What the house edge really costs per hour (2026)
A house edge is a price per unit staked, and staked is not the same as brought. A 2.70% edge sounds survivable until you notice that a fast table stakes your money seventy times an hour. This page turns the percentage into the only number that matters at the table: what the hour costs.
cost = bet x rounds per hour x house edge · Source: Derived from the exact edge, not the rounded percentage · Last verified 14 Aug 2026How do you calculate casino cost per hour?
cost per hour = bet size x rounds per hour x house edgeThat is it. The house edge is fixed by the game, the bet size is yours, and rounds per hour is the number nobody mentions. Count it yourself the next time you play: time ten rounds, multiply, and you have the missing term.
What does each casino game cost per hour?
| Game and bet | House edge | 30 rounds/hr | 60 rounds/hr | 100 rounds/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craps free odds | 0.00% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Craps don’t pass | 1.36% | 0.41 | 0.82 | 1.36 |
| Baccarat banker | 1.06% | 0.32 | 0.63 | 1.06 |
| Blackjack, good rules 3:2 | under 1.00% | under 0.30 | under 0.60 | under 1.00 |
| Roulette, French even money | 1.35% | 0.41 | 0.81 | 1.35 |
| Roulette, European | 2.70% | 0.81 | 1.62 | 2.70 |
| Craps place 4 or 10 | 6.67% | 2.00 | 4.00 | 6.67 |
| Roulette, American | 5.26% | 1.58 | 3.16 | 5.26 |
| Baccarat tie at 8:1 | 14.36% | 4.31 | 8.62 | 14.36 |
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Takes players from your countryWhat does an hour of roulette cost at 5 a round?
At 5 a round and 60 rounds an hour, which is an ordinary pace at an ordinary stake:
| Game and bet | Cost per hour at 5 a round |
|---|---|
| Craps free odds | 0.00 |
| Baccarat banker | 3.17 |
| Roulette, French even money | 4.05 |
| Craps pass line | 4.24 |
| Roulette, European | 8.11 |
| Roulette, American | 15.79 |
| Craps place 4 or 10 | 20.00 |
| Baccarat tie at 8:1 | 43.08 |
Why does table speed matter more than the house edge?
Two players at the same edge, one at 30 rounds an hour and one at 100, part with different amounts of money for the same game. Automated and speed tables exist because faster rounds mean more staked per hour at an unchanged edge, and that is a straightforward multiplication rather than a conspiracy. It also means the cheapest way to reduce what a game costs, without changing the game or the stake, is to play fewer rounds.
This is also why comparing a slot at 96% to roulette at 97.30% by the percentages alone misleads. Rounds per hour differ by a factor of several, so the game with the better percentage can easily be the more expensive hour.
Quick answers
How much does roulette cost per hour? Bet size multiplied by rounds per hour multiplied by 2.70% on a European wheel. At 5 a round and 60 spins an hour that is 8.11.
Is a lower house edge always cheaper? No. A faster game at a lower edge can cost more per hour than a slower game at a higher one, because cost is edge multiplied by total staked.
What is the cheapest bet in a casino? The free odds bet behind a craps line bet, at exactly 0% edge, though it cannot be made without the line bet in front of it.
How do I find my rounds per hour? Time ten rounds at the table you actually play and multiply. It is the one term in the formula that nobody publishes for you.
Reviewed by the PlayStories editorial team. Last updated August 14, 2026. Numbers verified per our methodology. Informational only, not betting advice. 18+. Play responsibly.
Related
RTP = payout including stake x pockets covered / total pocketsNothing on this page is taken from a source. Every figure is arithmetic from the wheel and the published paytable: a European wheel has 37 pockets and pays a straight-up winner 36 units including the stake, so the return is 36/37. The American figures use 38 pockets, the French even-money figure adds the half-stake refund on zero. Any reader can recompute all of them.
Full verification method · Editorial standards · Corrections are logged on the method page.
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