Underneath "house edge percentage" lies a single number: the share of each stake a game keeps on average, known as the house edge. At table games it follows straight from the rules. A change in one payout or one dealer rule moves it, sometimes by more than the gap between two whole games. Knowing which rules matter lets a player compare tables in a few seconds and see what an hour of play is likely to cost.
Baccarat offers three main bets, and their edges are far apart. The banker bet keeps a little over one percent after its commission, the player bet slightly more, and the tie bet, despite its generous payout, keeps around fourteen percent. Side bets at every table game work the same way: big payouts on unusual hands, funded by an edge that dwarfs the one on the main wager. Staying with the main bets is the simplest way to keep the cost of a session low.
Blackjack played with sound strategy carries one of the lowest edges in a casino, often under one percent, and the rules decide exactly where it lands. A natural paid at six to five instead of three to two adds more than a full percentage point on its own. Fewer decks, the right to double after splitting and an offer of surrender each trim the edge slightly. A player who guesses instead of following basic strategy pays several times the published figure.
Side bets pay big amounts on unusual hands, and those payouts are funded by an edge that dwarfs the one on the main wager at the same table.
In the rules of the table, which fix the edge before the first hand is dealt and usually take about a minute to read.
Expected cost is the edge applied to the total staked, so a fast online table dealing far more rounds per hour can cost more than a slower game with a larger edge.
The banker bet keeps a little over one percent after its commission, the player bet slightly more, and the tie keeps around fourteen percent despite its generous payout.