impact the course of the game or the eventual outcome, but they help you to manage your money more effectively and avoid incurring significant losses.

In the case of blackjack, however, there’s far more scope to manipulate the odds in your favour if you have experience of the game. For example, choosing a game with a fixed number of decks lets you estimate the probability of which cards are most likely to be drawn in any given scenario (based on what has already been dealt).

Once again, this isn’t a fool-proof guarantee of success, but showcasing this type of numerical ability in real-time can incrementally improve your chances of success.

Of course, the fixed odds of roulette outcomes can offer solace for players who lack numerical ability or blackjack experience, but it’s important to note that getting the most from each individual session relies heavily on luck, your betting strategy and how much of the betting table you’re able to cover consistently.

Ultimately, players with experience of blackjack and a sharp, numerical mind can definitely leverage these skills to operate successfully online,

However, for those who are new to gambling and want to rely on fixed-odds and a variety of betting options, there’s little doubt that roulette represents a far more sensible choice.

So Which Game Is Better?

While both of these casino classics are fundamentally games of chance, each of them has alternative rules and a number of variations that should impact on your choice.

These translate into clear pros and cons for players, depending on their betting outlook, risk profile and level of experience that they have of gambling (either on or offline).

As a general rule, however, roulette is a game that’s far easier to learn in a short space of time, while it also provides a diverse range of betting options that enable you to tailor your board coverage, manage risk and look after your bankroll more effectively. This makes it more suited to beginners, even though it can take a while to master.

In contrast, blackjack provides a far greater opportunity to manipulate odds and outcomes, simply by using numerical skill and applying a basic understanding of strategy. In this respect, the game is hard and time-consuming to learn in detail, and if you’re not prepared to do this and practice specific iterations of blackjack then you’re unlikely to achieve the desired returns.

Ultimately, it’s easy to see why both games are popular, but there are variable aspects on which you can make a decision about which one is right for you. This is a deeply personal decision, but hopefully this guide will help you understand the fundamentals of each game and make an informed selection going forward!