What casino games and slot machines give you as a player the best chance of winning?
While sections of libraries are filled with all kinds of books about strategies on what games and slots are best to play, the Nevada Gaming Control Board comes out with a report annually showing which games won the most for casinos and – more importantly – the win percentage per game.
There are all kinds of variables involved in winning a hand of blackjack, for example. Like the frustration you feel when the player in front of you hits a 14 and draws a 10-card and busts when you needed that card for 21 on a double-down bet.
That’s the luck of the draw in a casino game.
And, while slots may pay out big jackpots ahead of you may skew the averages, the bottom line is that the Control Board has calculated which types of machines and which table games won the most for casinos – which means you can calculate which machines and games were best for players.
Among slot machines, the best games for players are $25-denomination machines, which had a casino win rate of 5.03 percent on 126 units. In 2023, $25 slots won $22.8 million for casinos.
The next-best for players: $5-denomination slots, 640 units, which had a 5.11 percent win percentage for casinos and collected $70.4 million for them in 2023.
The remaining six slot denominations and the amount won and win percentage:
— Nickel slots, 848 units that won $42.6 million and had a win rate of 5.36 percent.
— $100-denomination slots, 88 units that won $31.9 million and had a win rate of 6.09 percent.
— $1-denomination slots, 6,341 units that won $638.1 million and had a win rate of 6.39 percent.
— Multidenomination machine, 67,912 units that won $5.974 billion and had a win rate of 6.43 percent.
— Quarter slots, 3,069 units that won $219.9 million and had a win rate of 7.99 percent.
— The worst of the slots for players – penny slots, 44,868 units that won $3.153 billion and had a win rate of 9.67 percent.
The Control Board said on every slot denomination except the multidenomination units the machines produced less revenue than in 2022.
On the table game and other games side of the casino, sports wagering gives the best edge to the player.
There are 176 sports pools across the state of Nevada and the casino win percentage was 5.83 percent in 2023. Sports books won $481.3 million for casinos.
Every table game in Nevada casinos had double-digit percentage win rates for the house.
The game with the best player edge in 2023: mini-baccarat, with a 12.43 percent win rate for the casino. The game won $90.6 million from 118 units.
The next eight games, in order of player edge:
— Twenty-one (blackjack), 1,998 units that won $1.326 billion and had a win rate of 14.82 percent.
— Race books, 158 units that won $30.4 million and had a win rate of 15.6 percent.
— Baccarat, 393 units that won $1.488 billion and had a win rate of 16.42 percent.
— Craps, 319 units that won $467.5 million and had a win rate of 16.62 percent.
— Roulette, 432 units that won $460.3 million and had a win rate of 19.6 percent.
— Pai gow poker, 209 units that won $124.3 million and had a win rate of 20.98 percent.
— Ultimate Texas Hold-em, 177 units that won $188.7 million and had a win rate of 22.06 percent.
— The worst in the casino for players, Three-Card Poker, 171 units that won $125.3 million and had a win rate of 32.18 percent.
Table games had a mixed performance compared with 2022. Race books, pai gow poker, three-card poker and minibaccarat won less for the house than in 2022, while blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, ultimate Texas hold-em and sports books won more than a year ago.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
