The pass line and come bets are genuinely good, at a 1.41% house edge (don't pass is 1.36%). Craps gets even better if you take 'free odds' behind the line — those pay true odds with no house edge, dragging the combined edge well under 1% at maximum odds. The rest of the table (proposition and field bets) is much worse, so stick to pass, come, and odds.

Guide · The math

Blackjack vs. Roulette vs. Craps

Q: Does blackjack have better odds than roulette?

Yes, substantially. Blackjack played with basic strategy carries about a 0.5% house edge, versus 2.70% for European single-zero roulette and 5.26% for American double-zero roulette. That makes blackjack roughly five times cheaper than American roulette per dollar wagered — the catch is that blackjack's 0.5% only holds if you play the strategy chart; guessing adds 2-4% back.

Q: Which casino game should a beginner play?

For pure odds, blackjack with a printed basic-strategy chart at about 0.5%. For simplicity with no decisions to learn, roulette — but always pick a single-zero European wheel (2.70%) over a double-zero American wheel (5.26%), which doubles the edge for nothing. Craps sits in between: the pass line at 1.41% is great, but the table layout and etiquette intimidate new players.

The answer

Blackjack with basic strategy (~0.5% house edge) beats both. It's roughly 5× cheaper than American roulette and noticeably better than craps' best bet. Roulette is the simplest, craps sits in between, and blackjack is the one game that rewards skill.

Three games, three very different deals. Roulette and craps are fixed-probability — the odds are baked into the wheel and the dice, and nothing you do changes them. Blackjack is the outlier: your decisions move the number. Played correctly it's the cheapest game on the floor; played on instinct it can be worse than roulette. Here's the math.

House edge, head to head

House edge is the share of every wager the casino expects to keep over the long run. Lower is better for you. These are the headline numbers for each game's best standard bet:

Game	House edge	Cost per $100	Skill matters?
Blackjack (basic strategy)	0.5%	50¢	Yes — decisions change the odds
Craps (pass / come, no odds)	1.41%	$1.41	No — fixed by the dice
Craps (don't pass)	1.36%	$1.36	No — fixed by the dice
European roulette (single zero)	2.70%	$2.70	No — fixed by the wheel
American roulette (double zero)	5.26%	$5.26	No — fixed by the wheel

Blackjack at 50¢ on the $100 is the cheapest entertainment in the building — and it's the only game in this table where the "skill matters" column says yes. For where every other game lands, see the full house-edge ranking of every casino game.

What it costs per hour

House edge per bet hides a second variable: speed. The games deal at very different rates, so the same edge bleeds your bankroll faster or slower depending on how many decisions you face. At $10 a decision (speeds differ — that's the point):

Game	Decisions / hr	Expected loss / hr
Blackjack (basic strategy)	~80 hands	~$4
Craps (pass line)	~40	~$5.60
European roulette	~35 spins	~$9.45
American roulette	~35 spins	~$18.40

Blackjack deals fast but stays cheapest because its edge is so low. American roulette is the table to avoid: a slow game with a brutal edge still costs roughly $18 an hour at ten dollars a spin. Plug your own stake into the house edge calculator to see your number.

Four things the numbers don't show

Only blackjack rewards skill. Roulette and craps are fixed-probability — every spin and every roll has the same odds no matter what you do. Blackjack is the one game where your choices change the math, which is why there's a strategy chart at all.
Craps' pass line is better than it looks. The 1.41% is just the line bet. Taking the "free odds" wager behind it pays true odds with no house edge — at maximum odds the combined edge drops well under 1%, making craps competitive with blackjack.
Always pick single-zero roulette. European (one zero) is 2.70%; American (two zeros) is 5.26%. The second green pocket exactly doubles the edge and buys you nothing. If both wheels are open, the choice is free money.
Blackjack's 0.5% assumes the chart. That number is the floor, reached only with correct basic strategy. Guessing your way through hands adds 2-4% back — enough to make a sloppy blackjack player worse off than a roulette player. Learn the rules first.

So which should you play?

If you'll put in the ten minutes to learn the chart, blackjack wins on pure odds — half a percent is the best deal on the floor, and you can practice it free in the trainer until the plays are automatic. If you want zero decisions, play single-zero roulette and never touch a double-zero wheel. Craps is the middle path: a great pass-line bet wrapped in a layout that scares beginners, but unbeatable value once you add free odds. The one universal rule — know your real odds of winning before you sit down.

Frequently asked questions

Does blackjack have better odds than roulette?

Yes, by a wide margin. Basic-strategy blackjack runs about 0.5% house edge versus 2.70% for European roulette and 5.26% for American roulette — roughly five times cheaper than the American wheel. The catch: the 0.5% only holds if you follow the strategy chart. Guessing adds 2-4% back.

Is craps a good bet?

The pass and come bets are genuinely strong at 1.41% (don't pass is 1.36%), and taking max "free odds" behind the line drags the combined edge well under 1%. Just avoid the proposition and field bets in the middle of the layout — they're far worse.

Which casino game should a beginner play?

For best odds, blackjack with a printed chart at ~0.5%. For simplicity, single-zero European roulette (2.70%) — never the double-zero American wheel (5.26%), which doubles the edge for nothing. Craps' pass line (1.41%) is excellent but the table intimidates newcomers.