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Which casino bets eat your money fastest
Every bet in the casino has a price tag. Here they all are, ranked from the ones that eat your money fastest to the ones that barely nibble.
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The house edge is the share of every bet the casino expects to keep over time. Keno costs about $25 to $29 for every $100 you bet. The craps odds bet costs nothing. Choosing low-edge bets is the single biggest thing you control in a casino.
What the house edge means
The casino pays you a little less than the true odds. A fair coin flip should pay even money. If the casino paid 95 cents on every dollar, you would win half the time and still slowly lose. That shortfall is the house edge, and every game has one, it is just hidden better on some.
There is one formula worth knowing:
“Total amount bet” is not the money you bring. It is every bet added up, including the bets you make with your winnings. Casinos call it coin-in on the slots. Run $1,000 through a game that holds 7% and you should expect to lose about $70, even though you only ever had $100 in your hand.
The house edge is a long-run average. In one session anything can happen, which is why people win. Over thousands of bets, results drift toward the edge. A cruise sits somewhere in between, so you can win, but plan for the edge.
All 27 bets, ranked
Cost per $100 is the house edge as a dollar figure, assuming good play. Figures are the standard published math from Wizard of Odds, plus Nevada's own slot data for comparison. Cruise lines do not publish their slot payouts, and ship rules and pay tables vary, so treat these as the yardstick, not a promise about your ship.
| # | Bet | Cost per $100 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keno | $25–$29 | Skip it |
| 2 | Big Six wheel (classic) | $11.11–$24.07 | Skip it |
| 3 | Casino War, tie bet | $18.65 | Skip it |
| 4 | Craps, Any Seven | $16.67 | Worst at the craps table |
| 5 | Baccarat, Tie | $14.36 | Sucker bet |
| 6 | Craps, 2, 12 and hard hops | $13.89 | Sucker bet |
| 7 | Craps, Any Craps, Hard 4/10, 3 and 11 | $11.11 | Sucker bet |
| 8 | Craps, Hard 6/8 and Big 6/8 | $9.09 | Expensive |
| 9 | Slot machines (published range; Nevada average 7.10%, pennies 8.78%) | $2–$15 | Expensive, but they earn points fastest |
| 10 | Three Card Poker, Pairplus | $7.28 | Expensive |
| 11 | Craps, Place 4 or 10 | $6.67 | Weak |
| 12 | Craps Field (12 pays 2 to 1) | $5.56 | Weak |
| 13 | Roulette, double zero | $5.26 | Weak |
| 14 | Video poker, 6/5 Jacks or Better | $5.00 | Weak: look for a better pay table |
| 15 | Craps, Place 5 or 9 | $4.00 | Fair |
| 16 | Craps Field (12 pays 3 to 1) | $2.78 | Fair |
| 17 | Roulette, single zero | $2.70 | Fair |
| 18 | Video poker, 8/5 Jacks or Better | $2.70 | Fair |
| 19 | Blackjack paying 6 to 5 | adds $1.39 | Avoid this table |
| 20 | Craps, Place 6 or 8 | $1.52 | Very good |
| 21 | Craps, Pass or Come | $1.41 | Very good |
| 22 | Craps, Don't Pass | $1.36 | Very good |
| 23 | Baccarat, Player | $1.24 | Very good |
| 24 | Baccarat, Banker | $1.06 | Very good |
| 25 | Video poker, 9/6 “full pay” Jacks or Better (perfect play) | $0.46 | Excellent |
| 26 | Blackjack, 3 to 2, basic strategy, generous rules | $0.28 | Excellent |
| 27 | Craps odds bet, behind Pass or Come | $0.00 | Best bet on the ship |
Side bets vary with the pay table. Blackjack's 21+3 runs from 2.74% with eight decks to 13.30% with one; Perfect Pairs from about 4% to 12.5%. Bingo has no published mathematical house edge, so it is not ranked.
Speed matters as much as the edge
A fast game with a small edge can cost more per hour than a slow game with a bigger one, because you make more bets. Wizard of Odds publishes a casino executive's rule-of-thumb speeds: about 10 spins an hour on the Big Six wheel, 38 at roulette, 48 at craps, 70 hands of blackjack and 72 of baccarat. A slot machine is faster still, a few seconds a spin. That is why slots eat a budget fastest.
What this means for you
- Slots cost the most per dollar but earn casino points the fastest. That trade-off is the whole game if you are playing for free cruises. Slots and points shows what each point really costs.
- Table games at good rules cost far less, but earn points slowly and are rated by a host's estimate. See table games.
- Side bets and proposition bets are almost always the worst value on the table. The bright, busy boxes in the middle of the craps layout are there for a reason.
- Read the pay table and the felt. “Blackjack pays 3 to 2” versus “6 to 5” is printed right on the table. A 9/6 video poker machine says 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush on its pay table.
I played craps for years and brought money home doing it, because I stuck to the pass line and the odds. What I did not get was a single free cruise offer. Why that happens is the strangest thing about cruise casinos.
Gambling should stay fun. If it isn't, free and confidential help is there 24/7: call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) or visit 1800myreset.org. Playing safe →
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Where these facts come from
- Wizard of Odds, House Edge — checked 20 October 2026
- Wizard of Odds, Craps basics — checked 20 October 2026
- Wizard of Odds, Blackjack rule variations — checked 20 October 2026
- Wizard of Odds, Jacks or Better pay tables — checked 20 October 2026
- Wizard of Odds, Big Six — checked 20 October 2026
- Wizard of Odds, 21+3 side bet — checked 20 October 2026
- Wizard of Odds, Perfect Pairs — checked 20 October 2026
- Nevada Gaming Control Board, Monthly Revenue Report, July 2026 (12-month slot win) — checked 20 October 2026
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