Baccarat has better odds than roulette. The Banker bet costs 1.06% of what you wager over the long run, Player 1.24%, while European roulette costs 2.70% and American roulette 5.26%. Craps comes close: the Pass Line is 1.41% and Don't Pass 1.36%. The catch is that each game also has bets far worse than these.
This is the second post in our comparison series. If you came for blackjack, see baccarat vs blackjack.
Baccarat vs roulette odds and craps, side by side
The baccarat numbers come from listing every card order in an 8-deck shoe. Roulette and craps are simpler, because a wheel and two dice don't change as the game goes on, so their numbers are exact fractions.
| House edge | |
|---|---|
| Baccarat, Banker | 1.06% |
| Baccarat, Player | 1.24% |
| Craps, Don't Pass | 1.36% |
| Craps, Pass Line | 1.41% |
| Craps, Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
| European roulette (single zero) | 2.70% |
| American roulette (double zero) | 5.26% |
| American roulette, five-number bet | 7.89% |
| Baccarat, Tie (8 to 1) | 14.36% |
| Craps, Any Seven | 16.67% |
The best bet in each game lands between about 1% and 3%. The worst bets jump to 14% or more.
Banker is the cheapest of all these bets, but only by a little. The bet you pick matters more than the game.
Why American roulette costs twice as much
A European wheel has 37 pockets: 1 to 36 plus a single 0. A straight-up bet pays 35 to 1, but a fair price would be 36 to 1. That one missing unit, spread over 37 spins, is 2.70%.
An American wheel adds a 00, so there are 38 pockets with the same payouts. Now two pockets do all the work for the house, and the edge becomes 2 out of 38, or 5.26%. The five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 is even worse at 7.89%.
One extra green pocket doubles the cost of every roulette bet.
Some European tables return half your even-money bet when 0 hits. That rule cuts the edge on red, black, odd and even to 1.35%, close to baccarat Player.
Craps: two good bets and many bad ones
The Pass Line and Don't Pass sit at 1.41% and 1.36%, right next to baccarat. Place bets on 6 or 8 cost 1.52%. Craps also lets you add an Odds bet behind the line that pays true odds, with no house edge at all on that extra money.
The center of the table is another story. Any Seven pays 4 to 1 on a 1 in 6 event, which costs 16.67%. The one-roll proposition bets are among the worst bets in any casino.
Why baccarat Banker has a small edge
Banker wins 45.86% of hands and Player 44.62%, with Ties at 9.52%. Banker wins more because of the drawing rules, so the house takes a 5% commission on Banker wins. That commission is what produces the 1.06%. Our baccarat house edge explained post walks through it step by step.
Baccarat is also the only game here where the cards already dealt change what comes next. A roulette wheel has no memory and neither do dice. A baccarat shoe does, because dealt cards are gone. On Banker and Player that effect is small; on some side bets it is larger.
At the start of a fresh shoe every baccarat bet has a negative expected value. Only the remaining cards can change that, briefly. Roulette and craps never change.
See how your shoe changes the numbers
That difference is what Baccarator is built on. After each hand you enter the cards and tap Calculate, and it recalculates the odds and expected value for Banker, Player, Tie, pairs and side bets from the cards still in the shoe. If a bet briefly turns positive, it shows a Kelly sizing suggestion; that only appears when expected value is positive, it is a long-run average, and the next hand can still lose. Positive moments are rare and short. You can practice with virtual chips, with no real money involved.
Baccarat vs roulette FAQ
Does baccarat have better odds than roulette?
Yes. Banker costs 1.06% and Player 1.24%, while European roulette costs 2.70% and American roulette 5.26% on almost every bet.
Which has better odds, craps or baccarat?
They are close. Baccarat Banker is 1.06%, craps Don't Pass is 1.36% and Pass Line is 1.41%. Craps Odds bets carry no house edge, but you can only make them on top of a line bet.
What is the house edge on roulette?
2.70% on a single-zero European wheel and 5.26% on a double-zero American wheel. The American five-number bet is 7.89%.
Baccarator is a math tool for education. No real-money gambling. 21+ only.
