If you’re spinning slots with an 8% House Edge or sitting at a blackjack table where the rules give you 6:5 payouts on a natural blackjack, you're handing money straight to the house. Many online casinos assume that you won't notice that the games have been reconfigured with lower payout tiers. To play the highest Return to Player games at legit online casinos that actually pay out and win real money casino you need to identify platforms that feature top-payout games so you can collect the highest mathematical return on every wager.
Choosing the right platform can mean the difference between seeing your bankroll dwindle quickly and enjoying long-running, high-value playing sessions. In this guide, we teach you how to identify the online casinos that deliver the highest payout games in the industry. From single-zero roulette and 3:2 blackjack tables to high RTP slots, these tips will help you discover how to locate the games that ensure that you'll keep more of your winnings.
Check out some of Grande Vegas online casino's suggestions for finding high-value games and explore some of Grande Vegas's highest Return to Player gaming adventures.
Why Skill-Based Games Offer a Better House Edge
Casino games fall into two broad areas: games of pure chance (for example, slots, keno and to a certain extent, roulette) and skill-based games (i.e. blackjack, video poker, poker). There's generally a lower house edge - and thus a higher Return to Player (RTP) - for skill-based games due to their underlying mathematics and decision-making mechanics.
How Decision-Making Influences Game Outcome
When you're playing a game in which luck plays the dominant role, every outcome is dictated strictly by a fixed Random Number Generator (RNG). This software involves no human input so your choices do not, in any way, alter the probability distribution of the game.
If you're playing a skill-based game, your decisions alter the probability of you achieving the desired outcome in every round. The theoretical RTP in a game like Blackjack, where your skill has a tremendous influence on the results of every play, is based on optimal play using Basic Strategy.
Because players can make mathematically correct or incorrect decisions at every turn, casinos can set the baseline house edge extremely low (often below 0.50%), because they rely on human error to generate their profit margin.
Influence of Variable Paytables and Payout Curves on Game Outcome
Skill-based games like Video Poker and Blackjack feature structured paytables or conditional payouts (such as doubling down, splitting, or holding specific cards) – your decisions have a significant impact on how many times you win and the level of those wins.
For instance, if you're playing video poker, you calculate the expected value of holding specific card combinations or trading in cards when evaluating how to proceed. When you choose the mathematically optimal play on every hand, you preserve the maximum theoretical RTP of 99.54%. If you make a "gut" decision the RTP can drop to as little as 95%.
Casino's Human Error Buffer and Game Outcome
Casinos can afford to offer high-RTP skill games because the average casual player rarely plays with perfect strategy. If a player is playing with 100% perfect strategy according to mathematical strategy charts, the house edge is no more than 0.50%.
In actuality, the casino retains 1.50% to 3.00% in practice because almost everyone makes mistakes, makes decisions based on hunches and/or plays emotionally. The casino relies on these deviations to be assured of a healthy profit margin.
Because the general public gives back percentage points through human error, casinos do not need to build steep mathematical penalties into the rules of skill-based games.
|
|
Games of Chance |
Skill-Based Games |
|
Typical House Edge |
2.00% to 15.00%+ |
0.46% to 1.00% |
|
Player Impact |
None (Bet size only) |
High (Every decision shifts Expected Value) |
|
Optimal Strategy |
Not applicable |
Required in order to hit optimal RTP |
|
Vulnerability to Errors |
Zero |
High - Deviations increase house edge |
If you're looking for skill-based games that will allow you to achieve the highest possible Expected Value for your casino gaming session, stay away from pure chance games like Keno and focus on table games where optimal decision making raises the RTP. Some of the top High Expected Value games include:
Video Poker
Video poker offers some of the highest Expected Value (EV) gaming entertainment in the casino. Video poker uses a real 52-card probability distribution that combines with skill-based decision-making to deliver an expected value that can go above 100% RTP when played with optimal strategy on full-pay paytables.
Game variants that give you the highest RTPs include Deuces Wild Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Jacks or Better Poker, Bonus Poker and Joker Poker.
Some suggestions for achieving top results with video poker include:
- Look for full pay games. Just because the game is featured on the list of high expected value video poker, it doesn't mean that you're guaranteed that high EV. Look for full pay games. For instance, if you find a Jacks or Better Poker game with a 9/6 (full pay) paytable, you'll win 9 coins for a full house and 6 for a flush. On the other hand, if the paytable is 8/5, a full house will only pay 8 coins and a Flush will only pay out 5 coins. It's easy to see which paytable is more worthwhile.
- Always bet the maximum number of coins. Many of the payouts pay out with a bonus if you bet max. For instance, on a 1-4 coin bet, a royal flush may pay out 250 to 1, but on a 5-coin bet, the royal flush pays 800 to 1.
- Always play according to the basic poker strategy chart. Every hand has a single mathematically optimal play and if you stick to those moves, you'll come out way ahead.
Blackjack
Blackjack is widely considered the best game for high-EV enthusiasts. Played under favorable rules with perfect mathematical execution, standard blackjack carries a tiny house edge of around 0.28% to 0.50% for an expected return of 99.50% to 99.72%.
It's important to remember, however, that expected value varies wildly based on table rules, deck count, and player decision-making. Every blackjack variation has its own rules and a single rule change can swing the house edge by more than 1%.
The 1-deck rule of classic blackjack means that there's a higher natural frequency of hitting Blackjacks and easier card distribution math. You must, however, check that the table pays 3:2 because where there's a 6:5 payout, the expected value decreases dramatically.
Classic blackjack is closely followed by European Blackjack as a high expected value game. Here the game is played with 2 decks but, by decreeing that the Dealer must stand on all 17s, the player enjoys an advantage.
It's important to play according to strict basic blackjack strategy but even if you don't remember every element of basic strategy, if you stick to the main elements of the basic strategy you'll be able to keep your expected value high. These elements include the advice to
- Always split Aces and 8s.
- Never split 10s or 5s.
- Always double 11 vs. Dealer 2 through 10.
- Hit hard 16 vs. Dealer 7, 8, 9, 10, or Ace (or Surrender if permitted).
- Never take insurance or get involved with other side bets.
Enjoy a rewarding casino experience with skill-based games.