7 Casino Games That Give You Strong Short Term Odds

The house edge is usually the first thing that gamblers look at when trying to improve their chances of winning. This makes sense when considering that the house advantage directly relates to how much money one can win in a given game.

For example, a casino game with a 1% house edge will see you win back $99 for every $100 wagered on average. You can earn profits through a game like this with a little luck on your side.

The house advantage is definitely a good way to figure out your chances of winning. But you should also consider your short-term odds too.

The good thing about short-term odds is that they directly relate to winning in the moment. This is especially important when you’re dealing with a small bankroll and want to stretch your gambling funds.

I’m going to discuss seven casino games that give you a great chance to win in the short run. These games are perfect for preserving your bankroll and/or if you just want to make some money right now.

1 – Mini Baccarat

Baccarat is an excellent game with regard to short-term odds. Not only does it give you a strong chance to win on every hand, but the strategy couldn’t be easier.

Baccarat presents you with three different betting options:

• Banker hand.
• Player hand.
• Tie bet.

Wagering on the banker hand is the best option from both a short and long-term perspective. This bet has a 50.68% chance of winning (not accounting for ties), and only carries a 1.06% house edge.

The fact that you can win over 50% of these wagers is incredible in the grand scheme of gambling. The only reason why this bet even has a house edge is because casinos take a 5% commission out of winning banker wagers.

Regardless of the 5% percent commission, the banker hand is one of the best wagers in the casino.

If you get bored of wagering on the banker every time, you’ll also find the player bet worthwhile. Betting on the player gives you a 49.32%chance of winning andhas a 1.24% house advantage.

The tie bet, which is based on the banker and player’s scores tying, is the worst baccarat wager. It only has a 9.53% chance to win and carries a 14.36% house edge.

Again, the banker and player bets both give you good odds. But you should definitely go with the banker hand when considering that it offers stronger odds in the short and long run.

2 – Craps

Craps is full of different bets, which makes for some nice variety. The only problem is that the large majority of these wagers aren’t worth considering.

But you will find some gems in craps, including pass line and don’t pass line bets.

A pass line wager has a 49.29% chance of winning and a 1.41% house edge. A don’t pass line wager has a 49.30% chance of winning along with a 1.36% house advantage.

Here are the rules on both bets:

Pass Line

• Wins on the come out roll (first roll of new round) with 7 or 11.
• Loses on the come out with 2, 3, or 12.
• Any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) establishes a “point.”
• You need the point number to be tossed before a 7 to win.

Don’t Pass Line

• Wins on the come out roll with 2 or 3.
• Loses on the come out with 7 or 11.
• Pushes on the come out with 12.
• Any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) establishes a point.
• You need 7 to be rolled before the point to win.

Pass line and don’t pass line wagers are definitely good in their own right. But they become even more valuable when you back them with “odds.”

An odds bet pays at your true odds of winning (i.e. 6:5 payout for 6:5 true odds). You place these wagers behind a pass line or don’t pass line bet after a point number has been established.

Here are the basics ofbacking a pass line wager:

• You “lay” odds when backing pass line.
• 2:1 payout on point numbers of 4 and 10.
• 3:2 payout on point numbers of 5 and 9.
• 6:5 payout on point numbers of 6 and 8.

Here’s what you need to know about don’t pass line odds:

• You “take” odds when backing don’t pass line.
• 1:2 payout on point numbers of 4 and 10.
• 2:3 payout on point number of 5 and 9.
• 5:6 payout on point numbers of 6 and 8.

What’s exciting about odds bets is that you can essentially choose your chances of winning based on when you back a wager. For example, you have a very strong chance to win when laying odds on point numbers of 6 and 8.

Another interesting point about these bets is that you can lower the house edge by taking bigger odds. Here’ how much the odds decrease by based on your bet size:

The one catch is that most casinos don’t allow anything past 5x odds. If you want the best-possible chance to win, then you should go to Vegas casinos like the Cromwell (100x odds) and Main Street Station (20x).

3 – French Roulette

Roulette has the same basic concept no matter how it’s played. The dealer spins a ball around the wheel, and you bet on which pocket or section it will land on.

But roulette has multiple variations that differ based on the rules and wheel being used. And French roulette is the top variant in terms of your odds of winning.

This game is played on a European wheel, which has 37 number pockets. These pockets include a single zero and numbers 1-36.

The single zero helps the house win most bets. Therefore, the zero pocket is viewed negatively by players.

