You know the old saying, the house always wins. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t win, and win you shall. Putting yourself in position to win isn’t just about timing or luck. All casino games are games of chance. It doesn’t even come down to strategy or charts, although those do matter. Winning more often without playing casino games heavily involves mastery of RTPs.
What Is RTP?
RTP is short for return to player. It is basically the opposite of house edge, sometimes known as house advantage, in that RTPs break down the percentage that players can expect from making a series of bets over time. With this percentage, in tandem with a budget and responsible playing measures to avoid problem gaming disorders, you can increase your odds of taking one from the house.
Classic Slots
Today, online slots have come leaps and bounds from their early days. You can win it all by playing a progressive jackpot or winning plenty of in-house bonuses by playing megaways and hold-and-win slots. However, many of these jackpot and bonus-heavy slots don’t always have favorable RTPs. When playing real money or online sweepstakes games, the rule of thumb for slot games is a 95% RTP or more.
That way, you can expect to get back roughly $95 per $100 wager. Slots, including classic slots, usually have RTPs beginning at 95% or more. Classic slots are the vintage three-reel slots with maybe a single pay line or up to ten. Also, these types are low in volatility, meaning that they pay frequently. On the other hand, jackpot slots might be below 95% because of the jackpots, and it can take a while to pay out because they tend to be highly volatile. However, the biggest bonus of playing slots, whether classic or cascading-style, is setting the reels in autoplay mode and waiting for one spin to hit a home run.
Blackjack
Of all the card games to try or, dare we say, bet money on, Blackjack is the one. Besides being one of the easiest and most engaging card games to get the hang of, Blackjack is known for its super-high RTP. Variants like American Blackjack routinely favor RTPs of 99% or more. In addition to that, many Blackjack variants, including American and European Blackjack, feature low buy-ins. So, if you’re on a tight budget, the betting flexibility comes in handy while giving you a steady chance to win.
Video Poker
If you can’t decide whether to spend your money on poker or slots, video poker allows you to bridge both games. Video poker follows traditional poker rules and winning combinations, but it plays the games out in slot machine form. The most significant benefit of video poker is that most variants, like Jacks or Better, have a whopping 99% RTP or more. You can play video poker in auto-play mode, like online slots, to let the game handle the results.
Baccarat
Next to Blackjack, Baccarat offers one of the highest RTP percentages for card games. Variants like Punto Banco feature super-friendly RTPs of 98% or higher. Of course, Baccarat allows you to place either a player, a banker, or a tie bet. Of all the bets, the banker’s bet has the highest RTP of around 98.90%. However, since the player’s bet is the most common, the RTP for this wager is around 98.75%. The tie bet has a house edge of 14.35%, so the RTP is not on your side.
Conclusion
Besides these fan-favorite casino games, Craps and Pai Gow Poker also feature very favorable RTP percentages. However, both of these games come with a learning curve and a decent-sized bankroll to ultimately find success.