But the good thing about French roulette is that it features a rule called “la partage,” which pays half back on even money bets that lose due to the zero pocket. Other variations like European and American roulette don’t offer la partage.

French roulette’s la partage rule, combined with the single-zero wheel (instead of double-zero wheel), lead to a favorable 1.35% house edge.

Of course, you can only take advantage of la partage when making even money wagers. You’ll want to do this anyways if you’re concerned about your short-term odds.

Even money bets, including red/black, odds/even, and high/low, all give you a 48.65% chance of winning. This is far better than other roulette wagers, which give you anywhere from a 2.78% to 32.4% chance.

The fact that even money bets in French roulette offer a 1.35% house edge – as opposed to 2.70% for all other wagers – only makes them more attractive.

4 – European Roulette

European roulette is essentially the same as the French variation. The main difference, though, is that it doesn’t offer the la partage rule.

The fact that you don’t get half back on even money bets in European roulette is a bummer. But these wagers still give you the same 48.65% chance of winning on each spin.

You’ll notice is steep drop-off in terms of odds when looking at other European roulette bets, which offer between a 2.78% and 32.4% chance to win (just like the French version).

Note that every European roulette bet has a 2.70% house edge. But you may want to stick with evenmoney bets when considering the good odds that you’re getting.

5 – Blackjack

Blackjack is heralded as one of the best casino games with regard to your long-term odds. And it turns out that blackjack also gives you good short-term odds too.

Your chances of winning any blackjack hand are 46.36% (not counting ties). This means that you’ll win approximately 9 out of every 20 hands you play.

What makes blackjack even more attractive is that its house edge can be 0.5% or lower with the right rules.

The reason why the house edge looks even better than your short-term odds is because casinos allow you to double down, split hands, and earn natural blackjack payouts. These are all advantages that you have over the dealer.

The casino still retains their edge, though, because the dealer acts second. Therefore, you always lose in the event that you and the dealer both bust out (go over 21).

Of course, this won’t bother you too much if you’re on a blackjack table with good rules. Speaking of which, here are some rules that can improve your chances of winning:

• 3:2 natural blackjack payout – Lowers house edge by 1.4% when compared to 6:5 payout.
• Number of decks – House advantage is reduced by 0.59% when moving from single to eight-deck blackjack.
• Double down – Doubling down on any two cards lowers the house edge by 0.25% (compared to restricted totals).
• Dealer hits on soft 17 – Lowers house edge by 0.2% as opposed to dealer standing on this total.
• Double down after splitting – Doubling down after splitting (DAS) lowers the house advantage by 0.17%.
• Re-splitting aces – This rule drops the house advantage by 0.08%.
• Late surrender – Being able to surrender hands decreases the house edge by 0.7%.

You won’t find favorable versions of all these rules within the same game. But the goal is to find as many good rules as possible – especially 3:2 payouts.

The only problem, though, is that it’s more difficult than ever to find good blackjack games. Land-based casinos have steadily increased their edge over the years through worse rules.

Luckily, you can still find some really good online blackjack tables. Here are three of the bestonline blackjack games available:

Microgaming Single Deck (a.k.a. Vegas Downtown)

• 0.31% house edge
• Notable rules include:
• Single deck
• 3:2 natural blackjack payout
• Dealer hits on a soft 17
• No DAS
• You can only double down on 9 to 11
• No late surrender

Playtech Blackjack Surrender

• 0.35% house edge
• Notable rules include:
• 6 decks
• 3:2 natural blackjack payout
• Dealer stands on a soft 17
• Double down on any two cards
• DAS
• Late surrender
• Re-split up to 3 times
• No re-splitting aces

Betsoft Blackjack

• 0.38% house edge
• Notable rules include:
• Single deck
• 3:2 natural blackjack payout
• Dealer hits on a soft 17
• You can only double down on 10 or 11
• DAS
• You can only split once
• No re-splitting aces

6 – Pai Gow Poker

Pai gow poker sees you dealt seven cards, which are used to form both a 2-card and 5-card hand. The goal is to beat the dealer on both hands and win your bet.

Your wager is a push if you win one hand and lose one. Your bet loses if you lose both hands.

Pai gow gives you a 30.39% chance of winning both hands and your bet. While this doesn’t sound great, keep in mind that you only have a 29.12% chance of losing both hands (the rest are pushes).

The casino takes a 5% commission from wins, because your odds of winning are stronger than losing. This combination creates an overall house edge of 2.84%.

You can further reduce the house advantage by acting as the banker when the option is available. Being the banker sees you bank the game and compete against all other players at the table.

You still have to pay a 5% commission on wins. But the advantage is that you lower the house edge to 1.46% while in this position.

Your odds of winning in the short and long run improve when you know proper pai gow strategy. That said, here’s a look at basic strategy for when you’re acting as the player.

Player Strategy

• No hand – Place your highest card in the 5-card hand and your next two highest cards in the 2-card hand.
• Pair – Your pair must be put in the 5-card hand. Place your next two highest cards in the 2-card hand.
• 2 pair – Place the highest pair in your 5-card hand and the lowest pair in your 2-card hand. Exceptions include kings and 2s, which should be put in your 5-card hand.
• 3 pair – Put the smaller pairs in your 5-card hand. Use the highest pair in your 2-card hand.
• 3 of a kind – Put the three of a kind in the 5-card hand. The one exception is aces, with the pair going in your 5-card hand and the single ace going in your 2-card hand.
• Full house – The three of a kind goes in your 5-card hand, and the pair goes in your 2-card hand. An exception is if you have a full house and another pair, in which case the biggest pair should be your 2-card hand.
• Straight – This becomes your 5-card hand. The lone exception is if you have a two pair, which can be split up to make good 2 and 5-card hands.
• Straight flush – Use the same guidelines for regular flushes.
• 4 of a kind – Put any four of a kind with sixes or lower in the 5-card hand. If it’s sevens or better, split the hand up between your 2 and 5-card hands.
• Five aces – Split this hand up, putting the three of a kind into the 5-card hand, and the two pair in the 2-card hand.

Acting as the Banker

Banking games is ideal, because you can lower the house edge to 1.46%. But keep in mind that casinos only allow you to act as the banker once every seven hands.

When you do bank, remember that you must have the bankroll to cover everybody else at the table. If five players are betting $25, for example, you need$125 to cover their bets.

Banking pai gow poker can be expensive, which is why some players decline the option. But it’s worth doing so if you have the funds and want to lower the house edge further.

7 – Heads-Up Poker and DFS

Heads-up poker and daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests can give you a strong chance of winning. What’s more is that each of these games allows you to use skill to win.

Heads-up poker sees you play a single opponent in either a cash game or sit and go (SNG).

Cash games see money (chips) exchanged on every single hand. SNGs, in contrast, are single-table tournaments were you pay a buy-in to compete.

Both cash games and SNGs theoretically give you a 50/50 chance to beat your opponent. SNGs are especially nice when considering that you only have to risk a single buy-in.

Of course, your actual chances of winning in either in a heads-up cash game or SNG will be influenced by your skill level. That said, I recommend you dedicate time to learning poker strategy before playing.

DFS sees you create sports lineups using available players in your chosen sport. You also have to stay under a certain salary cap when creating your lineup.

Here’s an example:

• You’re playing a heads-up football DFS contest.
• You need to create a 10-player roster.
• Your salary cap is $100,000.
• This means that all 10 salaries combined can’t exceed $100k.

Like poker, DFS allows you to play heads-up contests against a lone opponent. This gives you the same theoretical 50/50 chance of winning.

DFS is another game where having a higher skill thanan opponent increases your short-term odds even more. The more you know about the players and their respective sports, the better chance you have of winning.

Also note that online poker rooms and DFS sites take out a small commission (a.k.a. rake) from every heads-up contest. But the rake usually isn’t enough to severely affect your odds.

Conclusion

Short-term odds don’t mean everything in gambling. This is especially true when considering that the house edge dictates your long-term chances of winning profits.

But short-term odds are definitely important with regard to winning now. The seven games on this list give you a great opportunity to win money in any given session.

I especially like baccarat, blackjack, craps, and French roulette, because they combine good short odds with a lower house edge. Furthermore, they help you win now and in the future.

Heads-up DFS and poker games are exciting from the perspective that they give you an opportunity to gain an edge over opponents. Even if you don’t have an edge, you at least have a decent chance to win in any given heads-up game.

Pai gow poker is strange in that over 40% of the hands result in pushes. But if we throw out these ties, then Pai Gow is another game that gives you a strong chance to win now.

You’ll beat the dealer on 30.39% of your hands and only lose 29.12% of the time when not accounting for ties.

Playing casino games with favorable short-term odds is important when you have a small bankroll. These games help you win more frequently and better sustain your bankroll.

Of course, you don’t need to have a small bankroll just to enjoy great odds. You’ll also love the seven games presented if you want to win immediately.